FCC Targets Silicon Directly In New Ban

The Federal Communications Commission has banned two consumer devices from US sale for the first time under a new rule that targets the chips inside a product rather than the brand on the box. The two items are a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter.

The FCC blocked both products because they contain a HiSilicon Smart Vision system on a chip. HiSilicon is a subsidiary of Huawei, and both companies appear on the agency's Covered List of entities deemed a risk to US national security.

This new approach closes a loophole that allowed rebranded products with Chinese parts to reach the market. By targeting the silicon itself, the agency no longer needs to ban each individual product label or model number.

The specific component is the Hi3516CV610 UHD Smart Vision SoC. It is designed for surveillance and camera products and includes an Arm Cortex-A7 processor, video encoding hardware, and a neural processing unit.

The NPU is the part that triggered the ban. The FCC classifies it as a device with logic-bearing smart components made by listed entities. The chip's data sheet states that its Intelligent Video Engine uses a built-in multimodal large model. This AI tracks relationships between objects across video frames, maintaining attention on pets, faces, and parcels.

The agency believes this logic-bearing AI could be used to survey US citizens and log faces for foreign surveillance. Huawei has a prior history with AI chip restrictions, having used shell companies to manufacture chips through TSMC despite US requests to halt supply.

Reactions to the ban have been mixed. Some observers criticized the move as protectionism, while others questioned if American surveillance differs from foreign efforts. One commenter noted that the Communications Act of 1934 gives the FCC authority over both wired and wireless communications. Another argued that silicon-based bans should have been the standard from the start.