Secretive Chip Startup May Help Huawei Circumvent US Sanctions
- PXW, run by an ex-Huawei exec, is building a fab to make chips
- US tightens export rules as China tries to boost tech sector
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When the US government blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co. as a national security threat, it cut the Chinese company off from buying American semiconductors and other critical technologies. Now Huawei may have a path around those restrictions.
The Chinese technology giant is providing support to a startup in its hometown of Shenzhen that has ordered chipmaking equipment -- including from foreign suppliers -- for a semiconductor manufacturing plant, according to people familiar with the matter. The fledgling firm, Pengxinwei IC Manufacturing Co., is run by a former Huawei executive and is constructing facilities close to Huawei headquarters, according to public records and satellite photos.