ChinaTalk EMERGENCY POD: Huawei's Breakthrough, the Technical, Industrial and Strategic Implications
Sep 13, 2023
Doug O'Laughlin, a semiconductor analyst from Fabricated Knowledge, and Dylan Patel, also an analyst at SemiAnalysis, dive into Huawei's groundbreaking Kirin 9000s chip. They discuss its significance as a testament to Chinese technological prowess and the inadequacies of current export controls. The guests predict that Chinese AI chips will rival top-tier models like NVIDIA's A100 soon. They also examine U.S. strategies to counter China's semiconductor advancements and the implications of global supply chains on competition.
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Kirin 9000's Significance
- The Kirin 9000, Huawei's new smartphone chip, signifies a breakthrough in Chinese semiconductor design and manufacturing.
- Despite U.S. sanctions, Huawei developed custom CPU and GPU components, and the chip uses SMIC's 7nm process, rivaling Intel's current offerings.
Bypassing Export Controls
- Huawei and SMIC, both on the U.S. Entity List, seemingly bypassed licensing requirements through shell companies and lax enforcement.
- This porous nature of export controls raises questions about their effectiveness.
Lagging-Edge Loophole
- Many lagging-edge semiconductor tools are also usable for leading-edge processes, creating a loophole in export controls.
- SMIC's achievement with 7nm, a node that challenged Intel, underscores China's engineering prowess despite restrictions.