These are the most-read articles during the week of October 2-6, 2023:
How did Huawei design its Kirin 9000S chip without American EDA tools?
Since the world's dominant EDA players – Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens Mentor -- are all based in the United States and have been restricted from providing advanced EDA tools to companies that are on the US government's Entity List, how on earth did Huawei and its IC design arm HiSilicon get access to the EDA tool to design the 7nm chip and have it manufactured in such a short time?
Tesla's humanoid robot 'Optimus' debuts in Taiwan, showcasing AI advancements
Tesla Taiwan announced on October 3 that it will first exhibit the humanoid robot 'Optimus' at its service experience center in Neihu, Taipei, and then at experience centers in Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. The move aims to allow the public to catch a glimpse of Tesla's innovative strides not only in the automotive field but also in the realm of robotics.
Huawei's NearLink wireless technology signals a decoupled connected world
Amid popular interest in Huawei's Mate 60 Pro, featuring a mysterious SoC using SMIC's technology, the NearLink wireless technology manifests China's desire for self-reliance and may lead to a decoupled communication supply chain.
China urges semiconductor companies, carmakers to build automotive semiconductor supply chain
In a recent international conference in Shenzhen, the Chinese government said semiconductor companies and carmakers should strengthen collaboration on making automotive semiconductors domestically. Car companies also plan to invest jointly in the segment to raise self-sufficiency in semiconductors.
Is Huawei using enigmatic strategy to drive the US into a dilemma?
Semiconductor industry insiders believe that Huawei is aware of the impending US retaliation, and its strategy of intentionally touching on sensitive nerves associated with the US-China tech rivalry aims not only to galvanize China's semiconductor self-sufficiency efforts and nurture national unity, but more importantly to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of the "all or nothing" approach in dealing with the US.
China advances compound semiconductors more rapidly than Taiwan, says PIDA
Taiwan is lagging behind China in the development of compound semiconductors but may catch up fast with sufficient government support according to Taiwan's Photonic Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA). PIDA CEO Hwai-Jia Luo noted that China's compound semiconductor development has been faster than that of Taiwan mainly because of the Chinese government's eagerness to invest in it, allowing companies to gain a lot of experience. Luo pointed out that China is also rather strong in materials research, and it has a big domestic market for compound semiconductors as there are three main areas where there is strong demand for compound semiconductors: EV, new energy, and servers/data centers.
Dutch media: US export controls against China marred by compromises and falling short of goals
As Washington reportedly plans to update its export curbs against China in October, an analysis report by a Dutch media posits that the previous export curbs imposed a year ago exposed the Biden Administration seems to have no clear idea of their objectives. According to Bits&Chips, the semiconductor restrictions against China are likely a product of the US struggle between hawks and doves concerning the China issue, leading to loopholes and a lack of clear goals.
