Report Reveals Huawei’s New Datacenter Chip Relies on 5-Year-Old Technology

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Recent analysis suggests that the memory modules in Huawei’s newest data center chip, the Kunpeng 930, are produced using TSMC’s N5 manufacturing node. TSMC commenced mass production of its 5nm technology in 2020, while the latest memory chips are already utilizing their N3 node, with N2 anticipated to emerge shortly. However, the similarities in bitcell sizes between N5 and N3 leave some uncertainty regarding the Kunpeng’s competitive edge against the newest chips.

Huawei’s Kunpeng 930: Competitive Edge Against Western Technologies?

An intriguing revelation surfaced on the social media platform X. A user shared that the Kunpeng 930 was available for purchase online. After buying the chip, they disassembled it to analyze its structure. This new model follows the Kunpeng 920, which is detailed on Huawei’s website and is notable for leveraging British design house Arm’s architecture alongside its 7nm manufacturing technology.

Although Huawei has yet to officially list the Kunpeng 930, it has emerged in various leaked benchmark tests. Initially revealed in 2019, the Kunpeng 920 was expected to have its successor, the 930, launched in 2021. However, US sanctions hindered Huawei’s ability to integrate TSMC’s advanced 7nm production capabilities. The Kunpeng 930 reportedly surfaced last year in a Geekbench 6 benchmark, showcasing its performance potential.

Analyzing Huawei's chip advancements using EDA tools

A user known as Jukan on X claimed to have spotted a video showcasing the Kunpeng 930 being dissected using an electron microscope. Following its purchase through a Chinese trading platform, closer inspection indicated that the chip was packaged towards the end of 2024 and contained SRAM memory modules akin to TSMC’s N5 technology.

Jukan’s findings led to speculation that Huawei may still be tapping into TSMC’s technology. However, he failed to note the close resemblance between the N5 and N3 technologies regarding bitcell dimensions. In SRAM terminology, a bitcell is a crucial metric for determining the density of memory modules, and according to data, an N5 bitcell measures approximately 0.021µm, aligning closely with the N3’s dimensions.

This raises the possibility that, while the Kunpeng 930’s SRAM could be manufactured with N5 technology, its density performance may not be significantly inferior to those using N3 processes. However, the ambiguity surrounding the manufacturing technology of the Kunpeng 930 means that definitive comparisons to Western counterparts remain uncertain. A benchmark from the previous year suggested the chip performed comparably to AMD’s processors from 2020. Notably, TSMC unveiled their N5 process in the same year, suggesting that current sanctions continue to hinder Huawei’s innovations.

On the Chinese second-hand trading site 闲鱼, Huawei’s latest server processor, the Kunpeng 930, was listed, and someone bought it, cut it open with an electron microscope, and uploaded a video showing where the chip was made.(I won’t show you the video link haha) This Kunpeng… pic.twitter.com/xCCmGJ0gOT

— Jukan (@Jukanlosreve) August 18, 2025