Intel gets US licences to supply some products to Huawei

[SHANGHAI] Intel has received licences from US authorities to continue supplying certain products to Huawei Technologies, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday.

With US-China ties at their worst in decades, Washington has been pushing governments around to world to squeeze out Huawei, arguing that the telecoms giant would hand data to the Chinese government for espionage.

From Sept 15, new curbs have barred US companies from supplying or servicing Huawei.

This week the state-backed China Securities Journal said Intel had received permission to supply Huawei.

Last week China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) confirmed it had also sought permission to continue servicing Huawei. SMIC uses US-origin equipment to make chips for Huawei and other companies.

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix also applied for US licence for Huawei sales, but it has not gained approval, a person familiar with the matter said.

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The person, declining to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media, said non-US firms may not have a high chance of getting US approval, and chipmakers are drafting contingency plans to increase supplies to other customers.

SK Hynix declined to comment.

Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army, denies it spies for Beijing and says the United States is trying to smear it because Western firms are falling behind in 5G technology.

In what some observers have compared to the Cold War arms race, the United States worries that 5G dominance would give China an advantage Washington is not ready to accept.

REUTERS