Sony cut off supply, Huawei immediately announced its own research CMOS, foreign media: things are big
Huawei has repeatedly suffered from supply cuts from key components
In this world where you sing and I appear, the four words "with interest" seem to have become a luxury. When driven by interests, former confidants may turn into enemies overnight and intrigue with each other; And yesterday's enemies may also turn enemies into friends in a blink of an eye because of the convergence of interests.
In this prosperous business sea, profit is the only constant compass. For the sake of profit, whoever can choose betrayal without hesitation. This is the reality of this world.
For Huawei, mixing in the field of science and technology has made many people's eyes red. Especially in today's fierce Sino-US trade war, Huawei is like a huge target, making people want to shoot an arrow.
From Bluetooth technology to glass to chip manufacturing, Huawei has eaten behind closed doors in many key technologies. For example, after being expelled from the Bluetooth Patent Alliance, Huawei can only develop its own Bluetooth technology. Another example is Corning Gorilla Glass suddenly stopped supplying to Huawei, prompting Huawei to develop Kunlun Glass by itself. There are also Kirin chips, which rely on TSMC foundry, which are also forced to embark on the road of independent research and development under the US ban.
For a time, various important component suppliers were like chicken blood, "jumping out" one by one to prohibit the supply to Huawei. The world's most cutting-edge technology doors were closed to Huawei, and the supply chain collapsed overnight.
In this supply chain war, Huawei is not a fuel-saving lamp, and every time it is "broken", it will grow a new arm on its own. Bluetooth is not allowed, I developed it myself; Glass is not sold, I make it myself; The OEM does not provide it, I will do it myself.
Just as the so-called strong dragon does not press the snake, Huawei's response can be said to be a ghostly talent. Despite the long road, Huawei gritted its teeth and independently developed it, and finally completed the leap from scratch. No matter how long the stone is sharpened, it will eventually sharpen the spicy blade. Today, while all parties are planning to kill Huawei, Huawei has basically realized the autonomy and control of core technologies, and has almost firmly controlled its own destiny.
It is precisely because of surviving in difficulties and seeking turnaround in crises that Huawei has achieved today's impressive performance. In the face of obstacles, Huawei has been indomitable and accepted the challenge with audacity and amazing persistence. Even with many difficulties and a vast road ahead, Huawei has never given up the pace of surpassing itself.
At one time, they tried to make Huawei technically difficult. But now, Huawei can strengthen itself and grasp the core technology with five fingers. No matter how strong the external wind is, it is difficult to shake Huawei's deep-rooted scientific and technological strength. This spirit of forging ahead has enabled Huawei to rejuvenate in the face of adversity and regain its glory with an unyielding attitude.
Sony CMOS cuts off the ins and outs of Huawei
When it comes to CMOS image sensors, we have to mention the industry giant of Sony, Japan. In the field of mobile phone cameras, Sony can be described as the leader, and its leading CMOS products almost include the customization orders of the world's major manufacturers.
In the past, Huawei and Sony worked closely together, and many flagship mobile phones were equipped with Sony sensors. But the good times did not last long, in the Sino-US trade war in 2019, Sony also chose to take sides and suddenly announced that it would stop supplying to Huawei. This is undoubtedly a huge blow to Huawei, which relies on Japanese products.
No one can replace Sony's position in the camera field, and Huawei's high-end mobile phones are also in the dilemma of not having a top-of-the-line CMOS. Fortunately, after many reactions, Sony still gave in. In order to keep this fat meat, Sony reopened the supply to Huawei.
Seeing that supply has returned to normal, Huawei has also breathed a sigh of relief. But when Huawei's Mate30 Pro was released, Sony once again stunned the industry. After the exposure of this flagship, its image quality was greatly improved, and the iPhone 11 of the same period was completed. This is mainly due to the high-speed CMOS supplied by Sony, which can achieve ultra-high frame rate shooting that is difficult for others to achieve.
It may be that it is afraid that Huawei will take advantage, and Sony suddenly banned the supply of this high-speed CMOS to Huawei. The strong strength of the opponent made Sony feel angry, for fear that the core technology would be copied or stolen, so it simply reined in from the cliff and once again strangled Huawei's technological breakthrough.
This wave of supply cuts directly caused Huawei to lose its advantage in mobile phone images and was forced to stagnate. Continuously "cutting leeks", Huawei now also understands that if it wants to be autonomous, it must be self-reliant. As a result, Huawei began to fully invest in the independent research and development of CMOS sensors.
Although the difficulty and investment are very large, this is the only way out of the sea of suffering. Huawei chose to join hands with Haowei Technology to develop a plan to accelerate the development of key materials. In the eyes of the industry, this game directly led to the "divorce" between Sony and Huawei, which completely broke the cooperative relationship between the two sides.
In fact, it is not far off to achieve complete autonomy in CMOS. At present, Sony's most advanced process is only 22nm, and Continental's semiconductor technology has also approached step by step. Once this move is successful, Huawei mobile phones will all be localized and bid farewell to external dependence.
Although Sony has the lead, it is expected that Chunhan will not be able to replace Huawei's persistent pursuit after all. Wasn't Japan a complete defeat? According to this momentum, maybe one day, our domestic CMOS will dwarf Sony and look beyond the dust!
Huawei's self-developed CMOS analysis
CMOS image sensors are a key component that directly affects camera quality, and best-in-class CMOS technology is a must to achieve top-quality images. Huawei chose to join forces with Haowei, a well-known domestic company, to overcome this core process.
The two sides work closely together to continuously optimize the performance indicators of domestic CMOS. We will make great efforts in advanced processes and materials, and comprehensively improve the algorithm capabilities of chips. Its goal is to beat Sony chips in terms of cost performance and quality stability, and create independent products that are truly ahead of the same industry.
If the joint research is successful, it will not only greatly enhance the overall CMOS technical strength of the mainland, but also help Huawei mobile phones achieve comprehensive autonomy and control from components to the whole machine. At that time, Huawei will no longer have to worry about being "pinched".
According to industry analysis, the difficulty of CMOS independent research and development is actually not large, and it is completely within the scope of domestic process capabilities. At present, Sony's most advanced product process has only reached 22 nanometers, and Continental has caught up with many international competitors in semiconductor manufacturing, and is fully capable of achieving this level of independent innovation.
Coupled with Huawei's strong R&D strength and financial support, I believe that in the near future, our independent CMOS will be successfully developed, so that our domestic mobile phones can also compete with others. At that time, we will no longer have to be subject to others and let others lead us by the nose.
Some foreign media analysis pointed out that this time the supply cut may make Sony suffer. Huawei purchases a huge amount of components from Sony every year, and CMOS alone contributes billions of dollars in Sony's revenue. Once Huawei achieves independent supply, this part of the sky-high orders will immediately come to naught, which will definitely be a heavy blow to Sony's revenue.
What's more frightening is that Huawei is likely to share its self-developed CMOS technology with other domestic mobile phone manufacturers, so that they can also enjoy the best quality image experience. This will directly lead to a sharp decline in Sony's share of the global mobile phone CMOS market and the loss of a large number of customers. You know, Huawei has reached strategic cooperation with brands such as Xiaomi and vivo, and is likely to authorize them to use this technology.
Once a joint strike is formed, Sony's "big tiger" will become history. It can be said that Sony's decision, Highly may make its proud position in the field of mobile imaging ashes and collapse. By then, I am afraid it will be too late.