Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
TL; DR
- The HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro has a 5G chipset inside. This will not be possible due to the current restrictions on the company.
- Now, a government official has said that there is no evidence that HUAWEI can increase production of the chip.
- Some Republicans in the US think the country should stop all technology exports to HUAWEI.
A few weeks ago, HUAWEI took the world by surprise when it launched the new Mate 60 Pro (and shortly after, the Mate 60 Pro Plus). The launch of a new flagship Android phone wasn’t surprising, but the chipset inside was. The Kirin chip is manufactured by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), a Chinese company. The chip has 5G support and a 7nm build.
By all accounts, HUAWEI should not be able to do this. Thanks to the so-called HUAWEI ban, the company cannot access the technology needed to produce such a chip. This means the company has made significant advances in chipset design or violated international trade restrictions.
Today, by Reuters, we’ve learned that the US government thinks it’s possible that HUAWEI is overextending itself a bit. According to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the US government has “no evidence that (HUAWEI) can mass-produce seven-nanometer.”
In other words, if HUAWEI has achieved a technological breakthrough by finding a new and unique way to produce 5G-capable 7nm chips, the US doesn’t think the company is ready to mass-produce those chips. to be significant.
Earlier this month, the Commerce Department said it was investigating this new chip. In addition, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized that the country is investigating the matter.
HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro: Need more bans?
However, Republicans critical of HUAWEI and the Biden administration’s handling of China were quick to point out that Gina Raimondo was actually in China when the HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro was launched. Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, said Raimondo was “bushwhacked” by the sudden launch of a phone that, by all accounts, should not exist.
There are many Republicans in Washington who think the US should cut off all technology exports to both HUAWEI and SMIC because of this news.