US Commerce Department updates rules to further limit Huawei’s chip access

The United States Department of Commerce this morning issued updates to a list of rules designed to restrict Huawei’s access to U.S.-based technology. The new restrictions follow a similar decree announced in May, finding the government department engaged in a game of international whack-a-mole as it looks to cut off the Chinese hardware giant’s access entirely.

“It amends our May rule and goes at the problem of Huawei trying to backfill it,” a Commerce Department official said, following the announcement. Specifically the new rules attempt to address a kind of loophole wherein Huawei was able to do business with third-parties designing chips based on technologies originating in the United States. The specific rule will arrive later today, but the move is a clear attempt to cut off Huawei from access to semiconductors — a goal Department is making no bones about.