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Commerce Investigating Synopsys for Export Control Violations, Report Says

The Commerce Department is investigating U.S. software company Synopsys for possibly violating U.S. export controls against China, Bloomberg reported April 13. Commerce is looking into whether Synopsys, the world’s leading supplier of semiconductor design software, worked with Chinese affiliates to provide chip designs and software to Huawei Technologies’ HiSilicon unit for manufacture at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, the report said. Both companies are subject to Entity List licensing restrictions.

Synopsys in December said it had received a subpoena from the Bureau of Industry and Security relating to “transactions with certain Chinese entities,” the report said. A Commerce spokesperson declined to say whether the agency is investigating Synpopsys but said it "vigorously investigates allegations of violations of the Export Administration Regulations, including attempts to transfer controlled items or technologies to or among parties on the Entity List." A Synopsys spokesperson didn't comment.