Huawei Unveils Kirin Chip, Signals 5G Comeback Amid US Sanctions

Huawei Technologies has revealed its new Pura 80 handsets are powered by the Kirin 9020 system-on-a-chip, marking the first time in approximately five years the US-sanctioned company has disclosed details of its advanced smartphone processors.

Credit: HUAWEI

This revelation highlights the firm’s confidence in its silicon design capabilities and its strong return to the 5G smartphone market, despite rigid US technology restrictions on China.

Credit: hisilicon

The Kirin 9020 chip was designed by Huawei’s semiconductor design subsidiary, HiSilicon. Its name was prominently displayed in screenshots shared online by Pura 80 users after a system update of the handset. The Kirin 9020 powers Huawei’s premium handsets, including the Mate 70 and Pura 80 series.

Previously, information regarding the processors used by Huawei in 5G smartphones, such as the Mate 60 Pro and Mate 70 series, was uncovered solely through third-party teardown analyses. The Kirin 9020, first observed in Huawei’s Mate 70 smartphones last year, was manufactured by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC). According to a Dec. report by Canadian research firm TechInsights, SMIC utilised the advanced 7-nanometre production process.

TechInsights described the Kirin 9020 as an incremental improvement over its predecessor, the Kirin 9010. In 2023, a TechInsights teardown analysis found that SMIC, mainland China’s largest contract chipmaker, was responsible for the Kirin processor inside the Mate 60 Pro. This model notably helped drive Huawei’s comeback in the 5G smartphone market.

Before this recent disclosure, the Mate 40 series, released in Oct. 2020, represented the last 5G smartphone line introduced by Huawei. This release occurred more than a year after the company was blacklisted by the US. Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, recalled the challenges faced under US technology restrictions. Mr. Yu stated that Huawei phones became unavailable outside China overnight, causing annual shipments to drop significantly.

Apart from managing semiconductor restrictions, Mr. Yu indicated that developing Huawei’s own operating systems was part of the effort to revive its fortunes. He noted that operating systems also involve supply chain security issues that concern the company’s long-term development. Huawei aims to establish its proprietary HarmonyOS operating system as a world-class mobile platform, rivalling those from Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

Mr. Yu characterised HarmonyOS’ development as a “huge adventure,” in which Huawei had invested tens of billions of yuan over the past six years. Furthermore, the company mobilised more than 10,000 developers each year for this project. As of July, Huawei announced that over 10 million devices now run HarmonyOS 5.

According to research firm IDC, Huawei topped China’s smartphone market in the June quarter, securing an 18.1% share of shipments. This achievement marked the first time in four years that Huawei led the Chinese smartphone market.

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• Huawei has publicly revealed its Kirin 9020 system-on-a-chip, powering premium handsets like the Pura 80 and Mate 70 series.

• This marks the first time in about five years Huawei has disclosed details of its advanced smartphone processors, indicating confidence despite US sanctions.

• The Kirin 9020 chip was designed by Huawei's HiSilicon subsidiary and manufactured by SMIC using a 7-nanometre process.

Source: SCMP