FCC Targets Hidden Huawei AI Silicon in First Ban
The regulator blocked a dashcam and video transmitter for the first time using a new rule that targets internal silicon.
By Kwame Silva ·
The Federal Communications Commission has banned two consumer electronics products from US sale. This marks the first time the agency has used a new rule to block devices based on the chips inside them rather than the brand name.
The two products are a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter. Both were blocked because they contain a HiSilicon Smart Vision system on a chip. HiSilicon is a subsidiary of Huawei. Huawei and its subsidiaries appear on the FCC's Covered List of entities considered a risk to US national security.
The specific chip is the Hi3516CV610 UHD Smart Vision. It is designed for surveillance and camera products. The component includes WiFi, Ethernet, video encoding hardware, and an Arm Cortex-A7 processor. It also contains a neural processing unit for artificial intelligence functions.
The FCC is concerned about the neural processing unit. The agency describes it as containing logic-bearing smart components made by entities on the Covered List. This approach closes a loophole where rebranded products with parts from Chinese manufacturers could reach the market. A ban now targets the silicon itself rather than individual product labels.
According to the chip data sheet, the Intelligent Video Engine runs on the neural processing unit. It uses a built-in multimodal large model and transformer feature acceleration. This allows the system to track relationships between objects in video frames. The data sheet lists pets, faces, human figures, and parcels as subjects the system tracks. For consumers, this feature could distinguish a pet escaping from a person taking a courier parcel.
The FCC believes the same logic-bearing AI could be used for foreign surveillance. The agency worries the technology could survey US citizens and log faces. Huawei has previously been tied to an AI chip controversy. It used shell companies to deceive TSMC into manufacturing AI chips despite US export requests. That episode contributed to other product bans in the United States.
Reader reactions to the ban were mixed. Some criticized the move as protectionism. Others questioned if American surveillance differs from foreign surveillance. One commenter noted that the Communications Act of 1934 directs the FCC to protect both wired and wireless communications. Another argued that bans should have targeted silicon from the start due to the many revisions of a single product.
