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    Bitmain-linked firm Sophgo denies supplying AI chips to Huawei

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    Chinese chip designer, Xiamen Sophgo, denies having any business connection with Huawei following concerns of sanctions violations which caused Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to cease working with them. This follows a US Department of Commerce investigation into whether TSMC knowingly supplied chips to Huawei. Allegedly, TSMC-made chips for Sophgo bear resemblance to Huawei’s AI chips. Sophgo asserts no dealings with Huawei, pledging adherence to laws and regulations. Co-founded by Micree Zhan in 2019, Sophgo still shares certain registries and email directories with Bitmain, the company Zhan was ousted from amid disputes over chip diversification beyond crypto.

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    Xiamen Sophgo, a chip designer company from China, has denied any kind of business partnership with Huawei. This came after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) stopped working with Sophgo after suspicions of sanctions violations were raised by the United States.

    A Reuters report from Oct. 27 mentioned that Sophgo had ordered chips from TSMC similar to those found in Huawei’s Ascend 910B. The source here were two unnamed individuals who knew about this.

    The United States Department of Commerce is investigating if TSMC supplied chips knowingly to Huawei. It should be noted that Huawei has been subjected to sanctions from the US since 2020 owing to worries about national security.

    But, Sophgo made it clear in an official statement on their website that they’ve never had a business relationship with Huawei. They said the US investigation into TSMC and Huawei has nothing to do with them or their product. They also state they’ve never directly or indirectly dealt with Huawei. They added that they strictly follow all laws and regulations to conduct their businesses.

    An investigation by the US Commerce Department and TSMC reportedly found that the chips TSMC made for Sophgo has designs similar to Huawei’s artificial intelligence chips. This too was based on information shared by two unnamed people.

    Sophgo was established in 2019 by Bitmain’s co-founder Micree Zhan. Bitmain and Sophgo still share several domain registries and email directories till date.

    In 2018, at the encouragement of Zhan, Bitmain started exploring AI chip development to expand its chip offerings beyond crypto. But, this strategy caused issues between Zhan and another co-founder, Jihan Wu, who believed the company should only focus on creating Bitcoin mining rigs.

    Due to differences and other issues, Zhan was removed from the company in October 2019. This happened while Zhan was presenting Bitmain’s “third generation” AI chip – the Sophgo BM1684 – at a tech meet in China.

    Source: Cointelegraph

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