The chip competition between China and the United States intensified, and Huawei's new machine caused shocks
In the context of the Sino-US technology war, Huawei launched the Mate 60 Pro mobile phone equipped with a self-developed 7nm chip in August 2023, which caused a shock in the US government and the industry. This incident once again highlights the progress made by China in independent chip innovation, and also exacerbates the United States' worries about the development of China's chip industry.
During his visit to China, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Raimondo pointed out that Huawei's new chips are far behind the U.S. level, indicating that the U.S. export control policy is working. She stressed that the United States has the most advanced semiconductor technology in the world, while China does not yet have it. Raimondo has warned of "the toughest possible action" to protect U.S. national security and prevent China from gaining access to advanced U.S. chip technology.
The launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro shocked the United States because it carried a chip that performed beyond what the United States wanted to prevent. According to reports, the chip was produced by SMIC using U.S. equipment and technology, showing that China has not completely moved away from its dependence on foreign chip equipment.
Despite this, Huawei's chip technology has made some progress, but it still lags behind the most advanced level in countries such as the United States. The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to restrict China's access to chip-making technology in order to maintain its dominant position in this area.
The development of China's chip industry has attracted much attention from the outside world. On the one hand, China is doing well in chip design, but it still lags behind the United States in terms of manufacturing processes and manufacturing equipment. On the other hand, the Chinese government strongly supports the development of the domestic chip industry, and the progress of companies such as HiSilicon and SMIC is remarkable.
Huawei's new machine incident highlights the tense competition between China and the United States in the field of chips. The United States seeks to contain China's chip development, while China strives to achieve independent innovation and get rid of foreign dependence. Competition in this area is not only a matter of economic interests, but also of national security, and will be fiercely contested in the future.
The United States has stepped up chip restrictions and China's independent innovation is difficult
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Raimondo's comments on Huawei's new chips once again reflect the U.S. government's strict restrictions on the development of China's chip industry. The United States has always regarded advanced chip technology as the commanding heights, and does not want China to make breakthroughs in this field.
Raimondo bluntly said in an interview that Huawei's chips are "far from that good" and "several years behind American chips." Her remarks were aimed at disparaging Huawei's chip prowess and hinting at the effectiveness of U.S. export control policies. The United States has been working for years to prevent China from gaining access to advanced chip technology, fearing it will be used for military purposes.
To this end, the United States has continuously increased sanctions against Chinese technology companies such as Huawei. In 2019, the U.S. added Huawei to the "Entity List," prohibiting U.S. companies from exporting technology products to it. In 2022, the United States issued a series of new regulations to strictly restrict the supply of advanced chips and chip manufacturing equipment to Huawei.
The aim of these measures is to cut off Huawei's access to advanced chips, thereby curbing its development in areas such as 5G and artificial intelligence. The U.S. government believes that if Huawei and other Chinese companies master advanced chip technology, it will pose a major threat to U.S. national security and technological dominance.
In the face of severe sanctions from the United States, the development of China's chip industry is difficult. Although the Chinese government vigorously supports domestic chips, compared with developed countries such as the United States, there is still a large gap in chip manufacturing processes and equipment.
Taking the Huawei Mate 60 Pro as an example, although the 7nm chip it is equipped with is self-developed, the manufacturing process still relies on equipment and technology from Applied Materials and Lam Research. This shows that China has not yet fully mastered the key aspects of advanced chip manufacturing.
China has made great strides in chip design. In addition to Huawei HiSilicon, China also has a number of chip design companies such as Horizon and Unisplendour. However, due to the limitations of the manufacturing process, it is difficult for their chip performance to break through the international advanced level.
There is still a long way to go for independent innovation in China's chip industry. The severe restrictions of the United States have intensified the tension between the two sides in this field, and China has to accelerate the independent development of the chip industry to ensure national security and industrial upgrading.
The chip war between China and the United States may hold China to accelerate the pace of independent innovation for a long time
Huawei's new machine incident has once again pushed the tense confrontation between China and the United States in the chip field to a white heat. The United States regards advanced chip technology as the commanding heights and does not want China to make breakthroughs in this field. China, on the other hand, hopes to get rid of its dependence on foreign chips as soon as possible through independent innovation.
The two sides are temporarily inseparable in this chip war. On the one hand, the United States, relying on its absolute superiority in chip manufacturing processes and equipment, has imposed a severe technological blockade on China. On the other hand, although China has made some achievements in chip design, the backwardness of the manufacturing process has seriously restricted the improvement of chip performance.
This kind of back-and-forth contest is expected to continue for a long time to come. The United States, due to national security concerns, does not want China to master advanced chip technology. China, on the other hand, regards independent chip innovation as the key to supporting scientific and technological development and ensuring national security.
In this war without gunpowder, both sides are increasing their investment. The U.S. continues to introduce new export controls aimed at cutting off China's access to critical chip technology. The Chinese government is also vigorously supporting local chip companies and encouraging independent innovation.
Take SMIC, for example, China's largest chipmaker is stepping up research and development of 7nm and below process technology to narrow the gap with the international advanced level. In the field of chip design, Chinese companies such as HiSilicon and Horizon are also constantly innovating.
Achieving a breakthrough in the chip manufacturing process is not an easy task. This requires China to go hand in hand in personnel training, capital investment, equipment research and development, and other aspects. The U.S. technological blockade of China will undoubtedly make it more difficult for China to innovate independently.
China must make up its mind, be self-reliant, and work hard to achieve final victory in this chip war. This is not only about national security and industrial upgrading, but also a great practice of the Chinese nation's self-reliance and self-reliance.
Only by truly mastering the strategic resource of chips can China occupy a favorable position in the future scientific and technological competition and achieve high-quality development of the industry. Accelerating the pace of independent chip innovation is one of the most urgent major tasks in China at present.