Bitmain Denies Involvement in TSMC-Huawei Supply Chain Probe

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Hongji Feng

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Hongji Feng

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Hongji is a crypto and tech reporter. He graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a Bachelor's and a Master's. He has previously interned at HTX (Huobi Global),...

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October 28, 2024

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Bitmain, a major cryptocurrency mining equipment manufacturer, clarified on Monday that it has no involvement in the current supply chain investigation, amid allegations of restricted TSMC chips appearing in Huawei’s AI processors.

According to a statement from Bitmain, the company focuses solely on cryptocurrency mining equipment and has no connection to recent reports suggesting its role in supplying restricted TSMC chips found in Huawei’s technology.

“BITMAIN specializes in cryptocurrency mining rigs and is not connected to the supply chain investigation recently reported by the media,” the statement reads.

The company further emphasized that any news suggesting otherwise is “false and baseless,” and it reserves the right to take legal action against any media outlets disseminating inaccurate information.

Bitmain Denies Supply Chain Involvement

Reports from sources, including Reuters, recently indicated that TSMC discovered one of its chips embedded in a Huawei AI processor, leading the company to halt shipments to Chinese chip designer Sophgo.

Sophgo, described as a Bitmain affiliate, reportedly became a focus in the investigation after its chips were allegedly linked to Huawei’s processor.

TSMC Chips Found on Huawei’s Processor

Sophgo had ordered chips from TSMC that allegedly matched those later found in Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI processor.

Following this discovery, TSMC reportedly alerted U.S. authorities due to export restrictions on Huawei.

Sophgo, however, maintains that it complies with all legal requirements and has denied any direct business relationship with Huawei.

The company has provided a report to TSMC to clarify its position and affirm its independence.

TSMC, the largest contract chipmaker, confirmed it stopped supplying Huawei in mid-September 2020 to comply with U.S. export restrictions.