Huawei Technologies announced that it has shipped over 100 million devices equipped with its Kirin processors since re-entering the smartphone market in 2023 with a new line of premium handsets. The milestone was revealed alongside details of the company’s latest flagship chip, the Kirin 9050 series, which incorporates Huawei’s proprietary LogicFolding architecture.
The Kirin 9050 represents a significant advancement in chip design, integrating more than 50 million hybrid bonds and achieving a 53.5 percent increase in transistor density. Huawei stated that the chip’s mass production has been supported by China’s domestic electronics supply chain, signaling ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on foreign technologies amid international trade restrictions.
In addition, Huawei has reportedly begun testing its next-generation Kirin 2027 processor, with preliminary results reportedly meeting targeted performance benchmarks. Xu Songyu, director responsible for wireless device chips at Huawei’s semiconductor division, commented in Shanghai on the unexpectedly strong progress of LogicFolding, despite initial doubts regarding its manufacturability at scale and production yield stability.
LogicFolding is a semiconductor development technique introduced in May as part of Huawei’s Tau Scaling Law initiative. The technology aims to enhance data transfer speeds between various components of a chip and across computing systems, thereby boosting computing efficiency. This approach intends to circumvent the need for the most advanced chipmaking machinery, specifically the cutting-edge lithography equipment that has been largely inaccessible to Huawei due to U.S.-led export controls.
Huawei’s ambitions in semiconductor design faced challenges in 2020 when U.S. sanctions prohibited the company from utilizing foundry services from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a critical supplier. The company’s recent return to chip production with the in-house Kirin 9000s processor in 2023 marks a notable recovery in its efforts to develop and produce advanced chips independently.
The company’s advancements in chip technology reflect its broader strategy to strengthen its position in the semiconductor sector amid ongoing geopolitical constraints affecting global supply chains.