
Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek seeks licence to supply Huawei amid US sanctions
- The latest US trade sanctions on Huawei choke off the company’s ability to buy off-the-shelf chips developed or produced using US technology
- MediaTek’s move echoes that of US semiconductor company Qualcomm, which has been lobbying Washington for permission to sell its chips to Huawei
A MediaTek spokeswoman declined to comment on previous Chinese media reports that Huawei had placed a large order with it.
“MediaTek reiterated its stance of respecting global trade rules. We have applied for a US licence and now are waiting for US approval,” MediaTek said in a written statement to the Post.
That restriction prevents Huawei from sourcing commercially available chips from third-party suppliers, including MediaTek, unless a licence is granted by the US government. This essentially chokes off Huawei’s ability to acquire off-the-shelf chips developed or produced using US technology.
As Huawei struggles to find alternatives to US chip tech, it finds itself a pawn in a much bigger power game
The Trump administration’s latest moves further complicates the battleground in the US-China tech war, which has widened from semiconductors and next-generation 5G mobile networks to apps and cloud services in recent weeks.
Huawei declined to comment for this story.
Europe’s chip makers are vulnerable in US fight with Huawei
Chinese media previously reported that Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and one of the biggest global smartphone vendors, had placed an order of 120 million chips from MediaTek after the US announced its new restriction in May this year.
