Huawei’s Pura 70 smartphone contains new 7-nm HiSilicon chip made by top Chinese foundry SMIC, report says

The Pura 70’s system-on-a-chip was identified as the Kirin 9010 processor manufactured by SMIC using its 7-nm N+2 node, according to TechInsights

The new phone is a sign that Huawei could have solved more bottlenecks in its supply chain as the firm has turned to local partners for replacement chips

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Huawei’s latest Pura 70 series phone is displayed at a store in Shanghai, April 18, 2024. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 28 Apr 2024Updated: 9:01pm, 28 Apr 2024

Huawei Technologies’ new Pura 70 smartphones, powered by a chip designed by its in-house fabless semiconductor unit HiSilicon, are set to help the Shenzhen-based tech champion regain the top position in China’s smartphone market at the expense of Apple.

The Pura 70’s system-on-a-chip (SOC) – an integrated circuit that combines all the necessary components on one piece of silicon – was identified as the Kirin 9010 processor manufactured by China’s top foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), using its 7-nanometre N+2 node, the same process used to make the Kirin 9000s for Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro line, according to Dan Hutcheson, vice-chairman of US-based IC research company TechInsights.

TechInsights also found that markings on the processor package are “technically new but remarkably similar” to HiSilicon’s Kirin 9000s in a recent teardown analysis of the Pura 70 Ultra which was launched earlier this month.

However, Hutcheson believes the 9010 is “slightly better” than the 9000s in terms of overall performance despite the fact that they are made using the same SMIC process.

US-sanctioned Huawei unveiled its highly anticipated Pura 70 smartphone series in mid-April, the firm’s biggest flagship handset launch since the Mate 60 Pro. The 5G-capable Pura line was renamed from the P series in a rebranding effort and is expected to see shipment volumes exceeding 10.4 million globally in 2024, much higher than the previous models in the P series.

The new phone is a sign that Huawei could have solved more bottlenecks in its semiconductor supply as the company has turned to local partners for replacement of imported chips. Huawei has doubled down on building a full-stack ecosystem on several business fronts, from smartphones and AI computing to EV automobile solutions, which all require large quantities of module hardware and chips.