Latest version of made-in-China chip powers new Huawei phone

Huawei Technologies Co’s latest smartphones carry a version of the advanced made-in-China processor it revealed last year, independent analysis revealed, underscoring the Chinese company’s ability to sustain production of the controversial chip.

The Pura 70 series Huawei unveiled last week sports the Kirin 9010 processor, consultancy TechInsights found in a teardown of the device. That’s a newer version of the Kirin 9000s made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. for the Mate 60 Pro, which alarmed officials in Washington who thought a 7-nanometer chip beyond China’s capabilities.

Huawei has enjoyed a resurgence since the Mate’s August debut, riding a wave of celebration around its ability to realize sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing despite escalating US technology export curbs. Its Pura 70 series sold out within two days of their launch, according to market checks conducted by Jefferies analysts led by Edison Lee.

US officials are now weighing additional sanctions intended to ring-fence the company and China’s semiconductor ambitions more broadly. Bloomberg