FCC blocks dashcam and video transmitter over internal Huawei chip

The Federal Communications Commission has prohibited the sale of a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter in the United States. This marks the first time the agency has used its newly adopted rule to ban products based on the silicon inside them rather than the brand name on the box.

The FCC determined that both devices contain a HiSilicon Smart Vision system on a chip. HiSilicon is a subsidiary of Huawei, which appears on the FCC’s Covered List of entities that pose a risk to national security. By targeting the specific chip, regulators can stop rebranded products from entering the market even if the final manufacturer is not a listed entity.

The specific component involved is the Hi3516CV610 UHD Smart Vision SoC. This processor is designed for surveillance and camera products, including vehicle dashcams and wireless CCTV systems. It includes hardware for WiFi, Ethernet, and video encoding, alongside an Arm Cortex-A7 processor.

The FCC’s primary concern is the neural processing unit within the chip. The agency classifies this as a device with logic-bearing smart components made by entities on the Covered List. According to the chip’s data sheet, the NPU runs an Intelligent Video Engine that uses a dedicated multimodal large model. It employs transformer feature acceleration to track relationships between objects across video frames.

The technology allows the AI to maintain attention on specific subjects such as pets, faces, human figures, and parcels. For a consumer, this feature can help distinguish between a pet running away and an unknown person taking a delivered package. The FCC argues, however, that this same logic-bearing AI could be used to survey US citizens and log faces for foreign surveillance.

Huawei has faced previous scrutiny over AI chips. The company previously used shell companies to manufacture chips at TSMC despite US requests to stop supplying certain Chinese customers. That incident contributed to other product bans in the United States. The current ban extends the regulatory reach to the internal hardware itself.

Reactions to the decision have varied among observers. Some criticized the move as protectionist, while others questioned whether American surveillance practices differ enough from foreign ones to warrant the ban. One commenter noted that the Communications Act of 1934 gives the FCC authority over both wired and wireless communications. Another argued that basing bans on silicon was necessary due to the many regional variants and revisions of a single product.