1. SMIC, China’s largest chip maker, manufactured the chip for Huawei
SMIC used existing equipment and applied the second generation 7nm process, known as the N+2 node, to manufacture the Kirin 9000s processor capable of supporting Huawei’s 5G networks, research firm TechInsights said in a note on its WeChat account. The California-based research company said it would provide more details about the phone’s connection next week.
Baidu and Huawei executives are among 655 candidates to join the Chinese Academy of Engineering
Baidu and Huawei executives are among 655 candidates to join the Chinese Academy of Engineering
If this is the case, it would represent a “breakthrough” for China’s semiconductor industry and a big win for Huawei’s smartphone business.
However, under US sanctions, SMIC was not supposed to be able to make advanced chips for Huawei.
2. Huawei produced the chip using its own supply chain network
This is another possibility, which comes after a report by Bloomberg, citing the Washington-based Semiconductor Industry Association, said that the Chinese telecom giant is building a secret supply chain for the chip industry by enlisting existing foundries to help it avoid US export controls. In this case, the chip inside the Mate 60 shows how Huawei has achieved a major breakthrough.
This is an unlikely scenario, but it fits the Chinese nationalist narrative that Huawei, after bearing the bullet for years under US sanctions, has finally defeated US restrictions.
3. Huawei used its own stock of chips for the new phone
This explanation means that the chips in Huawei’s new phone are from stock, and were manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) before September 2020, when the US doubled sanctions to impose a blanket ban on Huawei and all its subsidiaries from accessing advanced technology. Chips. TSMC relies on US core technology to produce silicon chips and was therefore required to comply with the sanctions rule.
Huawei is known to have been stockpiling chips from its HiSilicon unit before TSMC cut ties to comply with US sanctions, and some analysts believe it may have used these old chips in the new phone, with some repackaging and modifications.
If this scenario is true, it would mean that Huawei is still deprived of advanced chips under US sanctions.
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