Huawei continues to work in order to reduce external dependence in chip production. Especially in this process, which gained momentum after US sanctions, the company is taking important steps to establish its own technological infrastructure. According to the information transferred by UDN, Huawei managed to install the 5 NM production line without using EUV lithography machines. However, 3nm chip designs are now progressing in the research and development phase.
Although EUV technology has a critical role in chip production, Huawei is not able to use these machines. Because the lithography systems are produced by Dutch ASML and selling to Chinese manufacturers is prohibited. This restriction pushes Huawei to develop alternative solutions. At this point, the SSA800 lithography machines developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics (SMEE) are activated.
Huawei develops 3nm architecture with two systems of gaa and carbon nanotube based systems
Huawei’s 3 nm chip development process is progressing simultaneously with two different architects. The first is the GAA (Gate-All-Around) architecture, which has become widespread in the semiconductor sector. The second way is shaped by a new design approach of carbon nanotube -based design. This nanotup architecture, which has been tested in the laboratory environment, is currently trying to adapt to SMIC’s production infrastructure.
In addition to all these, carbon nanotup architecture has the potential to form an alternative to the boundaries of silicone in the future. It is aimed to achieve more ambitious results especially in terms of performance and energy efficiency. This is of great importance for China’s semi -conductive independence. However, the completion of this process without any problems has many techniques and structural difficulties.
Smee, one of Huawei’s solution partners in this process, supports Huawei with its own SSA800 lithography machines. These machines, which work with multi-patterning method instead of EUV, still have some restrictions in terms of process sensitivity. However, despite all these limitations, Huawei has reached a level of 5nm. The 3nm target of the company points to a more complex and costly phase of this process.
Huawei attracted attention with its Matebook X Fold model this year. Although the Kirin X90 processor used in this device is defined as “5nm ,, is actually based on 7NM production technology. Thanks to advanced packaging techniques, it is stated that it has managed to approach 5 nm chips in terms of performance. However, since production efficiency remains around 50 percent, the cost of such chips is quite high.
Despite everything, Huawei continues to create its own alternatives against these technological barriers. Thanks to GAA and carbon nanotup -based architects, the likelihood of developing further chips is increasing. The company’s planning to move to 3nm production by 2026 reveals the determination of this effort. However, technical complexities and supply chain problems indicate that the process will be challenging.
On the other hand, the fact that Huawei’s turn to domestic solutions in chip production also repercussions in China’s general semicient industry. The fact that Chinese companies take Huawei as an example in this process may pave the way for domestic technology production. The inclusion of manufacturers such as SMICs in the process can contribute to increasing production capacity. In addition, Huawei’s stability in these projects can make it possible to reach higher efficiency rates in the future.