The HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro smartphone is making waves in the tech industry with its advanced features and cutting-edge technology. According to a recent report by TechInsights, the phone comes with a 5G processor and system-on-chip (SoC) called Kirin 9000s, which is manufactured in China for the first time.
HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro marks a Significant Development for Chinese Manufacturing
TechInsights is examining the HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro in their lab in Ottawa, Canada to confirm if the processor uses SMIC’s latest generation process called N+2 7nm. This would be a significant development for Chinese manufacturing, as it marks the first commercial use of an advanced Chinese process technology node supporting bitcells (embedded SRAM).
Key Takeaways from TechInsights’ Analysis
The key takeaways from TechInsights’ analysis include that the Kirin 9000s die measured 107 mm², slightly larger (2%) than the Kirin 9000’s die (105 mm²). This information led the team to conclude that SMIC was indeed the manufacturer. Initial lab results indicated that this die is more advanced than SMIC’s 14nm process node, but with larger critical dimensions (CDs) than seen in a 5nm process. Further measurements on the die’s critical dimensions (CDs), including logic gate pitch, fin pitch, and lower back-end-of-line (BEOL) metallization pitches, showed that the die indeed possesses 7nm features.
This achievement poses a significant geopolitical challenge to countries that have sought to restrict China’s access to critical manufacturing technologies and may result in even greater restrictions in the future. Dan Hutcheson, Vice Chair of TechInsights, commented on the findings, saying that this discovery is a testament to the technical progress and resilience of China’s semiconductor industry.