Huawei smartphone equipped with SK hynix chips: Media

Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro. [Courtesy of Huawei]

The latest phone launched by China’s Huawei Technologies Co. is supported by a memory chip produced by South Korea’s SK hynix Inc. amid renewed chip tension between the U.S. and China, according to a media report on Thursday.

SK hynix explained that it did not violate U.S. export control measures in supplying products to Huawei but concerns about the potential unintended consequences is rising as Washington is expected to decide on whether to extend the semiconductor equipment export control waiver for Korean companies next month.

According to a Bloomberg report, Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro was analyzed by chip consulting firm Techinsights upon Huawei’s request. The results showed that SK hynix’s DRAM LPDDR5 for smartphones and NAND flash chips were included in the device.

SK hynix is the only global supplier of components found in the Huawei smartphone, according to Techinsight. However, SK hynix said that it has not been trading with Huawei since the introduction of U.S. sanction measures against the Chinese company.

“After learning that our memory chips were used in Huawei’s new product, we immediately reported it to the industry security bureau under the U.S. Department of Commerce and initiated an investigation to clarify the circumstances,” according to an SK hynix official who asked to be unnamed.

The official further emphasized that “SK hynix is strictly complying with U.S. government export control measures.”

The controversy surrounding Huawei’s latest smartphone continues as it contains a 7-nanometer processing processor produced by China’s Semiconductor International Manufacturing Corp. (SMIC).

The White House is on alert as the network of export controls on semiconductors to China could have been breached.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated in the meantime, with China regulating the use of Apple Inc.’s iPhones. The Chinese government reportedly banned not only central government officials but also employees of state-owned enterprises from using iPhones as work phones.

Observers noted that the reported ban on iPhone use is viewed as a very strong measure considering Apple’s long-standing cooperation with the Chinese government.

Apple relies on the Chinese market for 19 percent of its entire revenue.