Huawei might have no choice but to use chipsets made using a 14nm process node
Compare the 14nm process node to the 3nm process node that TSMC and Samsung are mass producing at. Simply put, the smaller the process node, the larger a chip’s transistor count. The more transistors inside,a chip, the more powerful and energy-efficient it is. So while earlier this year it was unlikely that Huawei would replace a 4G-only Snapdragon chip with 12nm or 14nm homegrown silicon, the new restrictions might not leave it with any choice.
Huawei’s homegrown Kirin chips were manufactured by TSMC
Huawei’s patent application could be a game changer
Would Huawei seriously consider using a 12nm-14nm chip for new flagship models? It seems more likely now than last summer when the rumor was first floated by the folks in the rumor mill. One, the U.S. restrictions now ban Huawei from obtaining the 4G Snapdragon chips it has been using, and the ban against the delivery of Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) machines in China makes it impossible for a Chinese foundry to produce chips using a process node under 10nm.
But recently there was some blockbuster news. Huawei filed a patent application for EUV components. While it isn’t clear what Huawei’s intentions are, the bottom line is that by helping to develop an EUV machine in China, Huawei will be able to produce cutting-edge chips without worrying about obstacles put in its path by the U.S.
