In 2020, the U.S. Commerce Department made changes to an export rule that impacted foundries using American technology, preventing them from shipping cutting-edge chips to Huawei. Despite this setback, Huawei managed to obtain Snapdragon chipsets for its P50, Mate 50, and P60 flagships with tweaks that excluded 5G network compatibility. However, in a surprising move last August, Huawei unveiled the Mate 60 Pro powered by its first new Kirin chip since 2020 – the Kirin 9000s.
This new Kirin 9000s chipset marked a significant milestone for Huawei as it finally offered support for 5G connectivity after being limited since the Mate 40 series in 2020. Nevertheless, the Kirin 9000s was developed using SMIC’s 7nm mode, resulting in fewer transistors compared to Apple’s A17 Pro application processor (AP) used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple’s A17 Pro boasts a massive transistor count of 19 billion on TSMC’s advanced 3nm node, surpassing the Kirin chipset’s capabilities.
Despite this advancement, Huawei still lags behind on the technological front due to restrictions on purchasing ultraviolet lithography machines essential for manufacturing more advanced chips beyond the current 7nm level. The partnership between SMIC and Huawei faces challenges in achieving further progress without access to these crucial EUV machines.
Recent rumors circulating within tech circles suggest that SMIC has completed the taping out stage for manufacturing chips on a smaller 5nm scale using older deep ultraviolet lithography machines (DUV). This development signifies a significant breakthrough for both companies and could potentially pave the way for future advancements.
While this progress is promising, questions remain about how SMIC and Huawei will navigate towards even smaller nodes like the coveted 3nm level without EUV technology. Despite filing patents for innovative lithography techniques like self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP), Huawei may face hurdles catching up to leading foundries like TSMC and Samsung Foundry moving towards groundbreaking advancements like the upcoming launch of their cutting-edge 2nm chips by late-2025.
If SMIC successfully manages to produce chipsets at a smaller scale of 5nm by 2024, we can anticipate their debut later this year on Huawei’s highly anticipated Mate70 series. Stay tuned as we await further developments on this exciting journey towards technological innovation!
