Huawei’s first chip factory was officially inaugurated

Chinese companies are working to gain autonomy in the semiconductor manufacturing sector, reducing their dependence on other countries, especially the US. Huawei set an extremely important milestone in that effort today, completing the construction of its first chip factory.

According to Chinese media, Huawei’s first domestic processor chip factory, named Wuhan Huawei Optical Factory Project (Phase II), has officially completed construction. The factory is built on an area of ​​208,900 m2, located in the center of Wuhan Optical Valley.

It will also be Huawei’s largest R&D (research and development) facility in central China. This includes a manufacturing plant, a power plant, a software factory, and a support facility.

Once completed, the project will begin production as Huawei’s first independent chip factory. Thanks to that, the Chinese giant will have a complete semiconductor line, from design to production, inspection and packaging.

This will not be Huawei’s only chip factory. According to leaked information, Huawei is planning to build its second factory in Shanghai, and will be managed by a Shanghai-based company.

Although Huawei’s first chip factory is about to go into operation, it cannot compare with the production lines of TSMC or Samsung. Huawei will only start with the 45nm chip production line, and reach 28nm by 2022. This is not where the most advanced 5nm chips are made.

So Huawei still has a long way to go. And the current difficulties still cannot end. In order to have enough processor chips for upcoming flagship smartphones, Huawei will still have to find a way to partner with a third chip maker.

Reference: gizmochina