Huawei, the Chinese smartphone giant, has created ripples within the strategic and business community with its newly unveiled Mate 60 Pro which houses the Kirin 9000 processor. The chipset reportedly used Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC)’s second-generation 7nm fabrication technique, thereby demonstrating China’s capability to manufacture a 7nm chip.
Challenges before China’s quest
Consequently, observers have claimed that the capability marks a major breakthrough in Beijing’s drive to attain self-sufficiency in manufacturing advanced chips. The fact that China succeeded in achieving this feat despite American sanctions on key semiconductor technologies has led many to even question the efficacy of the sanctions. However, while China’s technology demonstration deserves appreciation, the capability itself might not mean much as several challenges besiege its self-sufficiency drive.
