Kirin processors will not return in 2023

There had been rumors about the return of Kirin processors to the market, produced by Huawei’s HiSilicon division, but the company has publicly denied this information. As a result of US sanctions, Huawei can no longer produce processors using modern manufacturing processes that use US technologies, nor 5G modems for smartphones. So its phones are now equipped with processors bought from Qualcomm, an American company.

Despite rumors, Huawei may not resume production of Kirin processors

Huawei officials in China have publicly stated that they cannot produce Kirin processors, and they will not be used in future products while US sanctions are in effect. So what we’re still seeing on the market today are older stocks of Kirin 710A that the company is still integrating into lower-end phones. It seems that the stock for the Kirin 9000 series of processors has also run out, as all flagship models in recent years have been equipped exclusively with Qualcomm processors.

In order to produce Kirin processors again, Huawei would either have to find a factory that can produce processors on a modern manufacturing process, such as 7, 5 or 4nm, but not do so using American technology. This is currently impossible, as technologies developed by American companies are the basis for these types of equipment.

Recently, SMIC, China’s largest chip manufacturer, developed a 7nm processor using proprietary technology, but it did not include certain complex components to use it for the production of PC processors or phones. It was, however, built specifically for use in dedicated cryptocurrency mining devices.

If SMIC manages to overcome the current limitations, Huawei could somehow return to manufacturing processors in Chinese factories. Until then, however, the company is dropping its Kirin processor lineup.