Huawei announced the sale of the Mate60Pro mobile phone at the end of August, a new machine that has not been released and sold first, which has attracted great attention from Taiwan's science and technology circles. The shock of the industry roughly stems from two aspects, one is whether Huawei, which has been surrounded and blocked for many years, has the ability to "return to 5G" at the technical level, and the other is how Huawei "turns over" in the face of difficulties for the enterprise itself.
According to media reports, Huawei officials have not released the parameter information of the new mobile phone, and have not even stated whether the mobile phone supports 5G networks, but through the software test of netizens, it can be seen that the specifications of the new mobile phone have reached the 5G standard. Some netizens on the island commented that the speed of Huawei's new mobile phone is better than many current mobile phones. Taiwan's articles discussing Huawei's new phones invariably classify them as 5G products. Some media said that it can be considered that the level of the mainland's semiconductor industry has made great strides. If Huawei can really return to 5G, it is very likely to break the current pattern of US companies dominating 5G high-end smartphones.
Through the "unboxing" video of self-media, some experts speculate that the new mobile phone is equipped with Huawei's independent design and SMIC Kirin 9000S processor, and the package number of the integrated circuit has been changed from the past "TW" to "CN". Wu Lingxiang, executive director of Taiwan's "Science and Technology Think Tank", believes that this change cannot confirm that all its wafers are irrelevant to Taiwan, Huawei does not announce detailed parameters, and it is difficult for the outside world to confirm its chip specifications; But it can be confirmed that the release of the new mobile phone is Huawei's "breakthrough to some extent" in the field of semiconductors.
For a period of time, Huawei's semiconductor foundry business was highly dependent on Taiwanese high-tech companies. However, when the United States' containment and blockade of the Chinese mainland semiconductor industry intensified, there were subtle changes in the cooperation between enterprises on both sides of the strait, and TSMC stopped supplying Huawei a few years ago. "The fact that there is no way (to continue to supply Huawei) is a loss to Taiwan, I think the industry will have a deep feeling at this time." Current affairs commentator Chen Fengxin said in a program recently.
Industry insiders believe that Huawei's inexpensive new mobile phone is still far from the specifications of other brands' most advanced 5G mobile phones. But they still highly appreciate Huawei's progress, and this process of "surviving" after being blocked is enough to surprise Taiwan's tech community. In addition, companies did not choose to cut back on food and clothing after external suppression, but invested more heavily in research and development, and some observers pointed out that Huawei's temperament to the outside world is in stark contrast to those companies that succumb to the deterrence of the US stick.
Chen Fengxin used the word "moved" in the show to describe her feelings when she learned that the new mobile phone was on sale. Another commentator, Guo Zhengliang, also said in other programs that Huawei's breakthroughs from hardware to software are "unimaginable." Taiwan's industry analyst Guo Mingqi posted that Huawei's new mobile phone sales symbolize that the company has been able to achieve independent and controllable semiconductors.
The industry's high evaluation does not mean that Huawei has completely freed itself from the shackles brought by the blockade, which has also led a considerable number of observers on the island to call for the cross-strait industry not to lose the opportunity for cooperation, even if there are many restrictive objective factors. Some people quoted Taiwanese entrepreneur and SMIC founder Zhang Rujing as saying at a forum not long ago that the advantages of the semiconductor industry on both sides of the strait can complement each other, and mutual help and cooperation will achieve the effect of "1+1>2".
The release of Huawei's new mobile phone is undoubtedly an important breakthrough in the Chinese mainland semiconductor industry in the face of adversity. It not only demonstrates Huawei's strength and resilience in technological innovation, but also shocks and reflects Taiwan's science and technology community. The future direction of the semiconductor industry on both sides of the strait will depend on their respective strategic choices and market competition. In this era of rapid change, there are no eternal front-runners and no eternal laggards. Only continuous progress and cooperation can achieve win-win and development.
The current situation and differences of the semiconductor industry on both sides of the strait. According to the data, the total output value of semiconductors on both sides of the strait in 2018 is similar, about 700 billion yuan respectively. However, there is a big difference between the two in terms of industrial distribution. Chinese mainland in 2018, IC design (251.93 billion yuan) and packaging and testing (219.39 billion yuan) accounted for the majority, while IC manufacturing (181.82 billion yuan) was relatively weak. Taiwan is the opposite, IC manufacturing (326.5 billion yuan) is particularly prominent, IC design and packaging and testing output value is significantly less. It can be said that the mainland is an industrial distribution in the shape of dumbbells, while Taiwan is rugby.
The reasons and impacts of cross-strait semiconductor industry cooperation and competition. On the one hand, there is room for complementary advantages in the semiconductor industry on both sides of the strait, especially in the field of IC manufacturing, Taiwan has the world's leading foundries such as TSMC and UMC, while the mainland has huge market demand and policy support. According to the data, in 2019 Chinese mainland the scale of demand for the integrated circuit industry was 118 billion US dollars, and the actual domestic supply was only 30 billion. Therefore, there is a close cooperative relationship between semiconductor companies on both sides of the strait, such as Huawei and SMIC, which are important customers of TSMC.
On the other hand, the cross-strait semiconductor industry is also facing fierce competition and challenges, mainly from the international market and technological changes. According to the data, the global semiconductor market size in 2020 was $439 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%, but the growth rate of Chinese mainland and Taiwan is lower than the global average. At the same time, with the development of new technologies such as 5G, AI, and IoT, the semiconductor industry also needs to continue to innovate and invest to maintain competitiveness and risk resistance.
The semiconductor industry on both sides of the strait should also accelerate innovation and transformation, and find breakthroughs and growth points in new technologies and new application fields. For example, in the fields of AI chips, memories, sensors and other fields, there are some excellent innovative enterprises and products on both sides of the strait, which can learn from each other's experience and advantages and improve their core competitiveness.