US tech firms to take hit from Huawei sanctions
Published on: Wednesday, May 22, 2019
WASHINGTON: The tough sanctions imposed on Huawei by President Donald Trump could deal a blow to the many US firms that make up the Chinese tech giant’s supply chain.
American firms last year sold an estimated $11 billion worth of components to Huawei, which was put on a blacklist last week by Washington over national security concerns as trade frictions grow between the US and China. Trump’s executive order could effectively ban makers of US hardware and software from selling to Huawei by requiring a special license from Washington.
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The Commerce Department on Monday delayed the sanctions on Huawei for 90 days, saying the additional time was needed to allow for software updates and other contractual obligations. The agency said it was granting Huawei a “temporary general license” through August 19 allowing for transactions “necessary to maintain and support existing and currently fully operational networks and equipment, including software updates and patches, subject to legally binding contracts and agreements” signed before May 16.
Bloomberg News reported that US-based chipmakers Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Xilinx have indicated they would halt shipments to the Chinese firm which is the world’s number two smartphone maker and a leader in telecom infrastructure and super-fast 5G networks. Google said it would comply with the US order, leaving Huawei without access to critical services for the Android operating system such as Gmail and Google Maps.
Microsoft, which supplies the Windows operating system for many Huawei devices, did not respond to an AFP query on how the order might impact the Redmond, Washington-based firm. Bob O’Donnell of the consultancy Technalysis Research said any ban would almost certainly affect Microsoft.
“If it affects Google I don’t see why it wouldn’t affect Microsoft,” O’Donnell said.
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“Any version of Windows comes from Microsoft, since there is no open-source version.”
Roger Kay, founder and analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, said the ban is likely to accelerate efforts by Huawei and other Chinese firms to develop their own sources of microprocessors and other components.
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“The short-term effect on both American and Chinese companies are inevitably negative,” Kay said.
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