Huawei is allegedly operating secret semiconductor manufacturing facilities in China to evade U.S. sanctions, enabling it to bypass restrictions on chip exports and obtain chip-making technology from U.S. suppliers through intermediaries not subject to export controls.
Chinese smartphone company Huawei has released its latest model, the Mate 60 Pro, which features an advanced chip designed and manufactured in China, despite US sanctions intended to hinder the country's technological progress, showcasing China's ability to innovate without relying on US technology.
Huawei and China's top chipmaker SMIC have developed an advanced 7-nanometer processor for the new Huawei Mate 60 Pro smartphone, marking progress in China's domestic chip ecosystem and a challenge to U.S. restrictions on Huawei's access to chipmaking tools.
The launch of Huawei's new smartphone raises questions about global technology and control of the future, as the Chinese company unveils a smartphone powered by an advanced chip, potentially challenging US efforts to block China from acquiring cutting-edge computer chips.
China has defied US-led export restrictions by producing a 5G smartphone, Huawei's Mate 60 Pro, using an advanced silicon chip made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), indicating progress in China's efforts to build a domestic chip ecosystem.
China's Huawei Technologies' development of an advanced chip for its latest smartphone demonstrates the country's determination to fight back against U.S. sanctions, but the efforts are costly and may lead to tighter restrictions from Washington, according to analysts.
The recent unveiling of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphone, powered by the Kirin 9000s chip, has sparked debates about its significance in the US-China technology cold war.
Ten Republican lawmakers are urging the Commerce Department to impose stricter sanctions on Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), after the companies showcased a domestically manufactured advanced smartphone chip that allegedly violated U.S. export controls, prompting concerns about the effectiveness of current export controls in preventing U.S. technology from reaching China.
The U.S. government is investigating how Huawei and SMIC managed to create 7nm Kirin 9000S 5G chipsets in violation of American sanctions, while Foxconn workers assembling the Huawei Mate 60 Pro in China are paid 19.2% more than those assembling the iPhone.
Despite conflicting claims, the U.S. Commerce Secretary has stated that there is no evidence that Huawei can manufacture smartphones with advanced semiconductors at scale.
