US can’t halt SMIC, Huawei’s tech advances

Hurdle crossed: A technician removing a chip made in China by SMIC from a Huawei phone. The advanced 7nm processor shows Beijing is making progress in a nationwide push to circumvent US efforts to contain its ascent. — Bloomberg

The United States won’t be able to stop Chinese firms, from Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to Huawei Technologies Co, from making progress in chip technology, according to one of the semiconductor industry’s leading figures.

SMIC and Huawei, which stunned Washington by unveiling a made-in-China phone processor, can use existing older machines to make even more sophisticated silicon, said Burn J. Lin, a former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co vice- president.