https://www.scmp.com/rss/517950/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on HiSilicon. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese nuclear scientists have developed a world-class “microscopic scalpel” essential to various forms of chipmaking, potentially unblocking a bottleneck in the country’s efforts to fortify key supply chains. The China Institute of Atomic Energy said on Saturday that it had developed the nation’s first high-energy hydrogen ion implanter called the POWER-750H, saying it performed on a par with advanced international standards. Ion implanters are a critical part of some forms of semiconductor... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340321/could-chinas-ion-implanter-scalpel-carve-out-secure-hi-tech-chip-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3340321/could-chinas-ion-implanter-scalpel-carve-out-secure-hi-tech-chip-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 10:00:42 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi China’s artificial intelligence still needs to improve in six aspects, from ecosystem to funding, but the emergence of DeepSeek has significantly boosted the sector’s confidence in overcoming US restrictions, according to a mainland venture capital firm. China and the US were the two top players in global AI development, with the former leading in humanoid robotics and open-source large language models, according to Zhou Qi, managing partner of GSR United Capital, which focuses on early-stage... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336241/chinas-ai-sector-poised-growth-despite-us-tech-restrictions-venture-capitalist-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336241/chinas-ai-sector-poised-growth-despite-us-tech-restrictions-venture-capitalist-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies on Tuesday revealed that its next-generation Kirin 9030 system-on-a-chip powers the more advanced models of its newly launched 5G Mate 80 series smartphones. Shenzhen-based Huawei listed the Kirin 9030 as the processor for the 12-gigabyte random access memory (RAM) version of the Mate 80 Pro, while its Kirin 9030 Pro version is built into the 16GB RAM Mate 80 Pro, the Mate 80 Pro Max and Mate 80 RS models, according to the official website for the company’s latest flagship... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3334108/huaweis-latest-kirin-9030-processor-powers-premium-mate-80-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3334108/huaweis-latest-kirin-9030-processor-powers-premium-mate-80-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:25:25 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies is set to launch its latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 80 series, and a new foldable handset next Tuesday, as industry speculation swirls over the use of its next-generation Kirin 9030 processor in these devices. The Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment maker on Monday said its new Mate series – including the basic Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max and Mate 80 RS models – would be available for pre-order, but pricing and technical specifications were not... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3333269/huaweis-new-mate-80-foldable-mate-x7-handsets-square-against-apple-xiaomi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3333269/huaweis-new-mate-80-foldable-mate-x7-handsets-square-against-apple-xiaomi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:00:15 +0000 Wency Chen,Ann Cao Wency Chen,Ann Cao Huawei Technologies’ recent unveiling of a three-year road map for its Ascend artificial intelligence processors has provided fresh momentum for China’s tech self-sufficiency efforts, according to analysts. US-sanctioned Huawei’s disclosure “is educating the market about what’s ahead”, while signalling that the Shenzhen-based company “can match Nvidia’s multi-year road map”, said Kevin Xu, founder of US-based investment firm Interconnected Capital. Huawei deputy chairman Eric Xu Zhijun, who... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3326210/tech-war-huaweis-ai-chip-road-map-bolsters-chinas-tech-self-sufficiency-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3326210/tech-war-huaweis-ai-chip-road-map-bolsters-chinas-tech-self-sufficiency-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 03:00:13 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Huawei Technologies has reshuffled the leadership of its in-house chip design unit, HiSilicon, at a time when China’s semiconductor industry is consolidating amid the escalating US-China tech war. The Shenzhen-based Huawei unit has promoted Jeffery Gao, head of its Shanghai division, to the position of HiSilicon chairman. He replaced Eric Xu, deputy chairman of the overall Huawei group, who had also been leading the chip unit since 2008, according to the latest information from Chinese corporate... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3325346/tech-war-huawei-names-new-head-hisilicon-unit-chinese-chipmakers-consolidate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3325346/tech-war-huawei-names-new-head-hisilicon-unit-chinese-chipmakers-consolidate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 10:30:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Baidu, one of China’s artificial intelligence champions, on Thursday unveiled its Baige 5.0 AI infrastructure platform – powered by a mix of semiconductors, including those designed by its Kunlunxin unit – to raise the efficiency of DeepSeek’s open-source models. The Beijing-based AI and internet search giant’s upgraded platform delivers a speedier network connection, increased computing power, and enhanced model training and inferencing capabilities, according to executive vice-president Shen... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3323480/baidu-unveils-ai-computing-platform-powered-chinese-chips-push-domestic-tech-stack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3323480/baidu-unveils-ai-computing-platform-powered-chinese-chips-push-domestic-tech-stack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 08:30:15 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Speculation is swirling across the semiconductor industry after artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek recently suggested that China’s next-generation AI chips will soon be released. The Hangzhou-based start-up’s cryptic one-line post on WeChat triggered online discussions about which AI chip supplier, or suppliers, would unveil this breakthrough, even as US tech restrictions remain in place. They include Huawei Technologies, Cambricon Technologies, Moore Threads, Hygon Information Technology and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3322864/tech-war-which-chinese-firm-supplying-next-generation-ai-chips-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3322864/tech-war-which-chinese-firm-supplying-next-generation-ai-chips-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 13:00:17 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Huawei Technologies has opened an account on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, to promote the custom design services of its HiSilicon chip unit, even as the company continues to maintain a cloak of secrecy around its Kirin smartphone and Ascend AI chips. The Douyin account, set up by HiSilicon (Shanghai), said the company aimed to “enable smart devices for a fully connected world.” As of Thursday, it had three posts and nearly 50,000 followers. The first post, published on Wednesday, was a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3322685/huawei-opens-douyin-account-promote-hisilicon-shanghai-it-expands-chip-design-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3322685/huawei-opens-douyin-account-promote-hisilicon-shanghai-it-expands-chip-design-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:00:13 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Huawei Technologies has revealed that the new Pura 80 handsets are powered by its Kirin 9020 system-on-a-chip, marking the first time in about five years that the US-sanctioned company has lifted the veil of secrecy behind its advanced smartphone processors. The name of Huawei’s chipset, which was designed by semiconductor design subsidiary HiSilicon, was found prominently displayed in screenshots shared online by Pura 80 users after a system update of the handset. Information about the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3322397/tech-war-huawei-reveals-kirin-chip-inside-5g-smartphones-firm-overcomes-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3322397/tech-war-huawei-reveals-kirin-chip-inside-5g-smartphones-firm-overcomes-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 13:00:14 +0000 Hannah Wang Hannah Wang A Shanghai court sentenced 14 former Huawei Technologies employees to jail for stealing chip-related business secrets from the company, the state-owned Securities Times newspaper reported on Saturday. According to the report, the Shanghai Third Intermediate People’s Court on July 28 sentenced 14 employees of Zunpai Communication Technology, a start-up founded by engineers from Huawei’s chip development unit HiSilicon, to jail terms of up to six years on top of financial penalties. The court has... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3320657/ex-huawei-employees-sentenced-jail-stealing-semiconductor-related-secrets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3320657/ex-huawei-employees-sentenced-jail-stealing-semiconductor-related-secrets?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:00:21 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Huawei Technologies rolled out the next phase of its global smartphone push on Thursday, with a launch event for the Pura 80 series in Dubai, as the Shenzhen-based tech giant seeks to revive its once-lucrative handset business amid US sanctions. Three models – the Pura 80, Pura 80 Pro and Pura 80 Ultra – were unveiled at a launch event in Dubai, as Huawei showcased its commitment to the market dominated by Apple and Samsung Electronics even though its devices are not supported by popular apps... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3317843/huaweis-pura-80-series-roll-out-dubai-latest-move-global-smartphone-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3317843/huaweis-pura-80-series-roll-out-dubai-latest-move-global-smartphone-push?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:02:04 +0000 Sam Phillips Sam Phillips Huawei Technologies plans to release the latest update to its premium Pura smartphone series next week, as speculation grows that the new devices would feature an upgraded in-house-designed chipset. The Pura 80 series would be available in China from June 11, Huawei said via its official Weibo account on Tuesday. The devices will retain the triangular-shaped camera bump seen in previous models, according to a teaser image, but are expected to feature notable upgrades in cameras, sensors and lens... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3312889/huawei-launch-premium-pura-80-smartphone-series-june-11-featuring-harmonyos-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3312889/huawei-launch-premium-pura-80-smartphone-series-june-11-featuring-harmonyos-next?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 10:00:25 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma The US attempted to restrict sales of Huawei Technologies’ Ascend series of artificial intelligence processors “anywhere in the world”, opening up a new front in the trade war with China just a day after the two sides had agreed a tariff pause. Use of the processors would breach US export control rules because the technology was likely developed in violation of that same regime, the US Department of Commerce said last week. Still, the “anywhere in the world” quote was gone from the press release... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3310897/us-targeting-huawei-worldwide-opens-new-front-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3310897/us-targeting-huawei-worldwide-opens-new-front-trade-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 09:01:02 +0000 As Nvidia’s market capitalisation exceeds US$2 trillion and eclipses that of energy giant Aramco, the milestone highlights the importance of intellectual capital in the AI era, when advanced chips are crucial. At the same time, US export restrictions on chips have pushed the American tech company to try selling downgraded artificial intelligence chips to its Chinese clientele. But these chips were poorly received. The mismatch underscores the complex challenges faced by China in moving up the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3255026/semiconductor-self-sufficiency-china-must-collaborate-not-just-innovate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3255026/semiconductor-self-sufficiency-china-must-collaborate-not-just-innovate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:30:18 +0000 The closely-guarded semiconductor capabilities of US-sanctioned Huawei Technologies have come under fresh scrutiny after Nvidia identified the Chinese telecommunications equipment giant as a potential rival in artificial intelligence (AI) chips for the first time. With Nvidia currently unable to ship its advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) to mainland China under Washington’s export restrictions, a new AI chipset from Huawei has emerged as a replacement for the US firm’s Chinese products,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3253943/tech-war-huaweis-ai-chip-capabilities-under-intense-scrutiny-after-market-leader-nvidia-taps-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3253943/tech-war-huaweis-ai-chip-capabilities-under-intense-scrutiny-after-market-leader-nvidia-taps-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Mar 2024 04:00:24 +0000 Baidu ordered artificial intelligence (AI) chips from Huawei Technologies this year, two people familiar with the matter said, adding to signs that US pressure is prompting Chinese acceptance of the firm’s products as an alternative to Nvidia’s. One of the people said Baidu, one of China’s leading AI firms, which operates the Ernie large language model (LLM), placed the order in August, ahead of widely anticipated new rules by the US government that in October tightened restrictions on exports... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3240641/us-china-tech-war-baidu-buys-ai-chips-huawei-us-restricts-nvidia-chip-exports-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3240641/us-china-tech-war-baidu-buys-ai-chips-huawei-us-restricts-nvidia-chip-exports-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2023 09:00:14 +0000 Yangtze Memory Technologies Co (YMTC), China’s leading memory chip producer, has manufactured the “world’s most advanced” 3D NAND memory chip known to be in a consumer device in a “surprise technology leap”, according to a report by TechInights. YMTC’s memory chip, found in a solid-state drive launched quietly in July, shows that the manufacturer has continued to develop advanced technology despite being hampered by sanctions after it was placed on the US Commerce Department’s Entity List,... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3239310/chinas-ymtc-makes-worlds-most-advanced-memory-chip-surprise-technology-leap-techinsights-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3239310/chinas-ymtc-makes-worlds-most-advanced-memory-chip-surprise-technology-leap-techinsights-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:45:07 +0000 Biren Technology and Moore Threads, two of China’s best hopes in challenging Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices in the field of graphics processors, have been dealt a heavy blow by new US trade sanctions, as Washington moves to further frustrate China’s progress in artificial intelligence (AI), according to industry insiders and analysts. Thirteen Chinese entities “involved in the development of advanced computing chips”, including Biren, Moore Threads and their mainland subsidiaries, were added... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3238400/tech-war-us-sanctions-biren-and-moore-threads-strike-strong-blow-chinas-gpu-champions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3238400/tech-war-us-sanctions-biren-and-moore-threads-strike-strong-blow-chinas-gpu-champions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:30:11 +0000 China’s Taiwan affairs office has accused Taipei of “obstructing” cross-strait economic cooperation after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it would investigate four Taiwanese firms that were reportedly helping mainland Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies in chip production. Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told a media briefing on Wednesday that the firms mentioned in media reports were “not part of the semiconductor... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3237580/china-downplays-reports-taiwanese-firms-helping-huaweis-chip-project-saying-they-are-not-part?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3237580/china-downplays-reports-taiwanese-firms-helping-huaweis-chip-project-saying-they-are-not-part?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Oct 2023 11:30:09 +0000 When asked by the South China Morning Post in March about Huawei Technologies’ plans to release new 5G smartphones, deputy chairman Eric Xu Zhijun firmly dismissed such a notion to hundreds of journalists, analysts and clients who attended the US-blacklisted company’s annual conference in Shenzhen. “If you’re expecting to buy a 5G smartphone made by Huawei, [all of us] need to wait for approval from the US Department of Commerce,” Xu said. “We can produce 5G smartphones when they license 5G... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3236295/huaweis-5g-smartphone-comeback-advanced-chip-wrapped-secrecy-releases-chokehold-us-sanctions-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3236295/huaweis-5g-smartphone-comeback-advanced-chip-wrapped-secrecy-releases-chokehold-us-sanctions-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Sep 2023 03:00:11 +0000 Huawei Technologies founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei maintains that he is “a fan” of Apple, despite intense competition between the US-blacklisted Chinese company and the American tech giant in the world’s biggest smartphone market. Ren said he was against “xenophobia” towards any foreign brand and sees Apple as a valuable teacher, the 78-year-old Chinese technology entrepreneur told university students and academics who took part in the Huawei-sponsored International Collegiate... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3235095/call-me-apple-fan-huawei-founder-ren-zhengfei-maintains-admiration-us-tech-giant-their-new-5g?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3235095/call-me-apple-fan-huawei-founder-ren-zhengfei-maintains-admiration-us-tech-giant-their-new-5g?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:32:45 +0000 A top executive of US-blacklisted Huawei Technologies has called on China to adopt more home-developed semiconductors even though these lag behind chips produced with foreign technology, weeks after the Shenzhen-based company launched new 5G smartphones powered by a “breakthrough” Chinese-made advanced processor. “There is still a [technological] gap between China-made and foreign-developed chips, servers and personal computers, but if we don’t use [home-grown products] that gap will never... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3234958/tech-war-huawei-deputy-chairman-eric-xu-urges-more-support-chinese-made-semiconductors-despite-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3234958/tech-war-huawei-deputy-chairman-eric-xu-urges-more-support-chinese-made-semiconductors-despite-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Sep 2023 13:30:14 +0000 Huawei Technologies has pulled another surprise in the smartphone industry by quietly releasing the higher-end version of its Mate 60 Pro handset for sale on the mainland, while remaining silent on the controversy over the 5G device’s advanced chip amid threats of new sanctions from Washington. Shenzhen-based Huawei, which launched a low-key presales campaign for the Mate 60 Pro last week, on Friday started offering online the Mate 60 Pro+ handset for a 1,000 yuan (US$136) down payment and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3233921/tech-war-huawei-surprises-again-low-key-presales-top-line-mate-60-pro-us-blacklisted-firm-stays-mum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3233921/tech-war-huawei-surprises-again-low-key-presales-top-line-mate-60-pro-us-blacklisted-firm-stays-mum?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:30:21 +0000 Huawei Technologies’ latest 5G smartphone has thrown an intense spotlight on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) after a third-party teardown of the handset indicated that mainland China’s top contract chip maker was behind its advanced processor, which could prompt US government action for violating existing trade sanctions. SMIC’s share price has gained nearly 20 per cent in Hong Kong and 15 per cent in Shanghai since Huawei launched presales of its new Mate 60 Pro last week,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3233520/tech-war-top-chinese-chip-maker-smic-under-spotlight-breakthrough-5g-processor-used-huaweis-latest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3233520/tech-war-top-chinese-chip-maker-smic-under-spotlight-breakthrough-5g-processor-used-huaweis-latest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Sep 2023 02:00:16 +0000 Huawei Technologies’ silence over details of the advanced semiconductor that powers its new Mate 60 Pro flagship smartphone has become the subject of intense speculation. Here are some possible explanations for where Huawei got the chip. 1. China’s top chip maker SMIC made the chip for Huawei This is the most plausible explanation, although both Huawei and Semiconductor International Manufacturing Corp (SMIC) declined to provide details. Based on tests conducted on the smartphone, Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3233166/while-under-us-sanctions-where-did-huawei-get-advanced-chips-its-latest-mate-60-pro-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3233166/while-under-us-sanctions-where-did-huawei-get-advanced-chips-its-latest-mate-60-pro-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2023 02:30:09 +0000 Huawei Technologies’ silence over the advanced semiconductor that powers its new Mate 60 Pro flagship smartphone has become the subject of intense speculation in China, as questions abound about where and how the chip was made under strict US trade sanctions. At the Mate 60 Pro’s surprise launch on Tuesday, Huawei declined to provide details about the handset’s processor or on whether it supports 5G mobile networks, prompting industry analysts, tech bloggers, consumers and other interested... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3232861/tech-war-huaweis-silence-over-its-latest-mate-smartphones-advanced-chip-raises-speculation-where-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3232861/tech-war-huaweis-silence-over-its-latest-mate-smartphones-advanced-chip-raises-speculation-where-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:00:17 +0000 The Chinese government on Sunday banned the sale of certain Micron Technology products to key information infrastructure operators in the country, citing “cybersecurity risks”, in Beijing’s most forceful retaliation in the Sino-US tech war. The following timeline highlights Micron’s key developments since its entry into China over two decades ago, and shows how the US company went from a welcome business partner to a target of Beijing’s national security investigation. 2001 Micron Technology,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3221682/timeline-how-micron-went-welcome-business-partner-china-target-national-cybersecurity-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3221682/timeline-how-micron-went-welcome-business-partner-china-target-national-cybersecurity-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 May 2023 15:00:13 +0000 Chinese smartphone giant Oppo’s sudden move to disband its in-house chip design unit, Zeku, has triggered heated speculation on the mainland on the factors behind this action, which involved dismissing nearly 3,000 engineers in what could be one of the largest semiconductor industry lay-offs in the country. Oppo last Friday announced Zeku’s shutdown through a brief statement, which blamed “uncertainties in the global economy and smartphone market”, and called it a “difficult decision”. “The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3220642/smartphone-giant-oppos-move-disband-chip-design-unit-zeku-triggers-speculation-cause-action-3000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3220642/smartphone-giant-oppos-move-disband-chip-design-unit-zeku-triggers-speculation-cause-action-3000?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 May 2023 15:00:11 +0000 Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has abruptly closed down its chip design subsidiary, Zeku, to the shock of employees, according to the company and former workers, in a new cautionary tale for Chinese businesses pursuing the government’s drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency. Oppo announced the move on Friday with a brief statement, blaming “uncertainties in the global economy and smartphone market” and calling it a “difficult decision”. The news came as a surprise to Zeku employees, who... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3220308/chinese-smartphone-maker-oppo-abruptly-closes-chip-design-unit-zeku-another-casualty-semiconductor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3220308/chinese-smartphone-maker-oppo-abruptly-closes-chip-design-unit-zeku-another-casualty-semiconductor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 May 2023 05:35:36 +0000 Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co reported flat revenue growth in the first quarter, as the company continued its expansion into new businesses to weather US sanctions. Huawei generated 132.1 billion yuan (US$20 billion) in sales for the first quarter, a marginal rise of 0.8 per cent from the 131 billion yuan in the same period last year, according to the company on Friday. The marginal growth in first quarter revenue was in line with Huawei’s 2022 performance when its... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3218731/tech-war-huawei-q1-revenue-stagnates-tech-giant-struggles-counter-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3218731/tech-war-huawei-q1-revenue-stagnates-tech-giant-struggles-counter-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2023 08:27:13 +0000 Huawei Technologies Co chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou faces an uphill battle in finding new growth for the Chinese telecommunications giant as she takes up the top role of rotating chairwoman on Saturday, after the sanctions-hit company reported flat revenue growth and plummeting profits in 2022. Privately-held Huawei recorded 642.3 billion yuan (US$90.9 billion) in sales for the full year 2022, representing slim 0.9 per cent growth compared to 636.8 billion yuan in 2021, the company said... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3215553/huaweis-meng-wanzhou-faces-uphill-battle-reversing-flat-revenue-plummeting-profits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3215553/huaweis-meng-wanzhou-faces-uphill-battle-reversing-flat-revenue-plummeting-profits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2023 08:45:09 +0000 Unisoc, a Shanghai-based fabless chip firm that is expanding its market share in low-end smartphone chips, is one example of how Chinese semiconductor companies can survive and perhaps even thrive under US trade sanctions. At the company’s 2,200 square meter exhibition hall in the Zhangjiang hi-tech zone, recently visited by the South China Morning Post, Unisoc showcases its achievements, including the tech team assembled during Covid lockdowns last year that designs its 5G chips. More than 200... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3212312/unisocs-shanghai-showroom-chinas-chip-ambitions-remain-strong-mature-technology-arena?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3212312/unisocs-shanghai-showroom-chinas-chip-ambitions-remain-strong-mature-technology-arena?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Mar 2023 07:00:09 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! If Washington has one message for China in 2023, it may as well be this: stay in your lane. And for many companies on display at the world’s largest electronics show earlier this month, it looked like that is exactly what they were doing. The biggest Chinese names at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas were... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3208033/global-impact-us-china-tech-wars-toll-made-visible-worlds-largest-electronics-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3208033/global-impact-us-china-tech-wars-toll-made-visible-worlds-largest-electronics-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jan 2023 06:00:14 +0000 The chip production plans of Huawei Technologies Co have become the subject of fresh speculation within the semiconductor industry after the tech giant filed a patent application for advanced lithography late last year, a key technology used to produce cutting-edge chips. Many analysts say the odds that Huawei, whose once-lucrative smartphone business has been hobbled by US trade sanctions that have cut off its access to advanced chips, can build a US-free chip production line are small. While... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3205730/tech-war-huaweis-stealth-chip-production-plan-becomes-guessing-game-industry-insiders-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3205730/tech-war-huaweis-stealth-chip-production-plan-becomes-guessing-game-industry-insiders-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jan 2023 16:01:07 +0000 Huawei Technologies Co has finally run out of in-house-designed semiconductors for its smartphones after US trade sanctions effectively cut the company’s access to advanced new chips, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. Shenzhen-based Huawei, which briefly surpassed Samsung Electronics to lead global smartphone shipments in early 2020, has struggled to get new in-house-designed integrated circuits (ICs) manufactured by a major chip foundry after Washington tightened trade... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3204149/struggling-huawei-runs-out-advanced-house-designed-chips-smartphones-amid-us-trade-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3204149/struggling-huawei-runs-out-advanced-house-designed-chips-smartphones-amid-us-trade-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Dec 2022 13:00:12 +0000 On a recent Wednesday afternoon in Shanghai, the founder of a semiconductor start-up spotted the head of a well-known chip venture capital firm near the elevator at an industry event - and grabbed the chance for a 60-second “elevator pitch”. The venture executive walked away and the entrepreneur was left with a sense of foreboding. “I’ll run out of money soon if there’s no new investment,” said the founder, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic. “It is not as easy as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3199277/chinas-chip-executives-brace-winter-us-sanctions-push-countrys-semiconductor-industry-brink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3199277/chinas-chip-executives-brace-winter-us-sanctions-push-countrys-semiconductor-industry-brink?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Nov 2022 01:30:09 +0000 Unisoc, China’s largest fabless chip company in the mobile phone processor market, sees a bright future for its 5G chips despite weakening consumer demand for smartphones, the company’s chairman said. Demand for 5G smartphones will be strong over the next three years, providing a market opportunity for Unisoc, Wu Shengwu, chairman of Unisoc Technology Co, said at the Semicon China executive summit in Shanghai on Tuesday. Over the past two years, Unisoc has emerged as a key player in providing... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3198124/chinas-rising-star-smartphone-5g-chips-sees-silver-lining-weak-consumer-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3198124/chinas-rising-star-smartphone-5g-chips-sees-silver-lining-weak-consumer-market?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:00:16 +0000 The sweeping chip technology export controls imposed on China by the US are being viewed by some Chinese as the modern day equivalent of the Soviet Union’s withdrawal of technical support for Mao Zedong’s efforts to build the A-bomb. After a severe political split between the two communist countries, Moscow ordered its nuclear scientists to leave China in 1960. However, it was only a temporary setback for Mao, as China conducted its first successful A-bomb detonation in 1964. Will the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3197626/tech-war-chinas-semiconductor-ambitions-face-moment-reckoning-washington-launches-all-out-siege?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3197626/tech-war-chinas-semiconductor-ambitions-face-moment-reckoning-washington-launches-all-out-siege?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2022 02:00:12 +0000 Michael Zhang Wen is not a tech geek, but the Wall Street veteran, Harvard Law School graduate, and licensed attorney in the state of New York is at the forefront of China’s efforts to reduce its reliance on US artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Zhang is chairman of Biren Technology, a Shanghai-based start-up he founded in 2019 to focus on graphics processing units (GPU), a type of chip that is important for machine learning and big data applications. Up till now, China has relied on US-based... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3194168/tech-war-how-harvard-law-school-graduate-helping-china-achieve-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3194168/tech-war-how-harvard-law-school-graduate-helping-china-achieve-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2022 00:00:11 +0000 Tencent Holdings-backed start-up Jaguar Microsystems (JaguarMicro) is seeking to become a major technology supplier to China’s fast-growing cloud computing services market with its innovative new chips, providing a beacon of light to the country’s semiconductor industry amid growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. Shenzhen-based JaguarMicro is focused on developing data processing units (DPUs), a new class of programmable systems-on-a-chip, for servers used in data centres, Hong... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3192254/tencent-backed-start-jaguar-microsystems-bets-chip-innovation-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3192254/tencent-backed-start-jaguar-microsystems-bets-chip-innovation-help?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Sep 2022 14:00:26 +0000 Huawei Technologies Co on Tuesday launched its new flagship Mate 50-series smartphones that support satellite communications, but lack 5G mobile connection owing to US sanctions that restrict the company’s access to advanced semiconductors. The Mate 50 series delivers the first smartphones able to link with China’s BeiDou global satellite navigation system, according to Richard Yu Chengdong, chief executive of Huawei’s consumer business group, at the product launch. That will enable users to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3191566/huawei-unveils-new-flagship-smartphone-supports-satellite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3191566/huawei-unveils-new-flagship-smartphone-supports-satellite?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Sep 2022 12:03:27 +0000 US President Joe Biden signed into law this month the Chips and Science Act that provides US$52.7 billion in subsidies aimed at outcompeting China in semiconductor production – part of a US$280 billion bipartisan industrial policy to boost semiconductor manufacturing. Days later, the US government placed four more critical technologies on an export control list, choking off Chinese access to them. Moving at warp speed, however, China’s largest chip manufacturer, Semiconductor Manufacturing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3189837/us-china-tech-race-really-chip-talent-war-and-america-isnt-winning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3189837/us-china-tech-race-really-chip-talent-war-and-america-isnt-winning?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2022 17:30:25 +0000 Huawei Technologies Co will introduce the latest edition of its Mate-series smartphones this September, several months after its partnership with Germany’s Leica Camera ended and more than a year since the Chinese company skipped the annual refresh of this premium handset line amid its struggles with US sanctions. The global launch of the new Mate 50 range will be held on September 6, according to Huawei’s post on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo on Monday. “After two years, Mate 50 is... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3189890/huawei-launch-mate-series-smartphone-refresh-without-leica-optics-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3189890/huawei-launch-mate-series-smartphone-refresh-without-leica-optics-us?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:00:13 +0000 TikTok owner ByteDance is looking to fill dozens of new semiconductor jobs listed on its website in the strongest sign yet that it is looking to build an in-house chip design unit, following in the footsteps of Big Tech peers in China. The Beijing-based social media giant, and China’s most valuable unicorn, confirmed in a statement that it is hiring semiconductor talent, but said building a chip team remains in a preliminary stage. ByteDance is exploring the possibility of designing... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3185698/tiktok-owner-bytedance-opens-31-chip-design-jobs-joining-big-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3185698/tiktok-owner-bytedance-opens-31-chip-design-jobs-joining-big-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jul 2022 11:01:36 +0000 China is seeing a chance to improve its self sufficiency in microprocessors, the heart of every smart device, through the open-standard RISC-V chip design architecture, according to an executive at one of the country’s first RISC-V firms. When Nuclei System Technology was formed in the summer of 2018, the open standard was still a novel concept in the country. However, it quickly grew into a vibrant community, with the China RISC-V Industry Alliance – an association promoting the standard... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3184674/china-pins-hopes-local-risc-v-start-ups-crack-western-monopoly-cpu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3184674/china-pins-hopes-local-risc-v-start-ups-crack-western-monopoly-cpu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jul 2022 23:00:24 +0000 China has created an open platform to accelerate the development of a home-grown desktop operating system, in its latest effort to shake off the country’s reliance on foreign systems such as Microsoft Windows and Apple’s MacOS. Kylinsoft, a subsidiary of state-owned China Electronics Corp, last week joined forces with more than 10 Chinese entities, including the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Centre, to set up an open-source code community. Named “openKylin”, it... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3183681/tech-war-china-doubles-down-domestic-operating-systems-cut-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3183681/tech-war-china-doubles-down-domestic-operating-systems-cut-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:30:15 +0000 A top Chinese computer scientist said China is better positioned than Russia to cope with possible sanctions on chip design architecture from Western countries, adding that the country could develop a different ecosystem based on the RISC-V architecture and expand it among members of the Belt and Road Initiative. Bao Yungang, a computing technology expert at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the secretary general of the China RISC-V Alliance, made the comments on the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3182832/us-china-tech-war-top-chinese-scientist-envisions-forked-risc-v-chip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3182832/us-china-tech-war-top-chinese-scientist-envisions-forked-risc-v-chip?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jun 2022 14:30:18 +0000 Chinese semiconductor experts are debating the viability of “chiplet” technology as a shortcut to achieving chip self-sufficiency, an issue that could have far-reaching implications for the country’s hi-tech supply chain and integrated circuit (IC) development. Chiplets, pre-developed silicon dies that can be packaged into a more complex processor, have gained popularity because they reduce design costs and may even offer a solution to extending Moore’s Law, which refers to the doubling in the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3180015/tech-war-china-experts-odds-over-role-chiplets-helping-achieve-goal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3180015/tech-war-china-experts-odds-over-role-chiplets-helping-achieve-goal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jun 2022 00:00:21 +0000 Amid no letup in US-China tech tensions, many industry professionals are pinning their hopes on the concept of a chiplet as a replacement for standard chips to help the country achieve greater self-sufficiency in semiconductor manufacturing. The chiplet is essentially a technology that allows an integrated circuit (IC) block to be interconnected with other ICs to form a larger, more complex chip. The chiplet has gained popularity in China as the country’s semiconductor manufacturing is years, if... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3179304/tech-war-chiplet-shortcut-china-address-its-semiconductor-self?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3179304/tech-war-chiplet-shortcut-china-address-its-semiconductor-self?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2022 14:00:29 +0000