Lithography Archives - Gizmochina

GC Daily: Huawei is building a massive $1.6 billion Chip plant

Joel Joseph — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 04:38:12 +0000

A lot has happened over the weekend, with one of the biggest news stories coming from China, revealing how Huawei is building a massive $1.6 billion chip plant in Shanghai.

The report adds that one of the key missions of the plant is to build lithography machines that help manufacture the new-gen microchips inside smartphones and other gadgets. To that end, Huawei has reportedly hired engineers with extensive experience from global chip brands like ASML, Applied Materials, Lam Research, TSMC, Intel, and Micron. They are even paying twice the salaries of local chip makers!

Given how Huawei is desperate to find a breakthrough for its chip problem, expect the working environment to be cut throat.

More details on Huawei’s chip plans are in our article from Saturday here.

In other news, the Redmi Pad Pro, which was launched recently in China, is reportedly getting a 5G version. In case some of you are wondering, yes, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside the Pad Pro does support 5G connectivity, but for some reason it was not mentioned in the launch event. Now, new reports suggest that the global variant of the Redmi Pad Pro that’ll launch in India and other international markets will likely feature 5G.

Pixel series is known for its soft and vibrant color options, and that will likely continue with its Pixel 8a model as well. According to the latest renders leaked over the weekend, the Pixel 8a will come in four color options: Obsidian, Mint, Porcelain, and Bay.

Which one would you pick? Personally, I hope the mint green is not as bright as I see in this picture.

Everyone wants to get into the smart ring market lately. I mean, I kind of understand their utility, they are non-intrusive, track key health metrics as good as a smartwatch, and most of all, doesn’t distract you with notifications.

Black Shark wants a piece of this market, and they teased their upcoming smart ring over the weekend. Its smart ring can track heart rate, blood oxygen, HRV (heart rate variability), and body temperature, among other health metrics.

We also have a dedicated story explaining smart rings and their utility, you can check it out here.

DEAL ALERT: Apple MacBook Air M2 at its Lowest Price This Weekend in the US!

Xiaomi has launched two new outdoor speakers for global markets. The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor and the Sound Pocket come with rugged features like IP67-rated waterproofing and dustproof body. One is a 5W speaker that is small enough to carry in your pocket, while the larger one features a much louder 30W output. More details are here.

More headlines from the Weekend!

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra Peach Fuzz color variant seemingly teased before launch

Motorola may likely launch the Edge 50 Ultra at their global launch event on April 16. A teaser released by the brand gives a first look at the design of the alleged phone, including the new color option.

Redmi K70 Ultra vs Realme GT 6 to happen soon, battery size, charging details emerge

Redmi and Realme have just launched two new performance-focused phones in the Chinese market. Redmi unveiled the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered Redmi Turbo 3 in China, whereas the Realme GT Neo 6 features the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 onboard. A new leak suggests that the two brands will compete again in the sub-flagship category in the coming days in China.

Pixel 8a leaks again, this time in an official carrier listing

The Pixel 8a has been the subject of rumors for a while now, with leaks popping up left and right. Even Google Fi itself accidentally spilled some beans on what we can expect from the upcoming device. Most recently, a tipster caught a glimpse of the phone on a US carrier’s website.

Leaker Evan Blass was quick to spot the Pixel 8a on US Cellular’s website. Apparently, the carrier had uploaded a tutorial for the device before swiftly taking it down.

Gamesir launches X4 mobile game controller with detachable design & customizable layouts

Gamesir has unveiled the X4, a Microsoft-authorized mobile game controller that boasts a detachable design and customizable button layouts in the Chinese market. This controller caters to gamers seeking a versatile and adaptable mobile gaming experience.

Upcoming Motorola Razr foldable makes its first appearance, launch could be imminent

Motorola recently introduced the Edge 50 Pro smartphone, set to be followed by its pricier counterpart, the Edge 50 Ultra, on April 16th. Looking ahead, Motorola’s next smartphone launches might include the Razr series foldable, allegedly called the Razr Plus 2024.

Details about the upcoming Razr smartphone have been scarce, but some information may have now started to trickle in. A new Motorola smartphone with the model number XT2453-2 has received Radio Certification in China.

Your Thoughts Matter

We love hearing from you! Reply to this email or drop us a message on our social channels with topics you’d like us to cover or any feedback you have.

Thanks for reading this newsletter, see you in the next edition!

Stay Connected

Don’t miss out on daily updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for real-time news and more!

Regards,

Joel Joseph

Editor-in-Chief @ Gizmochina.com

The post GC Daily: Huawei is building a massive $1.6 billion Chip plant appeared first on Gizmochina.

Huawei unit invests in key chip production tech to ‘offset’ impacts of US Sanctions

Sean — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:50:00 +0000

A Huawei subsidiary has just invested in the field of lithography, which marks the company’s entry into tech related to chip production. The move from the company likely arrives to deal with the US sanctions and ‘forge a complete chip industry chain’.

The Hubble Technology Investment, a unit of the Chinese tech giant, recently invested 82 million Yuan (12.8 million US Dollars) in Beijing RSLaser Opto-Electronics Technology Co. This makes the investment unit the seventh largest stakeholder of the company that focuses on light source systems, which is one of the three core technologies of lithograph based machines. The investment unit from the Chinese brand was established back in 2019 and has investments in about 28 semiconductor based firms.

Fu Liang, a veteran telecom industry analyst told GlobalTimes that “Huawei’s move is mainly intended to offset loopholes and shortcomings caused by US restrictions while supporting enterprises with high recognition to produce a higher level of products through investments. This is crucial for reducing China’s reliance on certain countries and enterprises in the global semiconductor industry.” For those unaware, Huawei has been forced to rely on domestic foundries that fabricate 14 to 28nm chips since it had its chip supply for the advanced TSMC 7nm chips cut off by US sanctions.

Furthermore, analysts added that lithography machines are key to building an ecosystem of the chip industry. This paired with the fact that RSLaser Opto-Electronics was the first to independently design and develop the first domestic high energy excimer laser, which broke the long term monopoly that was held by overseas manufacturers. Fu further added that “Lithography machines and light sources determine the degree of precision of chips, but the global supply is still dominated by certain enterprises, so Huawei’s investment in the lithography field aims to reduce its reliance on foreign companies.”

China discovers new laser lithography technology that could help become the leading 5G chipmaker

Jeet — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 06:13:23 +0000

Ever since the US-China trade war began, there have been several major developments in technology, especially those related to smartphones. The ban on Huawei by the United States and the constant lobbying with other countries to do the same, led to several Chinese companies, including Huawei, to become self-reliant.

Now, it seems that China has started a process using which it could become the leader in 5G chipmaking. The Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-Bionics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Sinano), and the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, have made important discoveries related to ultra-high precision laser lithography.

For those who are unaware, lithography machines play quite a crucial role in the production of chips as they etch patterns on wafers for placing transistors. One of the biggest breakthroughs has been EUV that creates extremely thin markings.

However, the discovery is still at the theoretical state and it could take years as well as plenty of money to make this a reality. Compared to others, China is still behind when it comes to manufacturing chipsets, which is often outsourced to the likes of TSMC.

Nonetheless, the discovery of a new process laser lithography by China is a major step forward for the country. ASML, which is the global leader in lithography and holds a monopoly in the market, was recently blocked by the Dutch government from selling its machines to the Chinese customers, after pressure from the United States.

China’s largest foundry — SMIC — still produces chipsets on a 14nm node process while most of the latest chipsets are being manufactured on 5nm node, including the upcoming Apple A14 and Huawei’s next-gen Kirin SoC.

But if the development regarding chip manufacturing in China keeps going at a rapid pace, combined with proper investments, SMIC and similar companies in China could soon start using the latest technology for making chips. This will present an advantage to China and the smartphone makers in the country such as Huawei. In fact, SMIC is reportedly planning to raise $2.8 billion in Shanghai’s Star Market for its growth.

(Source)

The post China discovers new laser lithography technology that could help become the leading 5G chipmaker appeared first on Gizmochina.