Sean Gallup/Getty Images News
Huawei Technologies could launch a mid-range 5G phone as early as October, Reuters reported citing Chinese media outlet IT Times.
The move could be another sign that the Chinese tech giant is overcoming U.S. sanctions. The Chinese company was once in a race with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung (OTCPK: SSNLF) to become the world’s largest phone maker until U.S. restrictions, starting in 2019, began restricting its access to the chipmaking tools needed to produce its most advanced models.
The company could launch a 5G version of its mid-range Nova around October or November, the IT Times report added citing industrial supply chain sources.
At the end of August, Huawei quietly launched its new phone, the Mate 60 Pro. The company hasn’t provided information on how powerful the chip inside is, but people have speculated that it could use a 5G-compatible chip.
The chip – made by Chinese company Semiconductor Manufacturing International (OTCQX: SIUIF) – has sparked concerns in the United States and raised questions about how this was possible, without the company being able to access critical technologies, according to a report from CNBC.
There are also questions about whether the process used to make these new chips is efficient enough at scale to allow Huawei to make a comeback.
In addition to Huawei, SIUIF is on a US commercial blacklist called the Entity List. Companies on this list cannot buy American technology. But Semiconductor Manufacturing International’s technology is considered generations behind companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), the report added.
Apple faces several problems in China, with growing geopolitical risks and economic growth still not seeing the growth expected by many. However, according to analysts, the biggest challenge may be Huawei’s resurgence following the major breakthrough in semiconductors.
The semiconductor was manufactured using a 7-nanometer process by Semiconductor Manufacturing International, the CNBC report adds citing an analysis of the Mate 60 Pro by software company TechInsights.
The 7nm process is considered very advanced, but it is not the newest technology. For years, SUIIF struggled to make 7nm chips, in part because the company couldn’t access an expensive kit called an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine, or EUV, made by Dutch company ASML ( ASML) (OTCPK: ASMLF). ASML was blocked by its government from sending these machines to China, according to the report.
However, it appears that Semiconductor Manufacturing International was able to manufacture the chip without access to these technologies, the report added.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that the US government is seeking detailed information about Huawei’s latest flagship smartphone. Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said the US needed to get “more information” about the precise “character and composition” of the chip that powers the Mate 60 Pro.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images News
Huawei Technologies could launch a mid-range 5G phone as early as October, Reuters reported citing Chinese media outlet IT Times.
The move could be another sign that the Chinese tech giant is overcoming U.S. sanctions. The Chinese company was once in a race with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung (OTCPK: SSNLF) to become the world’s largest phone maker until U.S. restrictions, starting in 2019, began restricting its access to the chipmaking tools needed to produce its most advanced models.
The company could launch a 5G version of its mid-range Nova around October or November, the IT Times report added citing industrial supply chain sources.
At the end of August, Huawei quietly launched its new phone, the Mate 60 Pro. The company hasn’t provided information on how powerful the chip inside is, but people have speculated that it could use a 5G-compatible chip.
The chip – made by Chinese company Semiconductor Manufacturing International (OTCQX: SIUIF) – has sparked concerns in the United States and raised questions about how this was possible, without the company being able to access critical technologies, according to a report from CNBC.
There are also questions about whether the process used to make these new chips is efficient enough at scale to allow Huawei to make a comeback.
In addition to Huawei, SIUIF is on a US commercial blacklist called the Entity List. Companies on this list cannot buy American technology. But Semiconductor Manufacturing International’s technology is considered generations behind companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), the report added.
Apple faces several problems in China, with growing geopolitical risks and economic growth still not seeing the growth expected by many. However, according to analysts, the biggest challenge may be Huawei’s resurgence following the major breakthrough in semiconductors.
The semiconductor was manufactured using a 7-nanometer process by Semiconductor Manufacturing International, the CNBC report adds citing an analysis of the Mate 60 Pro by software company TechInsights.
The 7nm process is considered very advanced, but it is not the newest technology. For years, SUIIF struggled to make 7nm chips, in part because the company couldn’t access an expensive kit called an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine, or EUV, made by Dutch company ASML ( ASML) (OTCPK: ASMLF). ASML was blocked by its government from sending these machines to China, according to the report.
However, it appears that Semiconductor Manufacturing International was able to manufacture the chip without access to these technologies, the report added.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that the US government is seeking detailed information about Huawei’s latest flagship smartphone. Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said the US needed to get “more information” about the precise “character and composition” of the chip that powers the Mate 60 Pro.
