Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the foundry which manufactures chips for high-profile clients like Apple and Qualcomm, has confirmed that it has stopped taking new orders from Huawei since May 15 to comply with a US order that requires non-U.S. firms to seek explicit permission before using American origin technology to supply to Huawei. This could force the Chinese company to follow a dual-chip strategy for the its upcoming flagship Mate 40 series.
The regulations will apparently not affect any existing orders and they must be shipped before September 14. The Huawei Mate 40 will reportedly be powered by the in-house Kirin 1020 chip that’s based on a 5nm process. It seems like Huawei had only ordered 8 million units before the new restrictions were placed and it is now in a quandary. The sales of the Mate 40 duo are forecasted to cross the 10 million mark which means the company is in need of more SoCs.
There are reportedly only 8 million processors there and Mate’s sales are often over 10 million units.
— Teme (特米) (@RODENT950) July 17, 2020
Since it can’t turn to TSMC, it is reportedly thinking about using another chip as well.
Previously, we had heard that Qualcomm would apply for a licence from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to supply chips to Huawei. That report claimed that the request would be granted, allowing the company to sell its Snapdragon chipset for use in next year’s Mate 50 and P50.
Some Mate 40 variants will probably feature a MediaTek chip
This year though, Huawei’s only options are Samsung’s Exynos chips and MediaTek SoCs and chances are that it will go for the later. The Kirin 1020 will supposedly offer a 50 percent performance boost over the Kirin 990 and it’s essential that the other silicon Huawei ends up choosing guarantees a consistence experience.
The Kirin 1020-fueled Mate 40 will likely be exclusive to China, and the MediaTek-driven phones will be sold in other markets.
Earlier, the Mate 40 line was expected to break cover in fall but the recent developments could cause a delay.
Not a lot is known about the series, but a quad-camera system with a 108MP main sensor is likely to be one of the headlining features. The sensor will reportedly feature a 9P, free-form lens which will reduce image degradation and distortion.
