Huawei’s New Laptop Highlights China’s Chipmaking Struggles Under US Sanctions

Huawei’s latest laptop was powered by older 7nm chipset, the same technology in Huawei’s 60 Pro smartphone that released two years ago, a new report finds.
Huawei’s New Laptop Highlights China’s Chipmaking Struggles Under US Sanctions
A woman walks past the logo of Chinese telecom giant, Huawei, during a web summit in Lisbon, Portugal, on Nov. 6, 2019. Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images
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Huawei’s latest laptop has fallen short of expectations for a semiconductor breakthrough, reflecting how U.S. sanctions are hindering the manufacturing ambitions of China’s communist regime, according to a Canadian-based consultancy, TechInsights.

The Matebook Fold is powered by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), the largest foundry in mainland China. It utilizes the 7nm chipset, the same technology used in Huawei’s 60 Pro smartphone, which startled Washington in 2023. This falls short of industry-wide speculation that, after 2 years, the laptop would feature SMIC’s next-generation 5nm-class chip, according to a report by TechInsights on June 23.