THE US government has fined California-based Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOS) US$4.25 million for illegally shipping power chips and modules to Shenzhen's Huawei Technologies in violation of strict export controls imposed on the Chinese telecom giant, reports Caixin.
The US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) said that AOS had made 15 unauthorised shipments of around 1,650 power controllers and modules to Huawei in 2019. The shipments occurred despite Huawei's inclusion on the US "Entity List," which subjects listed firms to rigorous export restrictions.
According to the BIS, AOS "knew or had reason to know" that 11 or the 15 shipments were illegal or likely to be illegal, in violation of US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The fine must be paid within 30 days or AOS could lose its ability to obtain future export licenses.
Huawei was first added to the Entity List in May 2019, requiring US firms to obtain BIS authorisation before supplying any US-origin technology exceeding a 25 per cent content threshold. The measure was aimed to cut Huawei's access to critical American tech amid rising national security concerns.