Huawei’s Mate 70 Series to Skip SMIC 5nm Chipset, Opts for ‘N+3’ Node with Greater Density Than Kirin 9010

Huawei’s Mate 70 Series is set to utilize SMIC’s ‘N+3’ node, offering higher density than the Kirin 9010 while skipping the 5nm chipset.

Theories Around SMIC's 5nm Technique for Huawei’s Mate 70 Series

WCCFTECH reports that the Kirin 9000S, which let Huawei evade the US trade ban, was mass-produced using SMIC's 7nm (N+2) technology. The Kirin 9010, included in the Pura 70 series, continues the company's upward trajectory.

Various theories have circulated around the Mate 70 series, with some speculating that the erstwhile Chinese powerhouse would employ SMIC's 5nm technique, which the semiconductor maker supposedly perfected.

Huawei’s Next Kirin SoC to Use SMIC's ‘N+3’ Process

But there's a catch: according to one report, Huawei is planning to mass-produce the next Kirin system on a chip (SoC) for the Mate 70 series using SMIC's N+3 process, which boasts a higher density than the N+2 model.

Rumor has it that the Kirin 9100 will stay at 7 nm and that the Mate 70 series will not upgrade to SMIC's 5 nm process.

Even though it's terrible to hear, Huawei probably had good reasons to make this decision (if it hasn't already). There will be high production costs and low yields when using outdated DUV apparatus to mass produce 5nm wafers instead of EUV equipment.

Simply put, the 5nm wafers manufactured by SMIC will be extremely costly, and Huawei likely feels that these costs are too high to warrant utilizing this technology in their smartphone chipsets.

Kirin 9100's Potential With SMIC's ‘N+3’ Node

Despite this setback, the Kirin 9100 could still be manufactured using the 7nm process and boast a better density than the Kirin 9010 and the Kirin 9000S if it uses the N+3 node.

With more transistors, the Kirin 9100 will have better "performance per watt" and be more power efficient thanks to this upgrade.

Expanded Use of SMIC's ‘N+3’ Technology Beyond Mate 70 Series

The Mate 70 family's next chipset isn't the only ARM-based device that rumor has it that Huawei is testing with the same N+3 technology.

With the arrival of TSMC's first generation of 3nm 'N3E' chipsets later this year, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Dimensity 9400, and Apple's A18, Huawei may fail to close the performance gap quickly enough in terms of lithography.