April 21, 2025

Huawei’s dual‑die 910C roars, TSMC export‑control alarm, SK’s chip shipments rocket 10%

Round‑up

Highlights

  1. Huawei’s dual‑die “H100 challenger.” The Ascend 910C heads to customers next month, marrying two 910B dies to almost match Nvidia’s flagship despite U.S. curbs 1.
  2. Foundry giant sounds the alarm. TSMC’s annual filing admits it “cannot fully assure” that exported AI silicon stays out of embargoed hands—fuel for tougher export rules 2.
  3. K‑chips buck the tariff drag. Seoul’s mid‑April customs data show semiconductor exports up 10.7 % even as overall shipments slide 5.2 % 3.

Other developments (last 24 h)

  • Beijing warns ASEAN and the EU against “being played” by Washington on trade deals 4
  • UAE signals optimism on unlocking access to cutting‑edge U.S. AI chips after its record $1.4 tn pledge 5
  • Nvidia’s Jensen Huang lobbies Tokyo for more data‑center power to sustain AI build‑outs 6
  • Edge‑AI firm Blaize wins Chungbuk smart‑city contract in Korea 7
  • InspireSemi seeks fresh capital as it preps its 5 nm Thunderbird accelerator 8
  • Global markets wobble on fresh tariff talk and Fed uncertainty, sending chip stocks lower 9

Did you know?
Semiconductors were the only major South‑Korean export category to post growth (+10.7 %) in the latest customs snapshot, while autos and parts both fell 3.


In‑depth

1. Government & Corporate Policy

  • China’s trade warning.
    • Commerce Ministry accuses the U.S. of “abusive tariffs” and vows mirror counter‑measures 4.
    • ASEAN governments now weigh dual‑sourcing strategies to avoid collateral damage.
  • TSMC’s compliance gap.
    • New risk disclosure concedes limited visibility once wafers leave its docks 2.
    • Statement lands as Washington mulls bigger penalties for diversion of advanced nodes.
  • UAE chips diplomacy.
    • Abu Dhabi touts “clear progress” on U.S. license access after its $1.4 tn investment pledge 5.
    • Officials pitch the Gulf state as a “trusted non‑proliferation partner” for AI silicon.
  • Market nerves over tariff policy.
    • Trump’s threats to broaden levies spark a flight to safe‑havens; SOX index slips alongside futures 9.
    • Analysts warn further hikes could remove 90 bps from global semiconductor demand this year.

2. Economics, Finance & Business Outlook

  • Semis prop up Korean trade.
    • Chips +10.7 % YoY versus total exports ‑5.2 % 3.
    • Memory buyers accelerated pull‑ins ahead of expected U.S. tariffs.
  • Huawei’s domestic boom.
    • First volume wave of 910C projected to shift billions of RMB in 2025 bookings 1.
    • Analyst consensus sees 25 % of Chinese Gen‑AI servers using the part by year‑end.
  • InspireSemi funding push.
    • Vancouver‑Austin start‑up opens financing round tied to July silicon of “Thunderbird‑1” accelerator 8.
    • Targets HPC and graph‑analytics segments that crave high memory bandwidth.
  • Power pain for hyperscalers.
    • Nvidia CEO tells Japanese ministers the nation must add gigawatts of carbon‑free capacity to host the next wave of AI clusters 6.
    • Tokyo Electric is exploring special tariffs and on‑site renewables to seal the deal.

3. Technology & R&D

  • Ascend 910C: dual‑die strength.
    • 320 TFLOPS FP16, 128 GB HBM per package and expanded AI framework stack 1.
    • Uses advanced 2.5‑D packaging akin to Nvidia’s CoWoS approach.
  • Edge AI for smart cities.
    • Blaize’s ultra‑low‑power accelerator chosen for Chungbuk Digital Innovation Hub 7.
    • Project includes real‑time traffic analytics and safety monitoring across 70 intersections.
  • TSMC’s traceability hurdle.
    • Bloomberg notes lack of post‑shipment tracking tech for advanced AI parts, spurring calls for secure‑element tags 2.
    • Tech‑in‑Asia echoes the warning, suggesting blockchain‑style provenance for chip lots 10.
  • Japan power‑hungry AI build‑out.
    • Huang’s proposal includes sub‑5 MW modular datacenters co‑located with geothermal sources 6.
    • Concept mirrors Nvidia’s recent U.S. micro‑grid pilots aimed at lowering Scope‑2 emissions.

Footnotes


  1. Reuters — “Huawei readies new AI chip for mass shipment as China seeks Nvidia alternatives,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/huawei-readies-new-ai-chip-mass-shipment-china-seeks-nvidia-alternatives-sources-2025-04-21/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Bloomberg — “TSMC Warns of Limits of Ability to Keep Its AI Chips From China,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-21/tsmc-warns-of-limits-of-ability-to-keep-its-ai-chips-from-china ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Reuters — “South Korea April 1‑20 exports fall as U.S. shipments drop amid tariffs,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-april-1-20-exports-fall-us-shipments-drop-amid-tariffs-2025-04-21/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. Reuters — “China warns countries against striking trade deals with U.S. at its expense,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/china-opposes-any-deals-between-us-other-nations-its-expense-2025-04-21/ ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. Bloomberg — “Abu Dhabi’s clout: UAE sees progress on AI‑chip access after $1.4 tn pledge,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-04-21/abu-dhabi-s-clout-goldman-s-hedge-fund-event-uk-deals-uae-s-ai-chips-access ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. Bloomberg — “Nvidia CEO lobbies Japan for more power to fuel AI,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-21/nvidia-ceo-lobbies-japan-for-more-power-data-centers-to-fuel-ai ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  7. BusinessWire — “CBIST Selects Blaize to Power its 2025 Smart City Development Project,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250421246540/en/CBIST-Selects-Blaize-to-Power-its-2025-Smart-City-Development-Project ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. GlobeNewswire — “InspireSemi Provides Business Update and Proposed Financing,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/04/21/3064709/0/en/InspireSemi-Provides-Business-Update-and-Proposed-Financing.html ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. Reuters — “Stocks, dollar slide as Trump’s attacks on Fed shake markets,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.reuters.com/markets/global-markets-wrapup-1-2025-04-21/ ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. Tech in Asia — “TSMC warns it can’t fully prevent AI chips reaching China,” Apr 21 2025. https://www.techinasia.com/news/tsmc-warns-fully-prevent-ai-chips-reaching-china ↩︎