This article speculates why there is a possibility that the chip might have been fabricated by Huawei itself.
"
Chatting with friends during lunch, we talked about where Huawei's mobile phone chip 9000s is produced.
At present, the general view is that it comes from SMIC.
This view is not unreasonable. After Liang Mengsong came to SMIC, the manufacturing technology has improved by leaps and bounds. It has already broken through 14nm. And 7nm, through multiple exposure technology, is a matter of course.
But my opinion is completely different.
You know, if SMIC is OEM for Huawei, it will need to consider many things. First of all, SMIC's many manufacturing equipment, including photolithography machines, and materials may face pressure from the United States to cut off supply. In addition, SMIC’s customers are not only domestic customers, but also many European and American customers. These customers are also at risk of being lost.
In short, if SMIC really wants to OEM for Huawei, it really needs to be carefully weighed.
At least for now, I personally feel it is immature.
You may be thinking, wouldn’t SMIC secretly manufacture chips for Huawei? This is even more impossible, because Huawei's 9000s can be produced, so the first thing Lao America will suspect is SMIC, the domestic chip foundry leader, and then conduct in-depth investigations. This cannot be hidden.
Therefore, Huawei’s mobile phone chip 9000s cannot be manufactured by SMIC.
There are rumors on the Internet that it is Xin En. This is impossible because Xin En is mainly a mature process and has not yet reached such an advanced node.
We know that Huawei itself has long been involved in chip manufacturing, and what everyone doesn’t know is that Huawei itself is also working with my country’s scientific research institutions to research lithography machines.
With Huawei's efficiency, even if the semiconductor equipment has not yet been fully produced, it should not be impossible to modify and upgrade existing foreign equipment.
Who exactly makes it for Huawei? At this point, you may have guessed that it is Huawei itself.
In other words, Huawei has become an IDM that can design and manufacture by itself (similar to Intel's model), and is no longer just a fabless company. There is no problem of being stuck in manufacturing.
Unlike Intel, which only has a chip business, Huawei also has many businesses including mobile phones and communication equipment.
Huawei is different from ordinary mobile phone companies. It is more like Apple and has its own mobile phone operating system.
But let alone producing chips, Apple has not yet succeeded in designing 5G baseband chips for mobile phones. Therefore, Huawei can be considered Apple plus Qualcomm.
Let’s put it another way, if Huawei is split up, it can spin off an Apple, a Qualcomm, and an Intel (will it be TSMC in a few years?). Of course, this is mainly about the mobile phone business.
Apple’s market value is close to three trillion U.S. dollars. So, how much do you think Huawei is worth?
In the afternoon, I saw on the Internet that Huawei's chips are produced in Dongguan. Although this news has not been confirmed, it can be regarded as confirming my guess. Because Dongguan is the current location of Huawei's headquarters.
This article is a post-dinner chat and speculation and does not constitute any investment advice. If you think it makes sense, just give it a like. If you have different opinions, you are welcome to leave a comment."
