On October 9, 2025, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a notice that listed a Canadian company called TechInsights on a blacklist. This company specializes in disassembling chips, studying processes, and writing analytical reports. In recent years, it has been focusing on Huawei's Ascend 910C chip, claiming that it uses components previously stockpiled from TSMC. China believes this is not just a technical analysis, but rather an effort to cooperate with foreign governments to implement sanctions. This is the first time a technology company has been treated as a spy simply because it knows too much about chips.
TechInsights was once a well-known brand in the industry, and global chip manufacturers and investors relied on its reports to make decisions. At the end of last year, the U.S. Treasury used its reports as a basis to pressure TSMC to cut off supply of AI chips to China. When China saw this, it was clear this was not business, but rather giving weapons to an opponent. Immediately, it banned the company from working in China. After this incident, competitors in Europe also panicked. Yole and other institutions quickly changed their rules, requiring all reports involving China to go through legal review first.
The global chip community fell silent almost overnight. More than a dozen third-party analysis companies dared not touch Chinese chips anymore. Investors were unsure how strong Chinese chips really were. The technological advancements of Huawei and SMIC could no longer be verified, and there was no reference for patent layouts. Some people believe that reverse engineering is the starting point of innovation, as the ARM architecture came about this way. Others think that in the battle over AI chips, process parameters are secrets; once leaked, it's like handing someone a head.
Both China and the United States are building walls. The U.S. uses entity lists, equipment bans, and allies to choke off. This time, China not only blocked goods but also information, upgrading the "unreliable entities list" into an intelligence blacklist. This aligns with the approach taken in the artificial intelligence security governance measures announced in July this year. Technological data is also part of national security. Countries such as India and the UAE are watching, wondering whether they should follow China's example and build their own technical firewall.
The global chip industry is like a big web. A move by one party causes others to shake. Technologies such as AI chips, 3D packaging, and Chiplet all rely on cooperation among countries. However, once intelligence is sealed off, everyone can only work in isolation, causing costs to skyrocket. Some people wonder if it's possible to create a neutral institution similar to the one managing nuclear weapons, specifically to manage technical intelligence. Others suggest that multinational companies should separate commercial analysis from political risks, avoiding mixing them together.
The case of TechInsights is no small matter. Disassembling a single chip now also needs to consider political implications. Previously, people competed on who could do it faster or more efficiently. Now, they compete on who is more stable. But what does stability mean, and who sets the standards? No one can clearly say. Chips are becoming harder to disassemble, and reports are harder to write. The path for the global semiconductor industry is also getting narrower.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559534965029995035/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the [Upvote/Downvote] button.