Chinese fab SMIC's 7nm metal pitch beats Intel 18A but lags 38% on density, teardown finds — Huawei's sanctions-beating HiSilicon Kirin 9030 is the first subject of SemiAnalysis's new teardown lab
SemiAnalysis has published the first teardown from its new in-house lab, focusing on the minimum local metal pitch on SMIC’s third-gen 7nm at 32.5nm.
The continuous teardowns and analysis of new Chinese silicon demonstrate ongoing efforts to benchmark domestic manufacturing capabilities against global leaders like Intel.
This finding confirms China's progress in semiconductor manufacturing, despite sanctions, indicating a narrowing gap in certain process parameters and bolstering national self-sufficiency goals.
The ability of SMIC to achieve certain metal pitch metrics superior to Intel's 18A demonstrates surprising progress in key aspects of advanced node development within China.
- · SMIC
- · Huawei
- · Chinese tech sector
- · US semiconductor sanction efficacy
- · Western leading-edge foundries
The HiSilicon Kirin 9030 confirms the operational production and integration of SMIC's advanced 7nm process into flagship Chinese products.
This technical advance will likely provoke further US restrictions and export controls aimed at constraining China's semiconductor capabilities.
Increased domestic chip production could allow China to bypass current supply chain vulnerabilities and exert greater geopolitical influence through its burgeoning tech independence.
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Read at Tom's Hardware