Amid U.S. Sanctions, Rumors Run Wild
Amid U.S. sanctions, several speculations exist about why Huawei has stayed silent on where they sourced their new smartphone chip. Huawei’s flagship smartphone reportedly uses a “new” 5G Kirin 9000s processor. Why are chip manufacturers and governments shocked? Since the United States implemented efforts to restrict China’s access to foreign chip technology, they should not have the technology to make this particular chip. Which leaves a lot of people wondering, “Where did Huawei get their new technology?”
Huawei Implemented Its Supply Chain Network
When speculation started, the first rumor suggested that the Chinese telecoms giant has been building a secret supply chain for the last four years. The rumor further explains the secret chipmaking supply chain and how it was formed by existing foundries that helped Huawei evade U.S. export controls. While an unlikely reason for the new technology, it lends a nod to China and its nationalist nation being victorious over U.S. restrictions.
Huawei Has A Secret Surplus
The most unlikely answer involves Taiwan Semiconductor. If Huawei had a surplus of inventory, TSMC manufactured the 5G technology before September 2020, when the U.S. put advanced chip sanctions against Huawei and all of its subsidiaries. Huawei is known for hoarding chips via its HiSlicon unit from TSMC before they cut ties to satisfy U.S. restrictions. However, it’s hard to believe that technology existed in Chinese hands that long ago.
A Chinese Chip Maker Manufactured It
While it’s not proven, this is the most likely answer for manufacturing the new Kirin 9000s. Chinese benchmarking website AnTuTu identified the central processing unit (CPU) in the Mate 60 Pro as the Kirin 9000s from Huawei’s chip design unit HiSilicon. TechInsights has investigated this rumor and found evidence of SMIC 7nm (N+2) representing a made-in-China design and manufacturing milestone. TechInsights explains the milestone in two points:
- “The Kirin 9000s die measured 107 mm2, 2% larger than the Kirin 9000 (105 mm2). From various identifying features on the die, the team concluded the processor is manufactured by SMIC.”
- “Initial lab results indicated that this die is more advanced than SMIC’s 14nm process node but presents larger critical dimensions (CDs) than TechInsights has observed for a 5nm process. Additional measurements of critical dimensions (CDs) on the die, including logic gate pitch, fin pitch, and lower back-end-of-line (BEOL) metallization pitches, the analyst team concluded the die has 7nm features.”
Why is this such a blow to the semiconductor industry? U.S. semiconductor companies were banned from selling software to Huawei in 2019. There were several national security concerns surrounding the implemented restrictions on China. A 5G chip could mean that China has the technology to launch potential cyberattacks or spy on the U.S. government more easily.
David McQueen, a director at market research firm ABI Research, states, “I think the reaction in China seems to be one of mass excitement because Huawei, which was at one time vying to be the number one smartphone brand worldwide, is seen to be fighting its way back into the smartphone market with Chinese-made silicon and has no doubt been trading on a ‘Made In China’ mantra.” He noted this after claiming Huawei managed to launch the Mate 60 Pro after spending the last four years under U.S. restrictions banning Chinese access to 5G technology. According to CNN Business, “During a White House press briefing this month, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the US needs “more information about precisely its character and composition” to determine if parties bypassed American restrictions on semiconductor exports to create the new chip.”
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