Previously, it was reported that Huawei was trying to persuade Samsung and TSMC to build an advanced process production line using non-US equipment, and the two major fabs had already received this request.
According to the latest report from today's technews, Samsung has already built a small, non-US advanced technology and equipment production line with related manufacturers in Europe and Japan, and it is currently undergoing testing.
As for the reason why Samsung established this non-US technology and equipment industry, the market interpreted it as Samsung ’s desire to actively win the favor of other customers. However, relevant market participants are currently not optimistic that Samsung will violate US restrictions at this stage and assist Huawei in production.
Earlier, well-known analyst Lu Xingzhi once said that, in consideration of TSMC avoiding being hit by the United States, TSMC should strongly support non-US semiconductor material and equipment suppliers to serve non-US customers. And such ideas seem to form a consensus in the industry.
The report also pointed out that MediaTek is currently rumored to be internally inclined to supply the US for export approval to avoid becoming an arrow target at this sensitive moment.
In fact, according to people in the supply chain, although Huawei has recently become more and more close to MediaTek, and MediaTek ’s penetration of low-cost mobile phone chips has also increased, but it is impacted by the new US ban, Huawei estimates The chips that have been in stock for 8 months to 1 year are not high in the short-term purchase from MediaTek. In addition, the products that Huawei originally expected to cooperate with MediaTek in 2020 will be low and medium-low for the second half of the year. End products. Therefore, it has limited contribution to MediaTek's orders in the short term. Therefore, at this time, MediaTek still prefers to apply for permission from the United States to avoid causing trouble at sensitive points in time.