Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC)

China's largest chip foundry, fabricating the Kirin 9030 using deep ultraviolet multi-patterning after being cut off from extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment. - Manufacturing Huawei's most advanced chips using workaround lithography techniques

In May 2019, the United States placed Huawei on an export blacklist, cutting the world's largest telecom equipment maker off from American chips, software, and chipmaking tools. Seven years later, Huawei launched its Mate 80 Pro smartphone globally from a stage in Madrid, powered entirely by a processor designed in-house and manufactured by China's largest chipmaker using equipment the US tried to deny it. The phone runs on HarmonyOS, an operating system Huawei built from scratch after losing access to Google's Android services.

Updated 2 days ago

The foundry that shocked Washington by manufacturing 7nm chips without access to ASML's most advanced machines. - China's largest chipmaker achieving 5nm mass production in January 2026, though yields remain 30-40% versus TSMC's 80%+

Biren Technology's shares exploded 76% in their Hong Kong debut on January 2, 2026, raising $717 million—the first GPU chipmaker to list anywhere in the world this year. The company loses $1.6 billion annually and faces US export bans that forced its manufacturer to stop production. Investors piled in anyway, oversubscribing the retail offering 2,348 times. Within weeks, rival GPU makers Moore Threads and MetaX followed with Shanghai IPOs that surged 400% and 700% respectively, demonstrating that Chinese investors will fund chip independence regardless of profitability or US sanctions.

Updated Jan 31