Source: Fortune.com
Summary
Huawei Technologies Co. claims to have made a breakthrough in chipmaking, potentially closing the gap with industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Huawei’s semiconductor chief, He Tingbo, announced that the company will start producing 1.4-nanometer chips by 2031 using its own “LogicFolding” technology, without the need for cutting-edge equipment from ASML Holding NV. The company’s Kirin mobile chips will be the first to adopt this architecture, which boosts performance by increasing transistor density and optimizing data transmission speed.
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Huawei’s He Tingbo says the company has found a way to “sustainable evolution” without ASML’s EUV lithography machines. The LogicFolding architecture is based on Huawei’s own Tau Scaling Law, a principle that rivals Moore’s Law. Huawei has designed and made 381 chips over the past six years based on this law. The company’s shares rose after the announcement, with SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd. surging by 18% and 20%, respectively. If Huawei succeeds in mass-producing 1.4nm semiconductors, it will defy industry consensus that ASML’s EUV machines are necessary for such production.
Huawei’s move is a big leap ahead, but it’s unclear if it will reach the cutting edge of chipmaking by experimenting with a non-mainstream path.
Author: Evan Null
