MediaTek asks U.S. government for permission to supply chips to Huawei

Qualcomm has also shown interest in selling chips to Huawei.

What you need to know

• MediaTek has applied to the Trump administration for permission to supply chips to Huawei.
• The chip maker will not be able to ship to Huawei after September 15 without a license.
• TSMC has stopped taking orders for new chips from Huawei and will no longer be shipping to the company after September 15.

Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek today announced that it has applied to the Trump administration for a special license to continue supplying chips to Huawei after the new U.S. restrictions come into effect on September 15 (via Reuters).

The U.S. tightened restrictions on Huawei last month after it introduced a new rule change that requires foreign chip manufacturers using American chipmaking equipment to apply for a special license before shipping to Huawei. Analysts believe that MediaTek could be "among the worst affected" following the latest restrictions.

In a statement released earlier today, the Taiwanese chip maker said:

MediaTek reiterates its respect for following relevant orders and rules on global trade, and has already applied for permission with the U.S. side in accordance with the rules.

TSMC, which manufactures Kirin mobile chipsets for Huawei, stopped taking new orders from the Chinese company soon after the new rule change was announced by the U.S. Commerce Department in May. It has also confirmed that it will not be shipping chips to Huawei after September 15.

Huawei's upcoming Mate 40 will be the company's last flagship phone to be powered by a Kirin chipset. The Mate 40 series will feature the 5nm Kirin 1000 chipset, which is expected to be formally announced at IFA next month.

Qualcomm now wants to sell processors to Huawei after HiSilicon loss