Huawei’s chipmaking efforts have reportedly been hampered by US government sanctions, which have limited the company’s access to American technologies.
According to recent reports, Huawei has managed to make progress in its efforts to produce its own chips, albeit using the 14nm process node. The impact of these sanctions has also been felt in Huawei’s choice of chips for its smartphones.
SMIC
Chinese tech giant Huawei is said to be working with Chinese foundry SMIC to produce 14nm chips, according to a report by Huawei Central.
Unnamed Platform
The report cites an anonymous tipster on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, who claims that Huawei is already using the chips internally for an unnamed platform. It is speculated that a wearable device could also use the 14nm chips in the future.
US Government Sanctions
Due to US government sanctions, Huawei is unable to work with TSMC and Samsung’s foundry, which utilize superior 3nm and 4nm fabrication nodes, resulting in more powerful and efficient chips.
5G Connectivity
While Huawei can use Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, the lack of 5G connectivity due to sanctions limits their options.
HiSilicon Designs
As a result, Huawei has been forced to turn to its in-house HiSilicon designs, manufactured by local partners unaffected by sanctions, in order to continue chip production.
Release
Don’t expect to see a new Huawei smartphone or wearable powered by a high-end 14nm HiSilicon chip anytime soon, according to an anonymous tipster on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The leaker also mentioned that it will take some time for Huawei to develop the chip, which is expected to be used in a wearable device in the future.