As the US continues tightening restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips and semiconductor technology, Huawei Technologies has revealed a new chip development approach that it says could help the company compete with global semiconductor leaders in the coming years.
During an event in Shanghai, Huawei explained that it is working on an alternative chip design strategy that does not depend on the advanced chipmaking equipment currently used by companies like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung Electronics. The company claims this approach could eventually help it achieve transistor density levels similar to chips built on a 1.4nm manufacturing process by 2031.
The 1.4nm process is considered one of the next major milestones in semiconductor manufacturing. Leading chipmakers are expected to produce such chips using advanced lithography machines developed by ASML. However, US export restrictions currently prevent Chinese firms, including Huawei, from accessing these systems.
Instead of focusing only on shrinking chip components, Huawei said it is improving computing efficiency through a new architecture that stacks multiple layers of circuits within a single chip. The company also aims to reduce the time data takes to travel between different parts of the processor. Huawei calls this method the “Tau Scaling Law.”
According to the company, the technology has already been used across 381 chip models over the past 6 years.
“Our solution is feasible and affordable,” said He Tingbo, President of Huawei’s semiconductor division.
Huawei also announced that its next-generation Kirin smartphone processors, expected later this year, will feature a new “LogicFolding” architecture. The company said this design improves performance by shortening internal wiring paths and reducing communication delays inside the chip.
The same architecture is also being used for Huawei’s AI chip development, although the company has not yet shared independent benchmark results or performance tests.
The announcement comes after years of increasing US sanctions on Huawei and China’s semiconductor sector. Huawei was added to a US trade blacklist in 2019, while broader export controls introduced in 2022 further limited China’s access to advanced semiconductor equipment and AI chips.
These restrictions have pushed Chinese technology firms to develop alternative solutions and strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities.
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