Due to the US ban, Huawei's chip-making arm HiSilicon could not use US devices to mass-produced chips. But Huawei had already had a backup plan with its smartphones beginning to adopt MediaTek mobile phone chips in large numbers.
Since 2020, seven Huawei smartphones have adopted MediaTek's Helio 4G chip or Dimensity 5G chip.
Taiwan's Business Times reported on July 7 that Huawei's new 5G phones, which are expected to be launched in the second half of the year, will also use the MediaTek solution.
Hisilicon's Kirin 1020 chip using TSMC's 5nm process is expected to grab the 120-day grace period to ship and is enough for 8.5 to 9 million 5G flagship Mate 40 series in late 2020. But after the grace period Hisilicon is no longer able to mass produce any chips of its own design.
According to the report, Huawei has shown little interest in Qualcomm's phone chips, and in 2021 it will accelerate the introduction of MediaTek 5G mobile phone chips and is expected to become MediaTek's largest customer.
Huawei originally commissioned TSMC 5nm foundry Kirin 1020 mobile phone chip, because the ban has been partially completed before the release of the photomask process, so can still rush to ship within the 120-day grace period.
Analysts said out that Hisilicon will be able to ship about 20,000 Kirin 1020 wafers in August and September and that can still support 8.5 million to 9 million Mate 40 phones shipping.
In fact, Huawei has had seven phones using MediaTek solutions since 2020, including Enjoy 10e, Honor Play 9A, Enjoy Z, Enjoy 20 Pro, Honor Play 4, Honor 30 Lite, Honor X10 Max.
Huawei will accelerate the adoption of MediaTek 5G mobile phone chips in the second half of the year, and in 2021 will launch a number of new handsets equipped with MediaTek 5G chips, the report said.
