Providing chip technology to Huawei? EDA giant is under investigation by the United States!

On April 13, Bloomberg reported that people familiar with the matter revealed that Synopsys, the world's largest chip design software supplier, is under investigation by the US Department of Commerce for allegedly transferring key technologies to Chinese companies sanctioned by the United States!

The news pointed out that Synopsys was suspected of providing chip design and software to Huawei's HiSilicon semiconductor division for production in domestic wafer fabs in China.

As early as December last year, Synopsys disclosed that it had received a subpoena from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding "transactions with certain Chinese entities." However, Synopsys did not provide further details at the time, saying that it complies with all regulations and will actively cooperate with the investigation.

It is reported that US companies are banned from selling certain types of technology to Huawei and related Chinese semiconductor wafer fabs because they are designated as threats to national security by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce.

In addition to this time's suspected illegal transfer of relevant technologies to Huawei, in earlier years, the United States also banned many American companies from selling products/technology to ZTE, including well-known companies such as Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Qualcomm, and Broadcom.

It is well known that China is the largest and fastest-growing market for U.S. corporate technology. U.S. companies need to take advantage of this opportunity, but the increasing scrutiny from U.S. regulators is making it increasingly difficult for U.S. companies to take advantage of this opportunity as competition between the United States and China escalates.

Currently, the global EDA software market is dominated by three giants: Synopsys, Cadence and Siemens EDA in the United States. Their products are crucial for Chinese chip manufacturers who hope to reduce China's dependence on imported electronic components in accordance with the government's goals. However, the heavy sanctions and restrictions imposed by the US government have also greatly encouraged China's determination to promote independent EDA design.