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Tech & Science
Huawei reveals a new strategy to develop advanced processors using an innovative design approach targeting 1.4-nanometer transistor density by 2031 despite US restrictions.
Huawei has unveiled an unconventional strategy aimed at advancing its processor technology to overcome longstanding US sanctions that have blocked the company’s access to the latest semiconductor manufacturing technologies.
Since Huawei was blacklisted by the US in 2019, it has been barred from accessing American supply chains. In 2020, Washington intensified restrictions by enforcing the “foreign direct product rule,” which prohibits global factories from producing advanced chips for Huawei if they rely on US equipment or software.
These sanctions have directly impacted Huawei’s ambitions in processor development. Leading chip manufacturers worldwide, including TSMC and Samsung, depend on advanced US technologies and equipment to produce modern processors with high transistor density, delivering stronger performance and better energy efficiency, according to a report by phonearena reviewed by العربية Business.
To temporarily circumvent these sanctions, Huawei previously acquired modified Qualcomm processors limited to 4G technology, which it incorporated into flagship models such as the Huawei P50, Huawei Mate 50, and Huawei P60 Pro series.
Seeking to restore 5G support in its premium devices, Huawei collaborated with China’s largest chipmaker, SMIC, to develop a new Kirin processor. However, US sanctions have prevented SMIC from obtaining advanced EUV lithography machines, which are essential for manufacturing cutting-edge chips with advanced process nodes.
Due to this restriction, SMIC has had to rely on older DUV equipment combined with multi-patterning lithography techniques to compensate. This approach enabled Huawei to produce a 7-nanometer chip for the Huawei Mate 60 Pro in 2023, while Apple utilized a 3-nanometer A17 Pro chip in its iPhone 15 Pro models.
Currently, Huawei claims it aims to revolutionize the chip development paradigm. Instead of focusing solely on shrinking transistor sizes as conventional manufacturers do, the company plans to enhance chip power by improving the internal design of the electronic architecture itself.
Huawei states that this new approach will allow it to develop chips with transistor densities equivalent to 1.4 nanometers by 2031, although it may not employ the same manufacturing technologies used by competitors.
The company introduced this concept at the 2026 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems held in Shanghai, where He Tingbo, Huawei’s head of semiconductors, delivered a keynote address.
The concept centers on what Huawei calls the “Tau Scaling Law,” a method aimed at reducing the time signals and data take to travel within chips and computing systems, thereby boosting performance without significantly shrinking transistor size.
Huawei confirmed it has applied this concept over the past six years in more than 381 custom chips designed for smartphones and artificial intelligence systems.
Additionally, the company plans to implement a new architecture named “LogicFolding” starting next fall. This technology shortens connection paths within processors to enhance performance and efficiency.
Although Huawei has previously attempted to develop its own advanced lithography equipment to bypass US sanctions, it has yet to achieve clear progress in this area.
Consequently, the “Tau Scaling” strategy appears to represent Huawei’s best opportunity to compete with leading chip manufacturers in the coming years.
