Huawei Executive Says That It Has Been Unable To Secure 3.5nm Chip Shipments From TSMC Due To U.S. Sanctions, Needs To Effectively Utilize 7nm Node

The Kirin 9000S is considered by the industry to be a semiconductor miracle, as Huawei had to deal with overwhelming odds, thanks to the U.S. sanctions, just to mass produce a chipset last year. Now that the former Chinese giant has successfully displayed its chip-making prowess, the next step is to switch to advanced manufacturing processes to ensure that it maintains some pace with the competition. Unfortunately, in its reported quest to acquire TSMC’s 3.5nm chip shipments, a Huawei executive has expressed disappointment that the attempt has been unsuccessful due to the same trade ban.

With the 7nm technology available, Huawei executive says that the company needs to find more efficient ways to take advantage of it

Speaking at the Mobile Computility Network Conference in Suzhou, China, Business Korea reports that Huawei’s Cloud Services CEO, Zhang Ping’an, showed concern over the technology firm’s inability to secure 3.5nm chip shipments from TSMC. For those who do not know, various companies have been barred from dealing with any entity of Chinese origin. ASML, the world’s leader in advanced EUV machinery for mass producing wafers on the cutting-edge lithography, cannot deal with the likes of Huawei.

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The executive’s statement likely surprised many, especially when Huawei and SMIC have been working behind closed doors to develop 5nm technology for future Kirin chipsets. In fact, an earlier report stated that SMIC has successfully developed the 5nm node without any EUV equipment and has set up an internal research team to pursue the development of the 3nm process.

Naturally, it will be an arduous journey and one that will require billions of dollars for research, which could be why Huawei attempted to secure a short-term deal with TSMC. Unfortunately, the U.S. is laser-focused on stifling China’s progress