The U.S. Department of Commerce’s semiconductor export restrictions on Huawei went into effect on September 15. Japanese semiconductor manufacturers such as Sony and KIOXIA (formerly Toshiba Memory) stopped supplying Huawei one after another. Japanese companies are believed to supply Huawei with about 1.1 trillion yen per month and 1 billion U.S. dollars in parts, and with the cessation of supply to major customers, Japanese companies’ operations will inevitably be affected. As a result of the U.S. restrictions, companies that use U.S. technology are prohibited from exporting semiconductors to Huawei. Even if they do not supply directly to Huawei but to other companies, if the end user is Huawei, they may be in violation of U.S. export control rules. Japanese manufacturers have been forced to check their supply channels for components one by one.
Japanese companies have stopped supplying semiconductors to Huawei, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported today. Sony supplied Huawei with image sensors for smartphone cameras, etc., but stopped supplying them 15 days ago. Sony’s dealings with Huawei amount to hundreds of billions of yen a year, and it is discussing applying for an export license from the U.S. Commerce Department. Mitsubishi Electric, which deals in semiconductors for communications equipment, temporarily stopped supplying some products to Huawei. The two sides have annual deals worth billions of yen in areas such as optical devices (optical semiconductors) and high-frequency devices for communications. Mitsubishi Electric has determined that some of its products may be subject to the restriction.
As a result of the U.S. restrictions, companies that use U.S. technology are prohibited from exporting semiconductors to Huawei. Even if they do not supply directly to Huawei but to other companies, if the end user is Huawei, they may violate U.S. export control rules. The Japanese manufacturers had to check the supply channels for components one by one. It takes a long time to check the supply channels, and even if they are not explicitly targeted, there is a tendency to suspend supplies. Toshiba suspended the supply of mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) and semiconductors to Huawei on Sept. 15. The company said it “would like to see whether its own products are subject to the restriction.
Against the backdrop of widespread disruptions in the supply of parts to Huawei, the Japanese company’s concerns are also widening. An executive at Mitsubishi Electric said, “There is a possibility of indirect effects such as a slowdown in production activities. Japanese companies will look for alternative buyers to minimize the impact.
Japan’s Renesas Electronics is supplying signal-enhancing semiconductors and other products to Huawei’s 5G base stations. It plans to increase sales to other base station companies such as Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland’s Nokia.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, due to this restriction, even semiconductors produced in other countries cannot be supplied to Huawei, such as using technology such as manufacturing equipment and software from the United States.
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