Huawei developed 3nm processor despite US sanctions

Meanwhile, Huawei and China Unicom launch the world's first 10-gigabit home Internet: an 8K movie downloaded in one minute

Huawei is preparing to introduce its own 3nm microchip technology. This is according to documents TAdviser learned about in late April 2025.

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The production method is described in the patent documentation dated April 2024. We are talking about SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Pattern) technology - lithography with a self-leveling quadruple pattern. The method consists in the use of a quadruple pattern, which increases the density of the transistors. The SAQP approach described in Huawei's patent filing involves repeatedly etching lines on silicon wafers to reduce power consumption and potentially improve performance. At the same time, existing equipment can be used - without the need to purchase advanced ASML machines, access to which Huawei is limited due to US sanctions.

Thus, Huawei gets the opportunity to manufacture 5nm and 3nm chips without resorting to the help of the Taiwanese TSMC. Sanctions against Huawei were imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump in May 2020. At the time, TSMC's advanced manufacturing technologies were the 7nm nodes that Huawei primarily used for its smartphone processors.

Later it was reported that Huawei gained access to chips made by TSMC, despite the current US ban. However, TSMC itself denies this information: the company claims that it has not supplied any Huawei products since September 2020. TSMC adds that if any suspicious orders are found, it "takes prompt action to ensure compliance," which includes conducting due diligence and informing the relevant authorities.

The technology sector is a focal point of the U.S.-China rivalry. China's telecommunications leader, Huawei, has faced significant obstacles in the U.S. market and those of its allies, such as Australia, with attempts to dismantle Huawei equipment from their networks.

China launches world's first 10 gigabit home Internet - 8K movie downloaded in a minute

Huawei and China Unicom announced the launch of the world's first commercial broadband network at 10 gigabits per second for home users. The new technology, deployed in Xun'an District of Hebei Province, allows you to download a two-hour 8K movie in about 90 gigabytes in just over a minute.

According to TimesNowNews, tests of the new network showed impressive results: the speed of incoming traffic reaches 9834 Mbps, and outgoing traffic reaches 1008 Mbps with a stable delay of only 3 milliseconds. The technology is based on the 50G PON (passive optical network) solution, which represents a significant step forward in the development of modern telecommunications.

For comparison, if downloading a two-hour 8K movie on a standard gigabit channel takes about 12 minutes, then using the new broadband access 10G this process is reduced to just over one minute.

One of the first users of the new network shared his impressions, noting that if earlier downloading a film in 4K resolution took several minutes, now this process takes a matter of seconds. It is especially impressive that even with the simultaneous operation of many smart devices in the home, the network functions without any problems, ensuring stable operation of 8K video on demand, 4K video surveillance systems and ultra-fast cloud esports games.

50G PON technology creates significant opportunities for the development of resource-intensive digital services. These include 8K video streaming, high-bandwidth NAS cloud storage up to 10 Gbps, virtual and augmented reality solutions, and cloud gaming platforms with minimal latency.

Xong'an District, where the new network was launched, is a special economic zone located about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing. This area is actively developing as an innovation center and testing ground for advanced technologies.[