Report: Huawei’s Kirin Chip May Have Been Accelerated by Bitcoin Mining Orders
A recent report by
The Miner Mag suggests bitcoin mining orders might have sped up Huawei’s development of its new Kirin smartphone chip. The chip, which powers Huawei’s new Mate 60 Pro smartphone,
was produced by China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) using its N+2 7nm process.
The Miner Mag reported that bitcoin mining companies were among
the first to buy SMIC’s N+1 process, ordering wafers and providing the volume that helped SMIC improve its 7nm production.
The study indicates the growing orders from bitcoin miners helped SMIC refine its 7nm production capabilities. This might have
sped up Huawei’s development of its new Kirin chip using SMIC’s enhanced N+2 process.
Their orders were essential in helping address problems and improve yields. The report concludes that this hands-on experience likely aided China’s SMIC in producing Huawei’s advanced new smartphone processor.
