Despite sanctions, Huawei has found an opportunity to produce a modern Kirin 9030 processor for its Mate 80 line
As we know, the United States imposed sanctions on Huawei, which resulted in the company losing access to high technology from non-Chinese companies. This led to the fact that they were forced to manufacture their Kirin processors not on TSMC's advanced technologies, but on the inferior equipment of the Chinese SMIC. But it seems that Huawei will be able to overcome this problem.
The Huawei Mate 80 line is set to debut at the end of 2025 with the new Kirin 9030 processor. This chip promises up to a 20% performance boost over its predecessor, the Kirin 9020. Interestingly, starting with the Mate 60 with Kirin 9000S, each new generation of Huawei SoCs has managed to improve slightly - for example, the Kirin 9020 gives ~40% increase over the 9000S. Thus, the Kirin 9030 can provide a total increase of 50-60% compared to the Mate 60.
Boring details
However, this is not a breakthrough in Chinese lithography - production is still based on 7nm SMIC technology, although engineers are allegedly using multipattern lithography for higher transistor density. This technology involves etching a silicon wafer in several passes, which allows for greater precision and actually slightly increases the height of the processor logic. This means that some processor elements can be placed vertically to reduce their footprint.
There is a reason why manufacturers are moving away from defining the process in nanometres. The number of nanometres is a purely marketing marker that allows people who are far from silicon wafer manufacturing technology to understand the difference between different processors. In fact, with a 5nm process, the transistor size is at least 10 times larger. Manufacturers have been experimenting with denser layouts for a long time, from changing the position of the transistor gate to a vertical one to a multilayer arrangement of elements. The physical limit to the size of the elements is very close. To make modern wafers, we already have to use ultraviolet lasers because they have a shorter wavelength. So physically, the size of electrical components in modern processors is not so much reduced as new approaches are being found to make them more compact. Of course, Huawei is not without this, but the Chinese can make some optimisations on their own
The upcoming Mate 80
In addition to a more powerful chip, the Mate 80 will delight you with increased battery life and display brightness: the base model is likely to get a 6.75-inch 1.5K screen, and the Pro version will have a flat 6.89-inch screen with thin bezels around the perimeter.
The Mate 80 RS Ultimate can impress with a dual-layer OLED - just like the Mate 70 RS. This technology allows for higher brightness and is less vulnerable to burn-in. The new phone will also have a titanium frame and ceramic-effect glass. As for the camera, we expect a new 50 MP SmartSens SC595XS sensor with fast autofocus and 4K video recording at 60 fps with HDR.
Bottom line.
Huawei does not open a new page in the world of 3-5 nm chips, but Kirin 9030 shows that the company has found a way to evolve confidently on its own. Being 20% faster than its predecessor, interesting authentic display technology in the RS version, and a camera with a top-end photo sensor make the Mate 80 a very real contender for the flagship of the year title.
Source: www.gizmochina.com
