When Huawei launched the Mate 60 Pro in 2023, attention turned to its Kirin 9000S chip and how Huawei had returned to producing a smartphone with a chip described as 7nm. A 9arm video published on 7 October 2023 discusses the difference between chip design and manufacturing, foundries, EUV and DUV lithography, and US trade restrictions.
The video’s point: chip design and chip manufacturing may be done by different companies
The speaker explains the chip supply chain by distinguishing circuit design from manufacturing on a silicon wafer. A design company may not own a factory capable of manufacturing at that process level, so it may depend on a contract manufacturer, or foundry. TSMC is given as an example; TSMC describes its pure-play foundry model as focusing on manufacturing for customers.
This distinction separates two questions: who designed the Kirin chip, and who physically manufactured it? Having a chip design does not by itself provide the machinery, materials, manufacturing processes, or factory expertise required to produce it. In its 2023 analysis of a Mate 60 Pro, TechInsights identified the Kirin 9000S as manufactured by SMIC.
Why EUV matters in discussions about chips
The video describes lithography machines that print circuit patterns onto wafers and presents ASML’s EUV as important equipment in advanced chip manufacturing. ASML says its EUV technology uses light with a 13.5-nanometer wavelength to print the most complex circuit layers, while other layers can still be made with DUV systems.
EUV is important to advanced manufacturing, but it does not follow that every chip labeled “7nm” must be made with EUV. TechInsights analyzed the Kirin 9000S and identified it as SMIC’s N+2 7nm process without EUV. A separate analysis discusses DUV multiple patterning as a way to create finer patterns. TechInsights notes that this method can involve greater complexity, longer cycle times, or lower yields.
What the Mate 60 Pro evidence does and does not show
TechInsights’ teardown is evidence that the Kirin 9000S sample in the Mate 60 Pro used a process the analysts classify as SMIC 7nm N+2. It provides technical evidence relevant to whether Chinese manufacturing had produced a chip at that scale.
One phone teardown cannot establish manufacturing yield, cost, wafer output, production volume, or the capability of an entire supply chain. That is a limitation of what this sample can show, not a conclusion that one manufacturer is superior. The “7nm” label also does not by itself measure the performance of the complete phone.
How US trade restrictions are relevant
The video connects Huawei’s chip supply with US export controls. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) says Huawei and certain affiliates were added to the Entity List on 16 May 2019. It requires a license for exports, reexports, or in-country transfers of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to listed entities under the relevant requirements.
These rules are export controls with defined scope and conditions. They should not be reduced to “every company in the world is banned from selling every kind of chip to China.” A real transaction depends on the item, technology, end user, destination, and rules in force at the time.
Summary
The video’s central idea is that a smartphone chip depends on several connected parts: design, fabrication, lithography equipment, and trade rules. The evidence cited for the Mate 60 Pro is that TechInsights found a Kirin 9000S made by SMIC using a 7nm N+2 process without EUV. This is an important manufacturing development, but one sample does not establish cost, yield, or the full capability of an industry.
Frequently asked questions
Which chip is in the Huawei Mate 60 Pro?
TechInsights identifies the processor in its Mate 60 Pro teardown as the HiSilicon Kirin 9000S.
Does every 7nm chip require EUV?
No. TechInsights reports that the Kirin 9000S used SMIC’s 7nm N+2 process without EUV and discusses DUV multiple patterning.