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Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Settles Export Violation Case with U.S. Government Over Shipments to Huawei

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Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOS) has agreed to pay $4.25 million to settle with the U.S. Department of Commerce for unauthorized shipments of power controllers, smart power stages, and related components to Huawei Technologies in 2019. This occurred after Huawei was placed on the U.S. Entity List, which restricts trade and requires licenses for suppliers shipping controlled items.

Although the shipped items were foreign-designed and manufactured, they were subject to U.S. export controls because AOS exported them from the United States. The U.S. government had been investigating these transactions for over five years. The Justice Department closed its criminal investigation without charges in January 2024, but a civil probe by the Commerce Department continued until the settlement.

AOS emphasized that the resolution does not affect its ongoing operations. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and operates fabrication facilities in the U.S. and Asia, including a wafer fab in Hillsboro, Oregon. The U.S. expanded restrictions on Huawei in 2020 to include foreign-produced items shipped to the company.

U.S. May Add More Chinese Tech Firms to Export Blacklist, Including CXMT

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The U.S. Commerce Department is considering expanding its Entity List to include additional Chinese technology firms, including ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and subsidiaries of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC), a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The potential move is under review by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which oversees export controls on sensitive technologies. Companies added to the Entity List are effectively banned from receiving U.S. goods, software, and technology without a special license — one that is typically denied.

Strategic and Political Context:

  • The timing of the decision is reportedly complicated by a recent U.S.–China trade deal, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the news.

  • Inclusion on the list is reserved for entities deemed to be acting “contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.”

Recent Escalations:

  • In January, the Biden administration added over two dozen Chinese entities, including:

    • Zhipu AI, a large language model developer

    • Sophgo, linked to chips produced by TSMC and allegedly incorporated into Huawei AI processors in violation of U.S. export rules

  • Those actions were accompanied by tighter controls to restrict chip flows that could indirectly support Huawei and other blacklisted firms.

Implications:

  • CXMT is a leading Chinese DRAM memory chipmaker and considered a strategic rival to U.S. memory firms such as Micron. Blacklisting CXMT would further strain U.S.–China tech relations.

  • Adding SMIC and YMTC subsidiaries would intensify U.S. efforts to curb China’s progress in semiconductor self-sufficiency and advanced chip production.

While no final decision has been announced, the move would signal a continued hardline stance on Chinese tech development, particularly in areas with potential military or surveillance applications.

Chinese AI Firm Zhipu Opposes U.S. Export Control Entity List Inclusion

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Beijing-based artificial intelligence firm Zhipu Huazhang Technology expressed strong opposition to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision to include it and its subsidiaries on the export control entity list. The company issued a statement on its official WeChat account, claiming that the decision lacked factual foundation.

Zhipu, which is involved in the development of advanced AI technologies, responded firmly to the move, which restricts the company’s access to U.S. exports, preventing them from receiving goods or technology without a special license that is typically denied. This addition to the entity list comes amid growing concerns from the U.S. over the potential use of AI for military applications and national security risks associated with China’s technological advancements.

The company emphasized that its inclusion on the list would not significantly impact its operations, asserting that it has mastered the core technology for large language models.