Defying U.S-led Sanctions, Huawei Stages A Stunning Comeback By Unveiling Mate 60 Pro 5G Smartphones Powered By 7nm 'Made In China' Chips

Defying tough U.S sanctions, embattled Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies has rolled out its new Mate 60 Pro 5G smartphone series powered by an advanced semiconductor chip developed by in-house chip design unit HiSilicon.

Taken by surprise by the swift development and worried over the effectiveness of its sweeping sanctions, the U.S administration is reportedely seeking full details of Huawei’s advances in chip technology.

Earlier last month, Huawei officially kicked off online sales for its latest high-end flagship Mate 60 Pro, triggering widespread speculation on how the 'made-in-China' 5G capable chipset was made despite strict U.S. trade sanctions.

The surprise release of the smartphone triggered speculation on how Huawei had managed to achieve 5G capabilities.

Huawei and China's leading chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp(SMIC), which is also on the Entity List, were known to be collaborating on 5G mobile chips.

Both Huawei and SMIC have continued have so far maintained silence about the mainland-produced system-on-a-chip (SoC) used on the new Mate 60 Pro series

According to a note posted by research company TechInsights on its WeChat account, SMIC may have used existing equipment and applied its second-generation 7-nanometre process, known as the N+2 node, to manufacture the 5G-capable Kirin 9000s for Huawei.

If SMIC has achieved this capability, it will represent a significant victory for China's semiconductor industry. A smartphone with a self-developed 5G chipset would mark an important milestone for Huawei as it battles a long U.S. tech crackdown. 

Going by multiple product teardown videos posted by Chinese tech observers and enthusiasts, the new phone comes with an in-house developed Kirin mobile chipset. It supports 5G connectivity and satellite phone calls. Huawei is reportedly developing its own Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and power management chips.

A Chinese benchmarking website, AnTuTu, identified the central processing unit (CPU) in the Mate 60 Pro as the Kirin 9000s from Huawei's chip design unit HiSilicon. The CPU has a 12-core configuration and a top clock speed of 2.62 gigahertz, according to AnTuTu.

In 2019, the U.S. restricted Huawei from buying advanced 5G chips and software from U.S. companies 2019, which dealt a heavy blow to its high-end smartphone business. The company could only sell limited batches of 5G models using stockpiled chips.

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said in a recent interview that US sanctions on Huawei provided both pressure and impetus. “Huawei may encounter more difficulties, but at the same time becomes more prosperous too,” Ren said.

Huawei's comeback has unleashed a wave of techno nationalism in China. Many netizens said a stronger Huawei returning to the center stage of global tech innovation may be considered as "a slap in the face" to the US government's 'ruthless attack' on the leading Chinese tech company