Reading some of the comments by tech geeks, this Huawei
phone is putting the USA in an uncomfortable state of mind, indicating
the failure of the sanctions imposed by the USA and its allies on
Huawei. I am not tech savy, so please bear with me if I am wrong on
points.
The launch of this phone was strangely without fanfare or
prior announcement, which is a big surprise, so much so that even so,
demand outstripped availability by a wide margin, with millions queuing
with orders. It certainly took the visiting USA Commerce Secretary by
surprise and some measure of trepidation, by seeing this phone launched
during her visit. Co-incidence?
Three outstanding features of
this phone were highlighted. First was that this phone could have direct
linkage to satellite communications without a ground base station,
which was already a feature in the previous Mate 50. How advance was
that?
The second most important feature, to have been
incorporatated in the phone was the use of Huawei's own Kirin 9000 7 nm
chipset, which some even suggested was more like a suspected 5nm
chipset. This may still be a little behind Apple's and Samsung's new
release, but in a test for speed, it still beat the competition.
This
stunning revelation indicates that Huawei, in co-operation with SMIC
suspectingly, had already been able to develop, for commercial
application, its 7nm chipsets. So, those Western doomsayers cannot say
Huawei is just bluffing in its development of higher end chips.
Experts
are of the opinion that those Kirin chips used could not have come
about with TSMC's help or co-operation, knowing TSMC is snugly in bed
with the USA and had already been warned by the USA against supplying or
producing high end Kirin chips for Huawei. The other possibility of
Samsung having links to its development is even more remote, and is
practically highly unlikely as well, with Samsung itself a competitor in
the mobile phone sector against Apple and Huawei. Moreover, Samsung
itself had been warned earlier against filling the void left by TSMC and
Micron in China. Therefore those chips could only have been developed
and made by Chinese companies themselves, which signifies the rapid
progress of Chinese chip makers.
The other point worthy of
highlight was the outstanding performance of the four cameras on the
phone, which I am not capable of talking about.
Another equally
important aspect of the Huawei Mate 60 phone was that it will come
pre-installed with Huawei's self developed software, Harmony 4.0, an
operating system totally its own, with all Android codes being
discarded. It is also interesting to note that since Huawei's divorce
from the Android, the Android system had been stagnating with no new
developments, which in the past had all come from Huawei's valuable
input.
Anonymous
Seems like TSMC outsmarted Biden:
ReplyDelete'The Arizona factory—which has been a focal point of the Biden plan and will cost $40 billion to build—will do little to make the U.S. self-reliant in chips. That’s because many advanced chips made in Arizona for Apple or other customers such as Nvidia, AMD and Tesla will still require assembly in Taiwan in a process known as packaging.'
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/apples-plan-to-make-chips-in-arizona-tsmc-nvidia-amd-tesla
What the USA wanted was TSMC's high end chip manufacturing expertise shifting from Taiwan to Arizona. The second motive was decimating the competition of TSMC, Samsung and other foreign chip manufacturers, so that the USA will reign supreme. The USA forgot about China, Huawei and SMIC, thinking Chips Alliance will take care of that. Arrogance is not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThe promised subsidy of US$15 billion dangled in front of TSMC by Joe Biden came with stiff conditions, including passing over sensitive technical details, customer information and the sharing of profits with the USA Government, an unheard of thing. Imagine having to share profits on top of paying taxes on the residual profits, TSMC might as well give up the factory. But, fret not, because TSMC reaped what they sow.
TSMC subsequently decided not to apply for the subsidy, putting paid to the trap set by the USA. High tech information that the USA was hoping to snarl from TSMC failed to materialise. By the way, the USA had all the years been accusing China of stealing tech under deals and agreements signed with USA companies, so what do we call those deals they had with TSMC? It takes a thief to catch a thief.
What will be the consequences facing TSMC is not yet known, but there will be consequences. And it certainly will not be rosy. TSMC has invested lots of money and effort in the USA. Added to that is losing market share in China with the rise of SMIC.
This Mate 60 Pro was soft launched to coincide with US Sec of Commerce visit. Huawei just put a notice up that something was being soft launched & was practically inundated with orders. Its the way Chinese citizens show support to Huawei & give middle finger to USA.
ReplyDeleteThey're not stupid, they know how to vote with their money. The pride they feel for homegrown technology shown here.
In the long run, foreign phones laptops will plummet & Biden et al have nobody to blame but themselves. TSMC will pay the price for being traitorous US running dog.
USA was sanctioning China by banning sales of the 5G chips to China. This Kirin 9000s chip however is capable of performing the 5G functions, and that put paid to the USA's failed attempt to strangle China.
ReplyDeleteNow it looks like the USA will have to go further, which it already threatened, to ban the sales of all tech equipments to China, to which China will ban the sales of iphones, not just in official circles, government connected entities but may even into the private domain.
Who will blink first is left to be seen. But those caught in the fight of the elephants will suffer. And this will not be just other countries, but those companies doing business with China and vice versa, including allies.