Huawei has recently launched its latest smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro, which is powered by the Kirin 9000s processor. The Kirin 9000s is a 7nm chip that is the most advanced product from SMIC, China's largest chipmaker. The Kirin 9000s reportedly packs CPU and GPU featuring microarchitectures developed in-house. However, it still hasn't caught up with older Apple and Samsung models. The release of the Mate 60 Pro shows that the success of sanctions is painted in shades of grey, with the true impact yet to come.
The most advanced 7nm chips are made using a costly production method called extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV). However, there are other lithography techniques such as LELE (litho-etch-litho-etch), SADP (self-aligned double patterning), and SAQP (self-aligned quadruple patterning) that can also be used to manufacture 7nm chips. The choice of lithography technique depends on the specific requirements of the chip design and the manufacturing process. It's worth noting that EUV lithography machines from ASML, which are used to produce the most advanced chips, are banned for export to China.
According to a recent article from Tom's Hardware News, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. (SMIC) has initiated mass production of chips on its 14nm-class fabrication process at its Fab SN1 near Shanghai, China, and is proceeding with its 7nm and 5nm-class nodes. The article also mentions that SMIC's N+1 fabrication technology, which is loosely considered the company's 7nm-class node, is a low-cost alternative to TSMC's N7 node that relies on deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography tools. The same article also states that SMIC's N+1 could be an alternative for TSMC's N7 from a logic transistor density standpoint. However, it is not clear whether SMIC uses advanced lithography techniques such as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) for its 7nm process.
The launch of Huawei's new smartphone and SMIC's progress in chip manufacturing show that China is making strides in developing its semiconductor industry despite US sanctions. It remains to be seen how these developments will impact the global technology landscape.