Huawei is once again under scrutiny—this time over claims about the chip powering its latest foldable laptop. While the Chinese tech giant announced that its new MateBook Fold is equipped with a next-generation 5nm Kirin X90 chip, fresh reports suggest otherwise.
According to PhoneArena, a well-known tech publication, Huawei may actually be using a 7nm process for the Kirin X90—casting doubt on the company’s claim of a breakthrough in advanced chip manufacturing.
The issue boils down to Huawei’s chip manufacturing partner, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), which is facing major limitations due to export restrictions imposed by the U.S. and Netherlands. These restrictions prevent SMIC from acquiring advanced chipmaking equipment like extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, which are essential for producing genuine 5nm and smaller chips.
Instead, SMIC has been relying on older deep ultraviolet (DUV) technology, using complex workarounds like multiple patterning to mimic the precision of EUV. But these techniques are far from perfect—they result in lower production yields and significantly higher costs.
“This approach is incredibly difficult to pull off and makes the chips more expensive to produce,” PhoneArena reported, citing a recent industry analysis.
The controversy began when Huawei’s MateBook Fold was said to feature a 5nm chip, sparking excitement that the company had overcome export barriers. But sources close to the matter now say the Kirin X90 is built using the same 7nm process as the Kirin 9020 chip that powered last year’s Mate 70 series smartphones.
Industry insiders suggest that while Huawei and SMIC are making strides with what they have, true 5nm production without EUV is extremely challenging. “You can do it, but you’re accepting much lower efficiency and higher costs,” said one expert.
Huawei’s founder and CEO, Ren Zhengfei, recently acknowledged the technological lag in a state media interview, saying, “Our chips are still a generation behind the U.S. We compensate with mathematics, cluster computing, and other methods. Software isn’t our bottleneck.”
Still, PhoneArena argues that if the Kirin X90 is indeed 7nm rather than 5nm, Huawei and SMIC remain two full generations behind competitors like Apple. And with Apple expected to roll out 2nm chips in next year’s iPhone 18, the gap could widen even further.
While there are always whispers about Huawei developing its own EUV alternative, for now, it seems the company is facing an uphill battle. As one analyst put it, “Until they find a viable EUV workaround, closing the tech gap with the U.S. may remain out of reach.”
In the high-stakes world of semiconductors—especially amid the ongoing U.S.-China tech rivalry—this latest report underscores just how difficult it will be for Huawei to catch up.
