Huawei unveils chipmaking breakthrough amid US sanctions
· Citizen
Chinese technology company Huawei announced on Monday that it has developed a new semiconductor manufacturing approach designed to overcome restrictions imposed by United States sanctions.
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The move is likely to draw scrutiny in Washington, which in 2019 barred Huawei from accessing advanced components and equipment, including extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines used to produce the world’s most sophisticated chips.
Impact
These measures placed the firm at the centre of a geopolitical standoff, with US officials warning its technology could be exploited for espionage-an allegation Huawei has consistently denied.
The sanctions also had a direct impact on consumers. Huawei’s smartphones lost access to Google’s suite of apps and the Google Play Store, forcing users to rely on the company’s own AppGallery or migrate to Honor, its former sub‑brand.
New chips
Speaking at the International Symposium on Circuits and Systems in Shanghai, Huawei’s semiconductor chief He Tingbo said the company expects to produce next‑generation 1.4‑nanometre chips by 2031.
Taiwan’s TSMC, the global industry leader, has projected achieving the same milestone by 2028. He outlined a new design principle, dubbed the “Tau Scaling Law,” which shifts focus from transistor density to communication speed within chips.
“Our solution is feasible and affordable. The performance of the new chip can fully compete with that of the other path,” he said.
Rivalry
The announcement comes amid intensifying US-China rivalry over advanced technologies, particularly semiconductors that power artificial intelligence systems.
Cutting‑edge chips are considered a strategic resource, enabling breakthroughs in computing, defence, and economic competitiveness.
Huawei’s claims suggest it may have found a way to continue innovating despite sanctions, though questions remain about feasibility, cost, and scalability.
Technological barriers
Tingbo acknowledged the impact of sanctions, saying they forced the company to confront technological barriers earlier and more sharply than competitors.
“Over the past six years, I have often been asked… how did you survive and come back on top?” she said, adding that the new technique came about through a shift in how chipmaking has historically been conceptualised.
‘LogicFolding’
By proposing “Her’s Law”, Huawei argues that optimising for communication time rather than space could overcome the limits of Moore’s Law, which Intel once summed up as: “You can make something smaller and smaller and smaller… until you can’t.”
Huawei’s next iteration of its Kirin chip, expected later this year, will reportedly adopt a new architecture called “LogicFolding” based on the Tau Scaling principle.
Warning
Analysts caution that while Huawei’s announcement signals a determination to remain competitive, it also underscores the broader strategic contest over who controls the future of chipmaking.
“Even without a new product launch today, Huawei’s intent is clear, and its trajectory will likely heighten US concerns,” said George Chen of The Asia Group.
Huawei’s move highlights both the resilience of Chinese tech firms under pressure and the global stakes of semiconductor innovation, where breakthroughs are inseparable from geopolitics.