SMIC, China’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, was previously reported to have successfully developed its 5nm process without using advanced EUV machinery. Looking at what was accomplished, especially with the U.S. trade ban in place, the announcement was nothing short of a breakthrough and one that would allow Huawei to add next-generation Kirin chipsets to its upcoming smartphone range, the Mate 70. Unfortunately, one tipster has refuted these claims, stating that the Kirin 9100, which is said to be the name of Huawei’s next SoC, will not be fabricated on the 5nm node.
Going by this rumor, the Kirin 9100 for Huawei’s Mate 70 might rely on SMIC’s 7nm manufacturing process
Huawei was earlier said to have achieved a successful tape-out of its chipset on the 5nm process. For those who do not know, tape-out is the final stage, after which the entire design is sent to the foundry for mass production. However, many hurdles stand in Huawei’s path, with one of the biggest being using older equipment to mass produce 5nm wafers. According to a previous report, SMIC’s 5nm node would be up to 50 percent more expensive than TSMC’s on the same lithography, as the lack of EUV machinery would result in higher production costs and lower yields.
These obstacles may be why @myplace_myworld has commented on X that the Kirin 9100 would not use the 5nm technology. He has also debunked all the remaining claims of the Kirin 9100 having a 43 percent higher density than the Kirin 9000S, all the while exhibiting power efficiency close to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Assuming the latest rumor is true, it can mean that Huawei and SMIC are struggling to produce any meaningful yield of their 5nm process, and the costs are too steep to justify its use in mass producing the Kirin 9100.
M70, Kirin 9100 5Nm
Transistor density 43% higher than 9000s, performance exceeds 8 Gen1 and power efficiency is close to 8Gen3, all false. pic.twitter.com/D9zjzwfAP8— MyplaceMyworld (@myplace_myworld) July 16, 2024
In short, Huawei may have no choice but to resort to using the 7nm process, thus extending the technological gap further between its rivals. The former Chinese giant’s executive previously mentioned that the U.S. sanctions prevent Huawei from securing cutting-edge 3.5nm technology from TSMC and emphasize the need to utilize SMIC’s 7nm node effectively. This information may hint at the struggles that Huawei is facing, but we will keep our fingers crossed for the Kirin 9100 announcement later this year and hope that it provides some competition.
News Source: @myplace_myworld