A dissection of HUAWEI Technologies' latest laptop revealed that it is powered by a chip manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), putting an end to speculation about another Chinese technological achievement.
After deconstructing the device for Bloomberg News, research firm TechInsights discovered a 5-nanometer chip built by the Taiwanese manufacturer in 2020, around the time US sanctions cut off Huawei's access to the chipmaker. This contradicts predictions that Huawei's local chipmaking partner, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), has made significant advances in fabrication technology.
Last August, Huawei created a stir in the United States and China by releasing a smartphone equipped with a 7nm processor manufactured by Shanghai-based SMIC. A disassembly for Bloomberg News by the Canada-based research firm revealed that the Mate 60 Pro's chip was only a few years off the bleeding edge, a feat that US trade restrictions were supposed to prevent. This disclosure sparked joy in the Chinese tech community and sparked a debate in the United States regarding the effectiveness of sanctions.
TechInsights uncovered a Kirin 9006C processor manufactured using TSMC's 5nm technology in the latest breakdown, which was constructed and packed around the third quarter of 2020. Industry experts previously suspected that SMIC accomplished that milestone by devising workarounds to US sanctions, which would have been the Chinese national champion's second technological win in a matter of months.
When contacted by Bloomberg News, representatives for Huawei and TSMC did not respond immediately.
The advancements included in the Mate 60 smartphone in 2023 strengthened Huawei's position as the standard-bearer for Chinese efforts to wean itself off Western technologies and develop indigenous alternatives. Chinese consumers purchased the smartphone in the fourth quarter, assisting the firm in regaining the symbolically significant US$100 billion revenue threshold - weakening Apple's iPhone dominance in the process.
A move into 5nm territory would have been a significant step forward for the Shenzhen conglomerate, bringing it closer to the most advanced technologies now in use, which are largely based on 3nm nodes. Prior to cutting ties with Huawei, TSMC was supplying the Chinese giant with semiconductors as advanced as 5nm.
It's unclear how Huawei obtained a three-year-old CPU, but the Chinese corporation has been storing critical semiconductors since the US began restricting its access to components and equipment abroad. While Huawei has been on Washington's Entity List since 2019, it wasn't until 2020 that TSMC ceased accepting Huawei purchases in order to comply with increased US trade restrictions.
In recent years, Huawei has poured billions of dollars into chip research and stockpiling, while also establishing a local network of suppliers and manufacturing partners, in some cases with government assistance.