Huawei recently made waves by launching the Huawei Mate 60 Series and Huawei Mate X5. What makes these releases intriguing is the use of Huawei’s chipsets, which remain shrouded in mystery when it comes to detailed specifications.
After thorough examination by various experts, it was unveiled that these new flagship devices from Huawei are powered by the Kirin 9000S chipset. However, the specifics of this chipset have left some questions unanswered.
One unexpected twist came from Minatake Mitchell Kashio, the CEO of Fomalhaut Techno Solutions, who suggested that the Kirin 9000S might not be the 7nm chip it was believed to be but rather a chip with a 14nm node. This revelation hinted at the presence of a “special technique” used in the chip to achieve performance levels akin to a 7nm chip.
Despite the claims of a 14nm node, benchmark scores for the Kirin 9000S still assert that it operates on a 7nm process. This viewpoint gains support from multiple analyses and teardowns conducted by various parties, affirming the Kirin 9000S’s performance aligns with that of a 7nm chip.
SMIC, the semiconductor manufacturer associated with Huawei, appears to have access to Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) machines, allowing them to produce chipsets at this lithography level. However, due to ongoing U.S. trade sanctions against China, they face limitations in procuring advanced Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) machines from Dutch-based ASML. Consequently, they find themselves unable to exceed the 7nm threshold.
The production of 7nm chipsets by SMIC is viewed as a potential violation of U.S. trade sanctions, restricting exports and effectively leaving China with a 14nm node or technology lagging a decade behind. With the introduction of the 7nm chip, China’s technological lag behind the U.S. has narrowed to just four years.
In light of these conflicting reports, the actual node used by the Kirin 9000S remains uncertain. Clarity on this matter will only come when Huawei chooses to provide further details about their enigmatic Kirin 9000S chipset.
