According to what has been reflected in a new report, Huawei's subsidiary HiSilicon has placed an order for the new 14nm process from SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), in addition to having received orders from TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).
SMIC started research and development of 14nm processes in 2015 and began mass producing 14nm FinFET chipsets successfully since the third quarter of last year. This is the most advanced factory in mainland China. Meanwhile, TSMC is an established supplier to the industry, with a large part of its operations concentrated at the Nanjing plant that went online in late 2018.
Previously, HiSilicon's main orders for 16nm and 14nm chipsets were mainly taken over by TSMC. Now, Huawei's subsidiary brand is ordering from the newest SMIC for the same technology ... For those who don't know, HiSilicon develops the Chinese smartphone maker's Kirin smartphone chipsets.
A well-known project carried out by SMIC, dealing with smartphones, was for a SoC from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 series. Unfortunately, it is currently unclear which device the 14nm SMIC will be made for, but one or a few Huawei or Honor smartphones (or even tablets) could be the first to integrate it.
In particular, TSMC faces certain problems as the US government has plans to lower the "Derived from American Technology" standard from 25% to 10%. This move would create a barrier to supplying TSMC to companies outside the US, affecting market trends and 16nm process orders. However, there is no reason to worry ... at least not until the rule is enacted, if it does.