Huawei Unveils LogicFolding for Kirin Chips, Targets 1.4-nm Equivalent by 2031
Updated
Updated · CNBC · May 25
Huawei Unveils LogicFolding for Kirin Chips, Targets 1.4-nm Equivalent by 2031
10 articles · Updated · CNBC · May 25
Huawei said its new LogicFolding architecture will be used to manufacture Kirin smartphone chips this fall, marking its latest push to advance semiconductors despite U.S. sanctions.
At an IEEE symposium in Shanghai, the company paired that design with a new “Law of Tau” framework, arguing two-layer layouts can raise transistor interaction and power efficiency without relying solely on traditional node shrinkage.
Huawei projects the approach could reach 1.4-nm-equivalent capability by 2031, though analysts said stacked designs do not solve core hurdles such as yield, heat, power and large-scale manufacturing.
The announcement lands as Nvidia remains blocked from selling top AI chips into China and its CEO recently said the company had effectively conceded that market to Huawei.
Huawei’s chip push also strengthens its broader comeback against Apple in China, where the 2023 Mate 60 and its advanced 5G chip helped the company regain smartphone market share.
Can Huawei's new 'time scaling' law for chips truly bypass the need for cutting-edge EUV manufacturing machines?
As AI scaling laws predict model performance, can Huawei's new law for hardware do the same for future computing power?
How might a new chip design paradigm, born from sanctions, fundamentally split the global technology ecosystem?
Huawei’s 1.4 nm Equivalent Ambition: The Tau Scaling Law and LogicFolding’s Challenge to Global Semiconductor Limits
Overview
Huawei has set an ambitious goal to achieve advanced transistor densities by 2031, unveiling its vision as it navigates ongoing US export controls that have aimed to limit China’s high-end semiconductor capabilities. In response, Huawei introduced the Tau (τ) Scaling Law, announced by He Tingbo at the 2026 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems. By leveraging this new scaling law, Huawei has already designed and mass-produced a significant number of chips, signaling a strategic pivot that challenges the assumption that export controls have capped China’s semiconductor ambitions and marking a new direction in global chip innovation.