New Huawei phones feature SMIC's newest 7nm chips
Huawei’s latest Pura 70 series smartphones comprise an advanced made-in-China processor in defiance of US export curbs.
The Pura 70 series launched last week and was found to feature the Kirin 9010 processor – a newer version of the Kirin 9000s made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp for last year's Mate 60 Pro.
The specialist consultancy TechInsights did a 'teardown' of the device and concluded “with high confidence” that the Pura contained a Huawei Kirin 9010 fabricated using SMIC’s so-called 7nm N+2 process. This is an enhanced version of SMIC's typical 7nm manufacturing process, and is evidence that China's ability to fabricate advanced chips is accelerating.
The move turns up the heat in the chip war between the US and China. The Trump and Biden administrations had banned US firms from telling tools and tech to China’s top chip maker, SMIC. This had drastically weakened Huawei's consumer electronics business, which relies on SMIC processors.
However, it would appear that SMIC has been able to develop its own advanced processes more quickly than expected, helping Huawei's Mate and Pura series to healthy sales.
