When the first reviews of the new flagship Huawei Mate 60 Pro with a complete “dismantling” appeared, more and more opinions sounded that the Chinese giant somehow managed to bypass US sanctions that have prevented it from receiving advanced semiconductor components since 2019 . American officials are not yet in a hurry to draw conclusions and offer to find out everything gradually and thoroughly.
Image source: Huawei Technologies
Recall that some experts believe that the Chinese company SMIC, under conditions of increased secrecy, is involved in the production of the HiSilicon 9000S processor with 5G support and a level of speed comparable to foreign competitors, which has the ability to process components using not to produce cutting-edge DUV equipment to 7nm foreign-made chips.
It must be said that Jefferies analysts You said another theory that can explain the origin of this processor. Since Huawei Technologies is much more risk-averse than SMIC, the fifth-largest company in its segment, which appreciates the moderation of US sanctions imposed on it, Huawei could buy from SMIC not only equipment but also a license to manufacture similar chips using 7nm technology for your own needs. In fact, this explains the similarity of the “handwriting” in the manufacture of the “sanctioned” HiSilicon Kirin 9000S processor with SMIC, although the company itself may not be involved in this activity.
How explained National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, Jake Sullivan, prefers not to comment on the origin of this chip until the American side has clear information about its composition and production methods. In any case, he added, this precedent demonstrates the need to focus US efforts to protect the narrow scope of its interests in the area of national security without taking action to segregate supply chains in the marketplace.
Industry experts suspect that Huawei is now trying the patience of US officials to determine the tactics of its action. If the export control measures are not tightened, this could be a signal for other Chinese manufacturers to violate existing bans. At the same time, the potential popularity of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro smartphone in the Chinese domestic market could cost Apple up to 38% of sales of new iPhone 15 series smartphones, according to Jefferies analysts.
edition DigiTimes Citing Chinese media, it is reported that Huawei has managed to attract 70 to 80 component suppliers to produce the Mate 60 Pro, and that more than 90% of the smartphone’s filling is made in China. In this case, only memory chips manufactured by SK hynix and Micron Technology remained outside the scope of “import substitution”.
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