Between Google, Qualcomm, and Arm cutting ties with Huawei, it seems like the firm’s smartphone business is in critical danger unless the U.S. lifts its trade ban. Thankfully, at least one important Huawei partner says it can still do business with the Chinese brand.
A spokesperson for Taiwan’s TSMC said its shipments to Huawei won’t be affected by the ban, according to Reuters. The newswire previously reported that TSMC was “assessing the impact” of the U.S. trade ban.
The Taiwanese company is a leader in chip manufacturing, and is responsible for producing Huawei’s Kirin smartphone chipsets. Processors from Apple, MediaTek, and Qualcomm are also churned out by the firm.
TSMC’s confirmation comes a day after Arm reportedly cut ties with Huawei. However, it’s believed the Chinese brand is still allowed to produce existing chipsets based on Arm technology (i.e. all of its current Kirin mobile chips).
The company’s continued cooperation means Huawei won’t need to search for another manufacturer to produce its Kirin processors. Therefore it should still theoretically be able to produce new smartphones — assuming it can draw on its stockpile of components to fill any other gaps.
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