Huawei Continues to Defy U.S. Sanctions with Pura 70 Series

Huawei has once again raised eyebrows with its latest flagship series, the Pura 70 line. Last year, the spotlight was on the Mate 60 series, which made waves for its use of the Kirin 9000s chip despite U.S. sanctions aimed at restricting Huawei’s access to 5G-supporting chips.

Here are some key points to note about Huawei’s defiance of sanctions and its push for self-sufficiency in component sourcing:

– The Mate 60 line surprised many by being powered by the Kirin 9000s chip, which supports 5G networks and is produced by China’s SMIC using a 7nm process node.
– U.S. lawmakers expressed concerns over this move, despite the Kirin 9000s being two generations behind chips from TSMC and Samsung Foundry due to its focus on supporting 5G.
– The recent teardown of the Pura 70 Pro revealed that Huawei is increasingly sourcing components from China, including a new supplier for NAND flash memory chips within their own HiSilicon unit.
– Other components in the Pura 70 Pro, such as the application processor (AP) Kirin 9010, also come from Chinese suppliers like SMIC using a 7nm process node.
– iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari highlighted the shift towards self-sufficiency in component manufacturing as a strategic move by Huawei.

As Huawei continues to innovate and navigate challenges posed by sanctions, their commitment to self-reliance and technological advancement remains evident in each new flagship release.