Huawei replaces US parts with Chinese versions
Chinese tech firm Huawei will now use components made in China instead of those from the United States.
The Chinese group has been in the crosshairs of Washington in recent years for cybersecurity reasons.
AFP
Chinese tech giant Huawei has replaced thousands of its components, once sourced from the United States, with Chinese-made versions, according to a transcript of a speech by its founder released by a Shanghai university.
The administration of former US President Donald Trump has banned companies in the country from doing business with Huawei. His successor Joe Biden has tightened the sanctions, in particular prohibiting the sale of the brand’s new products on American territory. As one of the tech giants, the Chinese group has been in the crosshairs of Washington in recent years for cybersecurity reasons and suspicions of espionage.
The firm had to find new supply channels for semiconductors, these components essential to the operation of smartphones and other electronic devices. Its founder, Ren Zhengfei, claimed that Huawei had replaced more than 13,000 parts with Chinese versions in the past three years, according to a transcript released Friday by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The company has also developed more than 4,000 circuit boards for its products, Ren added during his February 24 speech. “Right now, our production of printed circuit boards has stabilized because we have a reserve of locally made components,” he said, without giving details on the nature of the Chinese components or their proportion in the products. Huawei inventory.
More than 23 billion spent on research in 2022
On Saturday, AFP could not independently verify Mr. Ren’s remarks, and Huawei did not immediately respond to requests. Responding to a question from the audience, Ren said there were still “difficulties in producing microchips in China” and the country needed to “find other ways to catch up with (the United States) in the matter.
He said Huawei had spent $23.8 billion (22.1 billion euros) on research and development in 2022 and that the company would invest more in the coming years thanks to increased profits. “We are still in a difficult period, but we have not stopped on the path to progress,” he said.
AFP
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