‘TSMC stops production for Chinese GPU maker Biren after US export restrictions’
TSMC has stopped producing GPUs for Chinese start-up Biren Technology. Sources report this to Bloomberg news agency. TSMC is doing so because of restrictions on the Chinese chip sector recently introduced by US President Joe Biden.
TSMC has according to an anonymous Bloomberg source It has not yet been determined whether Biren Technology’s products indeed meet the US threshold for export restrictions. The Taiwanese chipmaker has decided to stop deliveries to Biren for the time being. A TSMC spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company “complies with all relevant regulations,” but declined to comment further.
Biren Technology makes AI chips that compete with products from Nvidia, among others. Following US chip restrictions, Nvidia is no longer allowed to sell certain data center products, such as the A100 and H100 GPUs, in China. The Bloomberg source says TSMC’s decision to stop production is linked to “public information” that Biren’s products are outperforming Nvidia’s A100.
US President Joe Biden formalized the new restrictions on chip exports to China earlier this month. Under the restrictions, chip companies are banned from supplying data center GPUs to China. US companies are also no longer allowed to supply manufacturing equipment for advanced logic and memory chips to factories in China unless manufacturers obtain a license to do so from the US. In addition, companies are not allowed to supply advanced chips for AI and supercomputers to Chinese companies if they are made with American technology, software or machines, also writes The New York Times. That rule also applies to international chip manufacturers. A similar measure was previously taken by former President Donald Trump to limit chip deliveries to Huawei.
Biren Technology recently said it expected its products not to be subject to the new US rules, Bloomberg reported last week. The company said that because it said the specifications “do not meet the criteria of the restrictions.” The export restrictions only apply to advanced AI chips and Biren is said to have found that the performance of its products is just below the threshold for this. The company has not yet commented on the cessation of production at TSMC.