Huawei’s new laptop uses older chip due to US restrictions

Huawei’s latest MateBook Fold laptop uses an older chip made by SMIC, China’s top chipmaker, showing how U.S. export rules are slowing China’s progress in advanced chip technology, according to a report by TechInsights. Many expected Huawei to use a newer 5nm chip in the MateBook Fold, which is a big step in combining chip design, software, and hardware.

Instead, it features the Kirin X90 chip, built on a 7nm process from August 2023. TechInsights says this means SMIC hasn’t mastered producing 5nm chips at a large scale. U.S. restrictions are likely blocking SMIC’s ability to catch up with global leaders like TSMC and Intel, who are moving toward 2nm chips in the next one to two years. Huawei’s 7nm chip lags behind those used by companies like Apple and Qualcomm.

The MateBook Fold, launched last month, has no physical keyboard and boasts an 18-inch OLED double screen. Despite the older chip, Huawei’s CEO, Ren Zhengfei, recently told Chinese media that their chips are just one step behind U.S. competitors. He said Huawei is finding ways to boost performance, like using cluster computing, to stay competitive despite the challenges posed by U.S. export controls.