Recently, Honor CEO Zhao Ming said in a live broadcast that Honor is unlikely to use Huawei's Kirin chip in the short term. This statement has sparked widespread discussion in the industry, especially in the context of tight global semiconductor supply and geopolitical uncertainty. Does this decision mean that Honor intends to get rid of the image of the Huawei sub-brand of Volkswagen, or is it because of the insufficient supply of Kirin chips? China's overseas semiconductor network has analyzed this issue from many aspects.
The helplessness of Huawei's Kirin chip?
Kirin chips used to be the core advantage of Huawei's smartphones, but since being restricted by the United States ban, the production of Kirin chips has been greatly affected. As TSMC was unable to produce high-end chips for Huawei, Kirin chip production fell sharply. Even if Huawei continues to use Kirin chips in some of its devices, the supply is far from enough to meet the large-scale market demand.
Since its independence in 2020, Honor has faced the same supply challenges as other manufacturers when it comes to Kirin chips, although it has maintained a technical connection with Huawei. The scarcity of Kirin chips apparently forced Honor to look for alternatives. Zhao Ming said that Kirin chips will no longer be used in the short term, and there may be more comprehensive considerations behind many aspects.
Honor may still be willing to use Kirin chips, but the status quo leaves them with no choice but to rely on other vendors' technology to maintain their competitiveness. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Honor has greater autonomy and flexibility in the selection of main control chips.
Picture: Honor CEO Zhao Ming said that Huawei Kirin chips will not be used in the short term
Supply Chain Diversification: Honor's Pragmatic Move
In recent years, HONOR has vigorously promoted the diversification of its supply chain. After independence, Honor must prove that it will not only be able to survive in the market, but also be competitive in the long term. Therefore, the cooperation with Qualcomm has become an important step for Honor to maintain the competitiveness of its products. Honor chose Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, not only to ensure supply chain stability, but also to leverage its mature technology and market recognition.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen4 chip has become the core component of Honor phones with excellent performance, especially in the fields of AI and image processing. The choice of Qualcomm not only helps Honor gain an advantage in performance, but also shows that Honor maintains flexibility in chip selection and avoids over-reliance on any single supply chain.
But we can't ignore that if the supply of Kirin chips is sufficient, Honor may still continue to use this chip. Kirin used to be one of the strengths of Honor products.
Future possibilities for Kirin chips
Zhao Ming made it clear that Kirin chips will no longer be used in the short term, but in the long run, Kirin chips still have a chance to return to the Honor product line. Huawei has been grappling with chip supply chain challenges and trying to resume production through in-house research and technological innovation. If the situation eases in the future and the supply of Kirin chips improves, the cooperation between Honor and Kirin chips may be relaunched.
Honor did not explicitly abandon the Kirin chip completely, which leaves the possibility for future cooperation. The current situation is more of a short-term supply issue than an exclusion of Kirin technology. The performance of the Kirin chip has a high degree of recognition in the market, and Honor may reconsider this option in the future if the supply conditions improve.
Honor's independent R&D and global cooperation
In terms of independent research and development, Honor's investment is obvious. Zhao Ming has repeatedly emphasized that Honor's core competitiveness lies in its ability to innovate independently. At present, Honor's R&D team accounts for more than 60% of the total number of employees, and has set up multiple R&D centers around the world, demonstrating its long-term commitment to technological innovation.
This independent R&D capability provides a solid technical foundation for Honor to compete with other smartphone manufacturers in the global market. Through cooperation with global chip suppliers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek, Honor has ensured the continuity of its technological innovation. At the same time, HONOR has also continuously strengthened its ties with the international market and enhanced the brand's influence on a global scale.
This strategy not only demonstrates Honor's technological flexibility, but also reflects its emphasis on global development. Through independent R&D and global cooperation, Honor has won more market space and technical advantages for itself.
Editor's view: Honor's decision-making is subject to the current state of supply
The editor of China Exportsemi believes that Honor's refusal to use Kirin chips in the short term is not entirely due to strategic considerations, but more based on realistic supply chain constraints. The tight supply of global semiconductors, coupled with the chip production constraints faced by Huawei, and the insufficient supply of Kirin chips are obviously the key reasons why Honor has to give up using them.
Honor's choice is not only to ensure the market competitiveness of its products, but also reflects its pragmatic attitude in the global market. By choosing suppliers such as Qualcomm, Honor ensures technological leadership while also avoiding a single dependency on the supply chain. In the future, if the supply of Kirin chips can be restored, Honor does not rule out the possibility of reusing this chip.
Conclusion: The future outlook of Honor and Kirin chips
Honor will no longer use Kirin chips in the short term, which is more limited by supply problems than a denial of Kirin chip technology. Zhao Ming's statement reflects the current situation of the global semiconductor industry and Honor's flexible response in a complex environment. If the supply of Kirin chips recovers in the future, Honor may reconsider this cooperation.
In the long run, Honor's strategy shows that it continues to make efforts in technological innovation and global cooperation, ensuring the competitiveness and market position of its products. In the future global market competition, Honor will continue to promote its leading position in the smartphone industry through independent R&D and global cooperation.
