TSMC Pushes Smartphone Chips Towards 5 GHz While Huawei Falls Behind Due to Technological Limits and Sanctions

The evolution of smartphone chipsets is reaching unprecedented levels thanks to advances in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. In particular, TSMC has enabled leading SoC producers to approach the 5 GHz threshold, a historic milestone for the mobile sector that just a few years ago seemed unattainable.

The major beneficiaries of these developments are companies like Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, which, thanks to their collaboration with TSMC, have been able to develop increasingly powerful and efficient chips. The upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is expected to reach the 5 GHz threshold, while its predecessor already operates at around 4.61 GHz. Both the Dimensity 9600 Pro and the Apple A19 Pro show increasingly higher frequencies, significantly improving performance in both single-core and multi-core tasks.

These results are made possible by the use of advanced lithographic technologies, particularly EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography), which allows for the creation of smaller, faster, and more efficient transistors. However, not all companies can access these innovations. Huawei, for example, finds itself in a position of significant disadvantage.

The Difficulties in Collaboration Between Huawei and TSMC

Due to U.S. trade sanctions, Huawei cannot collaborate with TSMC and must rely on SMIC, which still uses 7 nm manufacturing processes based on DUV technology. This limitation prevents the Kirin chips from competing with more advanced rivals: the recent Kirin 9030, in fact, does not exceed 3 GHz in frequency, highlighting an ever-widening technological gap.

Despite this, Huawei is not the only one responsible for the situation: restrictions imposed since 2019 have severely slowed the development of the sector in China. Some progress has been made, such as the development of prototypes for local EUV machinery, but it is still unclear when they will be available for large-scale use.

It should also be noted that increasing frequencies presents significant challenges related to heat. Faster chips generate higher temperatures, risking thermal throttling. For this reason, manufacturers are investing in advanced cooling solutions, such as larger vapor chambers, integrated fans, and new dissipation technologies.