Qantas Nears Launch of World’s Longest Non-Stop Flights to London and New York 
Meta Partners With Reliance to Launch First AI-Powered Data Center in India 
Microsoft Taps AWS to Support GitHub Amid AI Coding Boom 
SpaceX Stock Gets $175 Target as Analysts See Massive Growth Ahead 
Japan Trade Deficit Narrows as Exports Surge in May 
Dollar Slips as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Boosts Risk Appetite and Pressures Safe-Haven Demand 
U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Extends Gulf Ceasefire, Reopens Strait of Hormuz 
SoftBank Shares Drop as OpenAI Losses and Rising Costs Spark Investor Concerns 
SpaceX IPO Set for Explosive Debut as Valuation Tops $2.2 Trillion 
Kingboard Holdings Shares Surge After HK$11.77 Billion Block Trade to Expand PCB and AI Supply Chain Business 
Samsung Gains Interest from BYD, Google, AMD as AI Chip Demand Strains TSMC Capacity 
OpenAI May Slash AI Service Prices Amid Growing Rivalry With Anthropic 
Meta AI Strategy Faces Challenges as Zuckerberg Admits Mistakes in Internal Memo 
Trump Administration Delays DeepSeek and CXMT Trade Blacklist Designations Amid U.S.-China Tensions 
Dollar Slips as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Optimism Boosts Risk Appetite Ahead of Fed Decision 
Asian Stocks Advance as Nikkei Nears Record High Ahead of Fed Decision 
Elon Musk Becomes World's First Trillionaire After SpaceX IPO Surge 
According to analysts, Huawei Technologies recently made a chip manufacturing breakthrough, highlighting China's capacity for retaliation against U.S. sanctions. It unveiled its latest Mate 60 Pro smartphone during U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's China visit.
The Mate 60 Pro is equipped with Huawei's proprietary Kirin 9000s chip, manufactured by top contract chipmaker SMIC using advanced 7nm technology. A teardown conducted by TechInsights revealed the phone's impressive performance, signaling China's progress in developing high-end chips despite U.S. efforts to impede their access to advanced chipmaking tools.
TechInsights analyst Dan Hutcheson said the breakthrough demonstrates the technical progress China's semiconductor industry has been able to make without EUV tools. The achievement also highlights the resilience of China's chip manufacturing ability. Extreme ultraviolet lithography, which is used for making 7nm or more advanced chips, has been restricted.
Jefferies analysts warned that TechInsights' findings could lead to a probe from the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. The report could also fuel more debate in the U.S. regarding the effectiveness of sanctions and potentially result in even harsher tech sanctions against China.
The U.S.-China tech war is expected to escalate further, with Congress preparing a competition bill against China that may include stricter sanctions. Previously, SMIC, which collaborated with Huawei for the Mate 60 Pro chip, was limited to producing 14nm chips after being denied access to EUV machines.
However, TechInsights reported that SMIC could manufacture 7nm chips by modifying existing DUV machines from Dutch firm ASML. Some analysts speculate that Huawei may have acquired the necessary technology and equipment from SMIC to produce the chip.
China's success in chip manufacturing serves as a significant geopolitical challenge to countries attempting to restrict its access to critical manufacturing technologies. The result may be further restrictions on China's advancement in chipmaking.
The Chinese government is also preparing to invest a significant amount, $40 billion, to strengthen its chip sector. The U.S.-China tech war is expected to intensify as sanctions and countermeasures continue to shape the landscape of global technology competition.
Photo: Omid Armin/Unsplash
