Huawei will eventually transition to the more advanced 5nm chipsets as it aims to rid itself of foreign elements and hopes to achieve that goal with the help of SMIC. According to the latest report, China’s biggest semiconductor manufacturer is planning to build production lines in an effort to mass fabricate next-generation chipsets that will carry the Kirin branding.
SMIC to use existing DUV equipment that was sourced from U.S. and Dutch-based firms
After the success of the Kirin 9000S, which was mass produced on SMIC’s 7nm process and powered the Mate 60 series, Huawei needs to keep the momentum going. With the launch date of its Mate 70 family drawing near, it has to develop a significantly more capable and efficient silicon that exceeds the Kirin 9000S’s capabilities in every way. Though the Kirin 9000S will not win any performance or power-savings awards, the fact that it was mass produced without the aid of external companies is an impressive feat in this industry.
To bring its 5nm chip production goal to fruition, SMIC has been reported to re-purpose its existing DUV machinery for mass production purposes. The Chinese firm has been rumored to pursue this path previously, but one chip guru claims that while it is entirely possible to mass manufacture 5nm chipsets, it will be at the cost of low yields and an expensive production bill.
Just recently, it was reported that Dutch-based EUV equipment maker ASML was barred from supplying Chinese companies with advanced machinery that is imperative to making cutting-edge silicon. With this major setback, SMIC and Huawei have practically no choice but to use their current-generation hardware, but how successful will this plan be in launching a future 5nm Kirin SoC?
As it turns out, Huawei is rumored to be preparing the Kirin 9010 for the upcoming P70 family, but the lithography details were not shared. As usual, we will wait for more details to come through and provide specific updates shortly, so stay tuned.
News Source: Reuters
