
Chip chief says Huawei has backup plan for US ban
The dramatic letter to HiSilicon staff is trending on Chinese social media but light on details
When Huawei found out this week that it had been banned from buying American technology without official US approval, He Tingbo knew her team was prepared. Years before, Huawei’s chip-design unit had secretly started building backup tools precisely for this kind of contingency.
The story, revealed by He in a memo addressed to employees, paints HiSilicon’s efforts in dramatic language laced with historic and biblical references.
“To prepare for a scenario that we never thought would happen, thousands of sons and daughters of HiSilicon embarked on the most tragic and solemn long march in the history of technology,” it reads. “We failed and were perplexed many times, but we never gave up.”

The Kirin series is often viewed as a means for Huawei to eventually wean itself off reliance on American technology. He’s letter also stresses the importance of building in-house components. It says the US ban means that every product that Huawei makes from now on must be based on “self-reliant technology.” The letter ends with a rallying cry for employees to keep up their good effort, comparing it to the building of Noah’s Ark.
Huawei’s Kirin processors, though, are still dependent on US technology. The chips’ manufacturing process is outsourced to Taiwan’s TSMC, which relies on US equipment.
Huawei’s ongoing troubles with the US have drawn strong interest on Chinese social media.
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