FCC blocks dashcam and transmitter over HiSilicon chip
The agency’s first device bans under a new rule target specific silicon, not product brands.
By Harper Laurent ·
The Federal Communications Commission has banned two consumer electronics products from US sale and marketing. This is the first time the agency has invoked a new rule that allows it to restrict devices based on the internal chips they contain, rather than the brand or model name.
The banned items are a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter. Both devices include a HiSilicon Smart Vision system on a chip. HiSilicon is a subsidiary of Huawei, which appears on the FCC’s Covered List of entities deemed a risk to US national security. The specific component is the Hi3516CV610 UHD Smart Vision, a chip designed for surveillance cameras and vehicle dashcams.
The chip integrates WiFi, Ethernet, video encoding hardware, and an Arm Cortex-A7 processor. It also includes a neural processing unit for artificial intelligence functions. The FCC identified this NPU as the primary concern. The agency classifies it as a logic-bearing smart component made by an entity on the Covered List.
According to the chip’s data sheet, the Intelligent Video Engine uses a built-in multimodal large model and transformer feature acceleration. This architecture allows the AI to track relationships between objects across video frames. The data sheet notes the system maintains attention on subjects such as pets, faces, human figures, and parcels.
The FCC argues that this logic-bearing AI could be used for foreign surveillance. The agency believes the technology could survey US citizens and log their faces. This approach closes a previous loophole where rebranded products with Chinese-made parts could enter the market if the final product was not explicitly banned.
Huawei has a history of involvement in US chip controversies. The company previously used shell companies to deceive TSMC into manufacturing AI chips despite US export restrictions. That episode contributed to other product bans in the United States. The new rule shifts the regulatory focus from the manufacturer’s label to the physical silicon inside the device.
The ban applies to the specific Hi3516CV610 chip. Manufacturers must now verify that their products do not contain this specific component if they wish to sell in the US market. The decision reflects the FCC’s interpretation of the Communications Act of 1934, which directs the agency to protect wired and wireless communications.
