Huawei Wins Surprise Lifeline, But Is It A Game-Changer?

David PhelanSenior Contributor

I write about lifestyle tech

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Nov 16, 2020,06:00pm EST



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Huawei phones need processors - can Qualcomm help?

SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES

Huawei seems to have won something of a reprieve in its ongoing trade issues with the U.S. government, with the help of U.S. chip maker Qualcomm.

MORE FROM FORBESHuawei Mate 40 Pro: 1st Look At The Dazzling New SmartphoneBy David Phelan

According to a report in Reuters, Qualcomm has received a license to sell mobile phone chips to Huawei, which is an exemption from the current situation.

This is good news on one level: the continued issues between the U.S. and China have meant that companies like Taiwanese chip maker TSMC have been prevented from selling chips to Huawei. Since September, TSMC’s production of the lightning-fast Kirin 9000 chip has been suspended. Since that’s the processor in the latest flagship phone, the Mate 40 Pro and its siblings, this meant that a stockpile of Kirin 9000 chips is all Huawei has and when they’re gone, it won’t be able to get any more. It’s thought that early 2021 may be crunch time, when the Kirin chips have run out.