China’s Hua Hong Group has developed advanced chip manufacturing technologies that can be used to produce artificial intelligence chips, reports Reuters, citing four people familiar with the matter. Such a move would mark a major milestone in Beijing’s efforts to boost tech self-sufficiency.
The group’s contract chipmaking business, Huali Microelectronics, is readying a 7-nanometre (nm) chipmaking process at its plant in Shanghai, the people said, which would make it the second Chinese chipmaker with such advanced technologies. Hua Hong is China’s second-largest chipmaker.
Reuters said it could not determine how Hua Hong achieved the advanced manufacturing capability, its manufacturing efficiency and which major equipment suppliers were involved in the development. Hua Hong’s development of a 7 nm chipmaking process has not been previously reported.