Move comes after launch of AI-enabled laptop drew fire from Republican lawmakers.
Some companies were notified on Tuesday that their licenses were revoked effective immediately, according to one person familiar with the matter.
The move comes after the release last month of Huawei’s first AI-enabled laptop, the MateBook X Pro powered by Intel’s new Core Ultra 9 processor.
The laptop launch drew fire from Republican lawmakers, who said it suggested that the US Department of Commerce had given the green light to Intel to sell the chip to Huawei.
“We have revoked certain licenses for exports to Huawei,” the Commerce Department said in a statement, declining to specify which ones it had withdrawn.
The move, first reported by Reuters, comes after concerted pressure by Republican China hawks in Congress who have been urging the Biden administration to take tougher action to thwart Huawei.
“This action will bolster US national security, protect American ingenuity, and diminish Communist China’s ability to advance its technology,” Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said in a statement.
Depending on which licenses were revoked, the move could also hurt Huawei which still relies on Intel chips to power its laptops, and could hurt US suppliers that do business with the company.
A spokesperson for Intel declined to comment.
Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Huawei was placed on a US trade restriction list in 2019 amid fears it could spy on Americans, part of a broader effort to handicap China’s ability to bolster its military. Being added to the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping.
Even so, suppliers to Huawei have received licenses worth billions of dollars to sell Huawei goods and technology, including one particularly controversial authorization, issued by the administration of former President Donald Trump, which has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in its laptops since 2020.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/8/us-cancels-export-licenses-of-suppliers-to-chinas-huawei