Huawei has officially revealed its new Kirin 9020 chip, marking its first sanctioned disclosure of a high-end handset processor in five years. The Kirin 9020 is now confirmed to power the flagship Mate 70 and Pura 80 series of 5G smartphones.
Fabrication and Design
Manufactured by SMIC using a 7 nm process, the Kirin 9020 reflects Huawei’s reliance on domestic semiconductor capabilities due to ongoing U.S. export restrictions.
A teardown by TechInsights revealed that the chip features a die area 15 percent larger than its predecessor (Kirin 9010), allowing for additional cache and slight enhancements in performance.Reuters
Architecture & Performance
The Kirin 9020 utilizes a 12-core CPU (via hyperthreading) with the following configuration:
- 2 high-performance cores at up to 2.5 GHz
- 6 mid cores up to 2.1 GHz
- 4 efficiency cores at 1.6 GHz
Much of the performance boost comes from Huawei’s in-house Taishan CPU cores and the new Maleoon 920 GPU, clocked up to 840 MHz—a clear upgrade over the previous generation.
Benchmark data suggests the Kirin 9020 delivers around 30–40 percent overall performance improvement compared to the older Kirin 9010.
Tests of mobile gaming performance revealed the chipset sustains high frame rates with moderate power draw and thermal regulation—for example:
- Honor of Kings: ~119 FPS, ~3.9 W power, 41.7°C temperature
Strategic Significance
Revealing the Kirin 9020 marks a notable shift for Huawei in reclaiming its silicon identity within the global 5G smartphone market—overcoming years of regulatory secrecy.
Despite the limitations of SMIC’s 7 nm process, Huawei has refined its chip design effectively, navigating around international restrictions and maintaining competitive performance.Reuters
Key Highlights at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Chip Name | Kirin 9020 |
| Fabrication Process | SMIC 7 nm (N+2) |
| Die Size | ~15% larger than Kirin 9010 |
| CPU Configuration | 12-thread (2×2.5 GHz + 6×2.1 GHz + 4×1.6 GHz) |
| GPU | Maleoon 920 @ 840 MHz |
| Performance Gain | ~30–40% faster than predecessor |
| Gaming Test Example | 119 FPS in Honor of Kings at 3.9 W |
| Strategic Importance | First chip reveal post sanctions era |
Final Thoughts
Huawei’s open disclosure of the Kirin 9020 chip is a major milestone—highlighting its regained confidence in silicon design amid geopolitical constraints. Though still leveraging a 7 nm node, the company has smartly enhanced architecture and performance, proving resilience and innovation in closed markets.
