Huawei's Kirin 9020 Chip Highlights Struggles to Advance Beyond 7nm Technology

U.S. trade sanctions and limited access to advanced manufacturing tools leave Huawei reliant on SMIC's older 7nm process for its latest smartphone processor.

Huawei's new Kirin 9020 processor, featured in the Mate 70 Pro+, is manufactured using SMIC's 7nm process, the same technology used for its predecessor, the Kirin 9010.
The Kirin 9020 offers incremental improvements, such as a 15% larger die size and increased cache, which slightly boost performance over the Kirin 9010.
U.S. trade restrictions prevent Huawei and its partner SMIC from accessing extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology, essential for more advanced chip manufacturing.
Despite rumors of a 5nm upgrade, analysts confirm that SMIC has not achieved commercially viable yields for 5nm chips, leaving Huawei reliant on older processes until at least 2026.
While Huawei reports strong demand for the Mate 70 series, analysts predict weaker sales compared to the Mate 60 due to limited technological advancements in the new chipset.

South China Morning Post