Huawei proudly shows off an entirely un-American chip

Huawei has unveiled a new processor, Kirin 950 Pro, which it claims is technology-free and used in a new three-screen folding phone. The Kirin 950 Pro features LinxiCore processor cores, a GPU, and a neural processing unit, all designed by Huawei. The phone uses Huawei's "Tau Scaling” architecture, which arranges components closer together to reduce die size and boost performance without advanced chipmaking processes.

Huawei claims the new chip offers 42% higher performance than the one in its previous three-screen phone. The Kirin 950 Pro will be used in Huawei's new $2,979 Mate XT2 phone. Analysts predict Huawei will hold 24% of the folding phone market by 2026, which accounted for 1.6% of smartphone sales last year. Although Huawei's new chip targets a niche high-end market, it's unlikely to significantly impact the smartphone market.

Huawei's new chip may help Chinese companies reduce dependence on imports from AMD, Intel, or Nvidia. However, Huawei hasn't announced plans to adapt the chip for other uses. The Tau Scaling architecture is not expected to challenge Huawei's rivals for now, though western chipmakers are aware of Beijing's efforts to steer Chinese buyers towards local alternatives. Whether these Chinese chipmakers will succeed beyond China remains to be seen.