During U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to China, Huawei unexpectedly launched its Mate 60 Pro smartphone on August 29th. The device, supporting 5G networks, may indicate that Huawei has overcome the U.S. technological blockade on 5G chips. Experts have found that the new model incorporates the Kirin 9000s chip and over a thousand other components, largely achieving domestication. Remarkably, the phone’s satellite communication capability is ahead of competitors, with even Elon Musk’s Starlink yet to achieve this.
Semiconductor analyst firm TechInsights suggests that the chip used in Huawei’s Mate60 Pro is still 2-2.5 nodes away from the most advanced technology. According to Lü Tingjie, a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Vice Chairman of the China Information Economics Society, this means China is 3 to 5 years behind the West in 5G chip production. However, Lü noted, “China often catches up at a unique pace.”
For context, Lü mentioned that the upcoming Apple iPhone 15 series will use 4-nanometer chips, whereas Huawei’s Kirin 9000s should be around or close to 7-nanometer technology. Transitioning from 7nm to 5nm and then to 4nm involves significant R&D, but Huawei’s biggest breakthrough is in domesticating the production of these crucial chips, especially for 5G.
Lü continued that while Huawei began developing its design software early on, challenges in processes like lithography remained. A significant stride has been made in advanced manufacturing, where yield rates directly determine commercial value. If production costs are too high, smartphones could cost up to 20,000 yuan each, making them unaffordable for most.
Moreover, attention to Huawei’s new phone is in part due to U.S. sanctions that cut off 5G chip supplies to the company. Lü clarified, “The U.S. did not ban 5G chip supply to China, just to Huawei. Many domestic manufacturers use U.S. Qualcomm chips.” The U.S.’s main concern is the supply of high-performance chips used in AI to China, especially to companies like Huawei with robust R&D capabilities.
Interestingly, Huawei currently uses the TianTong-1 satellite launched in 2016 for satellite communication. “It’s a high-orbit digital broadcast communication satellite, 36,000 kilometers from Earth. Just three such satellites can cover the globe,” said Lü. In contrast, Musk’s Starlink satellites are over 1,000 kilometers from Earth and require a ground receiver, making them costlier.
In the past, the TianTong-1 satellite was primarily used during natural disasters or maritime satellite communication. Lü emphasized that Huawei’s new phone must have had significant breakthroughs in antenna and energy consumption technology to provide satellite call functionality, something even Starlink hasn’t achieved yet.
Article by Sun Shengran.