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The original was posted on /r/hardware by /u/moses_the_blue on 2025-05-29 02:52:00+00:00.
Original Title: Taiwanese media: Huawei is using domestic SMEE SSA800 lithography machines for self-sufficient, ASML-free 5nm chip production. The company has also begun developing 3nm GAA chips, while a separate 3nm carbon nanotube chip is currently undergoing production line compatibility testing at SMIC.
- Huawei’s new 5nm Kirin X90 chip is not made on a true 5nm manufacturing process. It is reportedly achieved by using SMIC’s existing 7nm (N+2) technology combined with chiplets and advanced packaging techniques to boost performance to a level equivalent to 5nm, albeit with low production yields (around 50%).
- The most significant breakthrough is the creation of a production line free from US-controlled technology. Instead of relying on industry-standard ASML machines for lithography, the process uses Shanghai Micro Electronics’ (SMEE) SSA800 machines with multi-patterning, alongside other key domestic equipment like 5nm etchers from AMEC and measurement tools from Naura.
- Huawei has already begun research and development for 3nm chips with two distinct approaches. The first adopts GAA (Gate-All-Around) architecture and two-dimensional materials with a target tape-out date set for 2026, while the second is a carbon nanotube-based chip that has already completed lab validation and is now being adapted for SMIC’s production lines.
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