Huawei Faces Setback: Kirin 9100 in Mate 70 Series Struggles with 5nm Process, Tipster Reveals

Huawei's plans to use the 5nm process for its Kirin 9100 SoC in the Mate 70 Series hit a snag, a tipster reveals.

Huawei's 5nm Ambitions Dashed

It was previously reported that SMIC, the biggest semiconductor producer in China, had built its 5nm process without the need for sophisticated EUV equipment.

When all is said and done, the news represented a major step forward that would enable Huawei to incorporate next-gen Kirin chipsets into its forthcoming Mate 70 smartphone series, which is particularly noteworthy in light of the U.S. trade restrictions.

Sadly, a single source has debunked these rumors, saying that Huawei's next system on a chip (SoC), codenamed Kirin 9100, will not be built on the 5nm node.

WCCFTECH states that Huawei has taped out their chipset on the 5nm process. In case you were wondering, the last step before sending the whole design to the foundry for mass production is tape-out. Using the same lithography, an earlier report indicated that SMIC's 5nm node might be as much as 50% more costly than TSMC's.

High Costs Hinder 5nm Production

The fact that the Kirin 9100 would not employ the 5nm technology, according to @myplace_myworld's comment on X, could be due to these challenges. Also, he disproved the rumors that the Kirin 9100 had a 43% higher density than the Kirin 9000S and power efficiency comparable to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The most recent rumor suggests that Huawei and SMIC are having trouble getting a good yield out of their 5nm process and that the high prices make it unfeasible to use for mass-producing the Kirin 9100.

Huawei's Next Move: The 7nm Process

The 7nm process may be Huawei's only option, further widening the technology gap between the company and its competitors.