Huawei Plans 1.4-Nanometer Chips by 2031

Huawei said Monday that its high-end chips will reach transistor density equivalent to 1.4-nanometer processes by 2031. The announcement came at a semiconductor symposium in Shanghai. The company presented a design called LogicFolding that stacks circuits vertically instead of shrinking transistors on a flat surface.

Huawei also introduced the Tau Scaling Law, which focuses on reducing the time data moves inside chips.

Chinese chip production is estimated at the 7-nanometer level. Taiwan-based TSMC plans to begin mass production at 1.4 nanometers in 2028. Huawei said the new stacking method would reduce reliance on extreme ultraviolet lithography machines that remain restricted under U.S. sanctions.

He Tingbo, president of Huawei’s semiconductor business, told reporters that thermal management and system integration are still major issues. The company did not release independent performance data to support its claims. Analyst Brady Wang of Counterpoint Research told Reuters that China may narrow the gap with global leaders but a technology gap with the most advanced nodes will still remain.

The hashtag #HuaweiSemiconductorFieldNewBreakthrough generated 40 million views on Weibo. Some users compared the announcement to last year’s DeepSeek AI model release. Chinese state media said competition between the U.S. and China should remain moderate and aimed at mutual advancement.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said last week that the two countries had agreed to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on AI.