China Blacklists Firm That Exposed Huawei Chip Secrets

China has added prominent research firm TechInsights to its Unreliable Entity List, shutting out the Canadian teardown specialist that helped expose the inner workings of Huawei Technologies Co.’s AI chips, Bloomberg News reported.

Two years ago, Huawei had reportedly developed a made-in-China smartphone processor capable of competing with the likes of Qualcomm Inc. and Apple Inc. (Photo: Windmemories Wikimedia Commons) 

TechInsights will be barred from doing business with organizations or individuals in China, alongside a raft of other companies including some drone providers, according to a recent Ministry of Commerce statement.

The Canadian company has played a key role since 2023 in uncovering some of Huawei’s most closely guarded technological secrets, while also exposing its reliance on foreign chips despite years of effort to replace American circuitry.

Known for its detailed breakdowns that identify the components of electronic products, TechInsights was the first to reveal a number of undisclosed suppliers and parts used in Chinese hardware.

Two years ago, a Bloomberg investigation in partnership with TechInsights found that Huawei had developed a made-in-China smartphone processor capable of competing with the likes of Qualcomm Inc. and Apple Inc.

TechInsights also confirmed the presence of restricted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) chips in Huawei devices, helping shed light on how the Chinese firm used a third party to circumvent U.S. sanctions and obtain the components it needed.