Huawei has set an ambitious goal to develop lithography technology equivalent to TSMC's advanced 1.4nm process by 2031.
The announcement came at the IEEE ISCAS 2026 conference in Shanghai, where He Tingbo, President of Huawei's Semiconductor Business Unit, revealed the company's roadmap.
US sanctions have blocked Huawei from accessing the latest lithography equipment from ASML, forcing the company to seek domestic alternatives.
LogicFolding Technology
He Tingbo introduced a new "LogicFolding Design" technology aimed at boosting transistor density and energy efficiency.
Huawei confirmed that its next-generation Kirin mobile processors will be the first commercial chips to use this architecture.
The company did not disclose specific details on how it will achieve the 1.4nm equivalent process.
To bypass ASML restrictions, Huawei may rely on EUV equipment developed by China's SiCarrier, a firm working to become a direct alternative to ASML.
Reports suggest Huawei may have invested heavily in SiCarrier, which sought $2.8 billion in funding in early 2025.
While Huawei expresses confidence in reaching its 2031 target, execution remains a major challenge in the semiconductor industry.
