Huawei highlights China component progress

Research company TechInsights noted that alongside gains in processor manufacturing revealed with the launch of Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro in August, China made significant progress in other areas in bypassing trade sanctions and forecast the gap with western vendors would continue to narrow.

In a blog, TechInsights argued the country’s gains are not limited to application processor system-on-chip components, but also include 5G baseband processors and mobile RF technologies.

The company added China “has made leaps” in developing advanced system-in-package modules and RF filters using improved techniques.

It noted the release of the Mate 60 Pro showed China is narrowing the technological gap, but has not completely closed it.

TechInsights stated the nation’s progress enabled Huawei to replace a number of US suppliers of RF switches and power amplification modules with products from local vendors.

The research outfit noted the mobile RF architecture in the Mate 60 Pro proved Chinese companies can complete with top-tier smartphone OEMs.

Bloomberg identified the domestic suppliers as Maxscend Microelectronics and Beijing OnMicro Electronics. The components were previously imported from Skyworks Solutions and Qorvo.

TechInsights noted Huawei’s chip unit HiSilicon designed the Kirin 9000, the main processor in the Mate 60 Pro, produced by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp using a 7nm process.