Huawei was stunned by Qualcomm's 3nm test chip

In 2018, the global telecommunications industry was buzzing with excitement over 5G technology. At MWC2018, Qualcomm made a comment that Huawei's 5G chip wasn't the first in the industry and was too large for mobile devices. Meanwhile, Intel announced plans to deploy 5G technology for the Tokyo Olympics two years later, while Huawei launched the world’s first 3GPP-compliant 5G commercial chip. Qualcomm also showcased 5G simulation test results in San Francisco and Frankfurt, highlighting the growing interest in this next-generation network. MWC2018 became a major stage for 5G discussions, with companies like Huawei and ZTE showcasing their latest advancements. In 2018, it was considered the "year of 5G." Unlike previous years where new smartphones dominated the event, this year saw less focus on consumer devices. Samsung's S9 series remained the highlight, while OPPO and vivo were notably absent. Xiaomi made its debut at the show, opening its first store in Barcelona but not releasing any new products. The absence of groundbreaking terminal innovations at MWC2018 signaled that 5G was gaining momentum, overshadowing other technologies. Industry stakeholders—standard organizations, governments, operators, and equipment manufacturers—were eager to get ahead of the 5G commercialization timeline in 2019. Huawei, as a leading ICT provider, unveiled the MateBook X Pro and M5 tablet series, along with plans to launch end-to-end 5G commercial products in 2018 and Kirin chips in 2019. ZTE demonstrated its leadership in 5G with themes like “5G Commercial,” “5G Connection,” and “Cloud-Enabled 5G.” The company invested 3 billion yuan annually in 5G research and collaborated with Qualcomm and China Mobile to complete the world’s first end-to-end system test based on the 3GPP R15 standard. Intel also showcased early 5G applications, including a successful demonstration at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018. It announced plans to support the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with NTT DOCOMO, focusing on network infrastructure and enhanced user experiences. Qualcomm was not to be outdone. Peter Carson, a senior director at Qualcomm, addressed what he called “friends” trying to rewrite history. He emphasized Qualcomm’s progress in 5G, citing the Snapdragon X50 modem, which enabled the first 5G data call in Hong Kong and interoperability tests with ZTE. However, he also criticized some competitors’ chips for being too large for mobile use, noting that the X50 was about the size of a 50-euro coin. Huawei responded by launching the Balong 5G01 chip, claiming it was the first commercial 5G chip based on 3GPP standards. This sparked a competitive exchange between the two tech giants. As 5G moved from lab testing to real-world scenarios, Qualcomm demonstrated large-scale network simulations in Frankfurt and San Francisco. The results showed significant improvements in capacity, speed, and user experience. In San Francisco, 5G download speeds reached 1.4 Gbps, 20 times faster than 4G. With the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology planning to complete 5G phase 5 testing by June 2018, the industry was entering a critical phase. Operators and manufacturers were racing to secure their positions in the 5G era, seeing it as a key opportunity for growth. Meanwhile, IMEC and Cadence announced the successful development of the industry’s first 3nm test chip using EUV and 193i lithography. This milestone marked a step forward in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Looking ahead, Apple faced a crucial decision: which 5G baseband chip would power its future iPhones? Potential options included Qualcomm, Samsung, or Intel. While Apple had previously used Intel’s chips, ongoing legal battles with Qualcomm could change things. Some speculated that Apple might eventually develop its own 5G modem, leveraging its experience with W-series wireless chips in other products. For now, the iPhone’s 5G future remains uncertain, but one thing is clear—5G is here to stay.

Consumer Electronics

Consumer Electronics

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