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Taiwan Adds Huawei and SMIC to Strategic Export Control List Amid Security Concerns

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Taiwan has placed China’s tech giants Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) on its export control list, requiring Taiwanese firms to obtain government approval before exporting any products to these companies.

The additions were part of a recent update to the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ trade administration strategic high-tech commodities entity list, announced on June 10. Alongside Huawei and SMIC, the update included 601 entities from countries such as Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, and China, including groups like the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Taiwan’s trade administration stated the review and update were driven by “prevention of arms proliferation and other national security considerations.” It urged manufacturers to comply with export control regulations, fulfill verification obligations, and carefully assess transaction risks.

Taiwan is home to TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a key supplier to AI leader Nvidia. Both Huawei and SMIC are pivotal to China’s ambitions in chips and artificial intelligence and have been striving to close the technology gap.

Taiwan already enforces strict chip export controls on Taiwanese companies that manufacture domestically or supply Chinese firms, reflecting ongoing tensions between Taipei and Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory.

Huawei is also subject to U.S. export restrictions barring access to American and foreign-made goods involving U.S. technology, including chips manufactured by TSMC. Last year, TSMC was ordered by the U.S. Commerce Department to halt shipments of certain chips to Chinese customers, including Huawei and Sophgo, a Chinese chip designer linked to Huawei’s AI processor.

Taiwan’s government has repeatedly pledged to combat Chinese efforts to steal technology and attract Taiwanese chip talent, emphasizing the strategic importance of the semiconductor sector.

SMIC, China’s largest chipmaker, continues to invest heavily to expand capacity amid U.S. export curbs, aiming to boost China’s domestic semiconductor capabilities.

Besi Raises Long-Term Financial Targets on Growing AI Chip Demand

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BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) has raised its long-term revenue and operating margin targets ahead of its investor day, citing strong demand from AI chipmakers adopting its advanced hybrid bonding technology. The Dutch company specializes in the world’s most precise hybrid bonding tools, a key technology for stacking multiple chips directly on top of each other to boost performance.

At the event, Besi’s Senior Vice President Technology Chris Scanlan highlighted that major AI chip designers Nvidia and Broadcom are looking to utilize Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) hybrid bonding process, which could increase demand for Besi’s equipment. Additionally, Intel and AMD are expanding their use of hybrid bonding technology.

Besi now projects long-term revenues between €1.5 billion and €1.9 billion ($1.73 billion to $2.19 billion), up from a previous forecast of €1 billion, and expects operating margins of 40% to 55%, an increase from 35% to 50%. Shares rose 8.4% during the trading day, outperforming the Netherlands’ AEX index.

As traditional performance gains from shrinking chip features approach physical limits, the industry is shifting towards advanced packaging methods like hybrid bonding to create faster, more powerful chips. Limits on reticule exposure in ASML’s lithography machines have also pushed chipmakers to combine multiple chips by stitching or stacking. For example, TSMC recently demonstrated a large package containing over 16 chips stitched together.

While Besi and its investors are optimistic about the company’s position as a key supplier to cutting-edge chipmakers, some analysts expressed caution. Degroof Petercam noted that Besi’s raised targets come despite the company not yet reaching its earlier goals. So far this year, Besi shares have declined by 3.2%.

Trump Administration Renegotiates Biden-Era Chips Act Grants, Says Commerce Secretary Lutnick

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The Trump administration is actively renegotiating semiconductor manufacturing grants originally awarded under the Biden-era CHIPS and Science Act, according to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Lutnick indicated that some of these awards may be significantly altered or even cancelled as part of efforts to secure better terms for U.S. taxpayers.

“Some of the Biden-era grants just seemed overly generous, and we’ve been able to renegotiate them,” Lutnick told lawmakers, emphasizing that the renegotiations aim to deliver greater value to the American public. “All the deals are getting better, and the only deals that are not getting done are deals that should have never been done in the first place.”

$52.7 Billion CHIPS Act Under Review

The $52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act, signed by President Biden in 2022, was designed to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on Asia, particularly Taiwan and South Korea. Under the program, billions of dollars in grants were awarded to both U.S. and foreign chipmakers, including Taiwan’s TSMC, South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix, as well as U.S.-based Intel and Micron.

Though many of these awards were signed before Biden left office, most of the funds have yet to be fully disbursed. The grant payments are generally structured to be released as companies meet specific production and investment milestones tied to their U.S. plant expansions.

TSMC Award Revised Amid Expanding U.S. Investment

Lutnick cited Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) as an example of successful renegotiation. Under the original agreement, TSMC was awarded $6 billion to support its U.S. manufacturing expansion. Lutnick revealed that TSMC subsequently increased its planned investment from $65 billion to $165 billion, while still receiving the same $6 billion in federal funds.

Although TSMC confirmed in March that it would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., the company has not commented on whether the new investment was directly tied to renegotiated CHIPS Act terms.

White House Seeking Delays and New Terms

The renegotiation efforts are not new. In February, Reuters reported that the White House was already seeking to renegotiate several awards and delay some upcoming disbursements to ensure better returns on government spending.

Lutnick’s comments suggest that the Trump administration intends to continue scrutinizing past agreements to maximize taxpayer value and may block deals it deems wasteful or excessive.

AI Computing Capacity Also a Focus

During the hearing, Lutnick also addressed concerns about the global race for artificial intelligence computing capacity. He emphasized the administration’s commitment to ensuring that over 50% of global AI compute power remains based in the United States. This statement comes amid criticism of a Trump administration deal allowing the United Arab Emirates to purchase advanced American AI chips, raising fears about exporting critical technology.