Huawei’s new laptop uses older China-made chip, US curbs stall SMIC

Huawei Technologies‘ new MateBook Fold laptop is powered by an older-generation chip made by SMIC, highlighting how US export curbs are hindering China’s top foundry from advancing to next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, Canadian research firm TechInsights said on Monday.

There was widespread speculation in the industry that Huawei would use SMIC’s newer 5nm-equivalent N+3 process node chip in the MateBook Fold that, according to TechInsights, marks Huawei’s “most aggressive entrance into full-stack computing; chip design, OS development, and…