2023, the year China hit back

Notwithstanding a low-key launch, the Huawei Mate 60 Pro caused quite a stir: despite years of crippling sanctions, China’s national champion built a 5G smartphone. Even if it didn’t challenge the latest iPhone or flagship Samsung model, it sure was a lot better than what many expected from a company in such circumstances.

Partly, that was the result of misplaced expectations. Even if the US started to restrict the export of sub-14nm manufacturing equipment, Chinese companies have had several years of access to those tools – with the exception of EUV scanners. In other words, the ability to manufacture a type of chip that debuted in 2018 shouldn’t have come as a surprise. In fact, there’s probably more to come: former TSMC top lithographer Burn Lin has said to expect a 5nm successor to the 7nm Kirin 9000S powering the Mate 60 Pro.