Yesterday, Huawei announced its semiconductor development roadmap using the Tau Scaling Law Ï„, which is seen as capable of producing chips with 1.4nm-equivalent capabilities by 2031. At the same time, Huawei also revealed the specifications for Kirin chips to be launched this year as well as the frequency targets for chips to be introduced until 2031.
As stated yesterday, the Kirin 2026 chip will use a LogicFolding design using the Tau Scaling Law as an alternative to Moore's Law to increase transistor density through time and signal compression. This technology allows for continuous increase in transistor density and reduced signal latency.
The Kirin 2026 achieves a density of 238 MTr/mm² (million transistors per square mm), which is 53.5% higher than traditional 2D designs. This is about 40 MTr/mm² lower than TSMC's 3nm transistor density. But the energy efficiency increased by 41%, while the maximum frequency increased by 12.7%.
The performance core (P-Core) frequency targets that will be implemented from this year to 2031 are as follows. The density of 400+ MTr/mm² in 2031 is equivalent to the performance of 1.4nm technology as announced by Huawei yesterday. TSMC is targeting production of its first 1.4nm chips in 2028, with Samsung and Intel starting in 2029.
Year Density (MTr/mm²) P-Core Frequency
2023 126 2.6 GHz
2024 126 2.65 GHz
2025 155 2.75 GHz
2026 238 3.1 GHz
2027 252 3.39 GHz
2028 266 3.71 GHz
2029 277 4.0 GHz
2030 292 4.3 GHz
2031 400+ 5.0 GHz
The first Kirin chip with LogicFolding will launch in the fall of 2026 in the Huawei Mate 90 series. The official name it will use has not yet been revealed. Huawei uses the Tau Scaling Law to increase the capabilities of its own chips because it is blocked from accessing ASML's latest EUV machines. The Kirin chips that have been re-released since 2023 use older DUV machines modified through reverse engineering techniques to bypass technological barriers imposed by the United States.
