The Kirin 9000S that allowed Huawei to break free of the U.S. trade ban was mass produced on SMIC’s 7nm (N+2) technology, with the company maintaining its momentum with the Kirin 9010 that is found in the Pura 70 series. For the Mate 70 range, rumors have disseminated in multiple directions, with whispers claiming that the former Chinese giant would use SMIC’s 5nm process that the semiconductor manufacturer reportedly developed successfully.
However, there appears to be a twist in Huawei’s plans, with one rumor stating that the next Kirin SoC powering the Mate 70 series would be mass manufactured on SMIC’s N+3 process, which touts a higher density compared to the N+2 variant.
New Kirin SoC could be limited to SMIC’s 7nm process but sporting higher transistors, leading to some advantages over previous chipset releases
The Mate 70 series has previously been rumored not to transition to SMIC’s 5nm process, with the Kirin 9100 expected to be retained at 7nm. While that sounds incredibly disappointing, there were likely practical reasons for this decision, assuming Huawei has already made its. Mass producing 5nm wafers on the older DUV machinery instead of EUV equipment means that production costs will be high and yields will be low.
In short, the cost of each 5nm wafer coming out of SMIC’s production site will be highly expensive, so Huawei probably believes that the costs do not justify using this technology for its smartphone chipsets. This setback means that the Kirin 9100 could be fabricated on the 7nm process, but using the N+3 node, it could boast a higher density than the Kirin 9010 and the Kirin 9000S. This improvement means that the Kirin 9100 will boast a higher number of transistors, resulting in better ‘performance per watt’ and improved power efficiency.
Huawei Mate70 series N+3 process flagship chip
As for the fingerprint unlocking solution that everyone is concerned about, it was unexpected
In addition, the PC chip N+3 process is being tested... more radical— Living In Harmony (@LivingInHM) July 21, 2024
In addition to the upcoming chipset powering the Mate 70 family, Huawei is rumored to be testing the same N+3 technology for its ARM-based hardware. Unfortunately, regarding lithography, Huawei may not bridge the performance gap fast enough as TSMC’s first wave of 3nm ‘N3E’ chipsets, like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Dimensity 9400, and Apple’s A18, are arriving later this year.
News Source: Living In Harmony
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