Maybe, but Hank was allegedly at the event, and I'm inclined to believe him (that he was at the event)
Though I believe his background is more politics/IR oriented and not an actual expert in tech
Chinese semiconductor thread II
- Thread starter vincent
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Maybe, but Hank was allegedly at the event, and I'm inclined to believe him (that he was at the event)
Though I believe his background is more politics/IR oriented and not an actual expert in tech
Technically it is not breathtaking but the roadmap is interesting.
Hank is very well connected and I don’t doubt the general reception he describes. The broad strokes of what Huawei did with 3D design and system level optimization shouldn’t impress anyone with deep expertise because they’re not novel ideas for the industry. The key question is in implementation detail and optimization specifics and of course Huawei isn’t likely to disclose too much there. I also think the significance of what Huawei is proposing with tau scaling is going to fly over the heads of even many seasoned folks in industry because they’re basically trying to overturn the whole map. Ultimately what matters is the actual performance results they deliver and follow through.
I'm not sure what the point of the post is? The main sponsor gets the keynote speaking spot? Is that a big deal or somehow discredit the contents of the announcement?
Huawei has made a very specific claim about releasing a Kirin chip this year with 3nm-level transistor density. Is he implying this is fake or hype? This will be very easy to prove or disprove technically in a few months after release.
I mean clearly Huawei Hisilicon is very confident on this research direction if they're presenting it publicly in a high profile event like this. Until fall last year with the Ascend roadmap, Hisilicon never publishes roadmap or actual specs, so something must have changed internally for them to be this confident.
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A novel thought I just had is that Huawei might be masking planned node shrinks in their roadmap before that big jump in transistor density in 2030. It’s possible they will introduce node shrinks without major increases in transistor density purely to improve thermal management and push clock speed, and leave major density jumps to be driven by adding fold layers. If that’s a direction they take it might be an example of using tau scaling principles to invert the iteration approaches employed for performance gain.
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3D Scaling with highly precise bonders
Zhaoxin ZX86 processors have achieved 100% success in winning bids for Hainan Province's smart education projects, continuing to lead the way in the genuine replacement and application of information technology in education.
Zhaoxin's ZX86 processors have achieved a 100% success rate in winning bids for Hainan Province's smart education infrastructure projects, securing a major contract for over 34,000 units. As the only domestically produced computing core selected for this initiative, Zhaoxin terminals will be comprehensively deployed across primary and secondary schools throughout the province, covering essential teaching environments including information technology classrooms, student computer labs, teacher preparation terminals, and smart interactive screens. This significant win follows successful implementations in Hainan in 2025, demonstrating the province's renewed confidence in Zhaoxin's technology after extensive real-world classroom verification and routine teaching operations.
The ZX86 processor addresses critical challenges in educational IT adoption through its native x86 instruction set compatibility, which enables it to directly run 100% of mainstream educational software—including WPS, Tencent Meeting, Photoshop, interactive whiteboards, electronic classroom systems, and Scratch programming—without requiring virtual machines, binary translation, or software reconstruction. This seamless compatibility ensures that existing teaching applications can be migrated without rewriting, allowing teachers and students to transition without retraining or adaptation periods. The processor integrates smoothly with domestic operating systems such as Kylin and UnionTech UOS and has been adapted to over 200,000 software applications and teaching peripherals, delivering a true "install and use, start teaching immediately" experience.
Performance and security are central to the ZX86's value proposition. The KX-7000 series processor operates at frequencies up to 3.7GHz, delivering excellent performance for demanding educational tasks such as HD video rendering, file compression, and multimedia courseware delivery. It can open 10GB files in just four seconds and supports local deployment of edge AI models for offline smart teaching capabilities. On the security front, the ZX86 natively supports SM2/SM3/SM4 national cryptographic algorithms and provides end-to-end protection through trusted boot and secure key management. As a state-owned company with complete independent intellectual property rights, Zhaoxin ensures no licensing dependencies or backdoor risks, fully complying with national education IT innovation policies.
To date, Zhaoxin's ZX86-based terminals have been successfully deployed across all 31 provinces in China, serving millions of teachers and students from preschool through higher education. The solution's cost-effectiveness stems from eliminating the need for expensive software redevelopment during hardware migration, making it an economical choice for education departments nationwide. This 100% bid success in Hainan demonstrates Zhaoxin's mature ecosystem approach—collaborating with industry partners to deliver integrated "chip + device + operating system + application" solutions that create a replicable model for domestic IT innovation in education across China.
The ZX86 processor addresses critical challenges in educational IT adoption through its native x86 instruction set compatibility, which enables it to directly run 100% of mainstream educational software—including WPS, Tencent Meeting, Photoshop, interactive whiteboards, electronic classroom systems, and Scratch programming—without requiring virtual machines, binary translation, or software reconstruction. This seamless compatibility ensures that existing teaching applications can be migrated without rewriting, allowing teachers and students to transition without retraining or adaptation periods. The processor integrates smoothly with domestic operating systems such as Kylin and UnionTech UOS and has been adapted to over 200,000 software applications and teaching peripherals, delivering a true "install and use, start teaching immediately" experience.
Performance and security are central to the ZX86's value proposition. The KX-7000 series processor operates at frequencies up to 3.7GHz, delivering excellent performance for demanding educational tasks such as HD video rendering, file compression, and multimedia courseware delivery. It can open 10GB files in just four seconds and supports local deployment of edge AI models for offline smart teaching capabilities. On the security front, the ZX86 natively supports SM2/SM3/SM4 national cryptographic algorithms and provides end-to-end protection through trusted boot and secure key management. As a state-owned company with complete independent intellectual property rights, Zhaoxin ensures no licensing dependencies or backdoor risks, fully complying with national education IT innovation policies.
To date, Zhaoxin's ZX86-based terminals have been successfully deployed across all 31 provinces in China, serving millions of teachers and students from preschool through higher education. The solution's cost-effectiveness stems from eliminating the need for expensive software redevelopment during hardware migration, making it an economical choice for education departments nationwide. This 100% bid success in Hainan demonstrates Zhaoxin's mature ecosystem approach—collaborating with industry partners to deliver integrated "chip + device + operating system + application" solutions that create a replicable model for domestic IT innovation in education across China.
this is rather an interesting point. If we do use 171MTr/mm2 (which is not the calculation that TSMC uses) for N5, then looks like the HW's folding design needs a process that is close to N5 to achieve so much higher transistor density.
Shengmei has achieved a major breakthrough in key technologies for its high-temperature SPM cleaning solution, providing a strong guarantee for high yield in the mass production of GAA and DRAM/HBM.
ACM Research (referred to as Shengmei in the article) announced a major breakthrough in high-temperature SPM (sulfuric peroxide mixture) cleaning technology at the SPCC 2026 conference on May 18. The new single-wafer process delivers superior particle control and operational stability for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
- Particle Control: Achieves <15nm particle standard, significantly outperforming mainstream market solutions.
- Patented Nozzle Design: Eliminates the need for periodic DI water chamber/environment cleanings (typically required to neutralize residual high-temp SPM gases), reducing contamination risks and equipment maintenance.
- Future Roadmap: Targets further reduction to 13nm particle control to support next-generation process nodes
- Boosts yield stability for GAA (Gate-All-Around) logic chips, which require ultra-precise cleaning at nanoscale dimensions.
- Addresses particle-defect vulnerabilities in FinFET-based DRAM and enhances mass production capacity for HBM (High Bandwidth Memory).
- Lowers operational costs by removing routine chamber cleaning cycles, improving overall fab efficiency.
Presented on a top-tier global stage, the breakthrough underscores ACM Research’s leadership in semiconductor surface preparation. By leveraging differentiated innovation and building a strong IP moat, the company aims to support the rapid scaling of advanced AI chip manufacturing and strengthen its position in the high-end equipment market.
Unigroup Guoxin acquires Ruineng Semiconductor for 1.9 billion yuan
Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics Co., Ltd. announced that it plans to acquire 100% equity of Ruineng Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. through a combination of share issuance and cash payment, with a total transaction price of RMB 1.9 billion. This move marks Unigroup Guoxin's formal increase in investment in the power semiconductor sector and the improvement of its industry chain layout.
According to the announcement, 80% of the transaction consideration will be paid through the issuance of shares (RMB 1.52 billion), and 20% will be paid in cash (RMB 380 million). The company also plans to raise supporting funds of no more than RMB 396 million to pay the cash consideration, intermediary fees, and transaction taxes. Upon completion of the transaction, Ruineng Semiconductor will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unisplendour Microelectronics. The relevant matters are subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approval.
Ruineng Semiconductor is a domestic power semiconductor IDM company, formerly the power device division of NXP. It has a mature product line of thyristors and power diodes and a production base in Jilin. In 2025, its revenue was approximately 870 million yuan. Its products are widely used in new energy vehicles, photovoltaic energy storage, industrial control and other fields, and it has particularly strong silicon carbide technology reserves and stable customer resources.
According to the announcement, 80% of the transaction consideration will be paid through the issuance of shares (RMB 1.52 billion), and 20% will be paid in cash (RMB 380 million). The company also plans to raise supporting funds of no more than RMB 396 million to pay the cash consideration, intermediary fees, and transaction taxes. Upon completion of the transaction, Ruineng Semiconductor will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unisplendour Microelectronics. The relevant matters are subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approval.
Ruineng Semiconductor is a domestic power semiconductor IDM company, formerly the power device division of NXP. It has a mature product line of thyristors and power diodes and a production base in Jilin. In 2025, its revenue was approximately 870 million yuan. Its products are widely used in new energy vehicles, photovoltaic energy storage, industrial control and other fields, and it has particularly strong silicon carbide technology reserves and stable customer resources.