Mobile phone manufacturers: 5nm will be adopted this year

　　For chip design giants, every process improvement brings new challenges.

　　"The smaller the process, the more difficult it is to design. Because the back-end process technology has been upgraded, the front-end design methods and design tools need to be upgraded, and the module library and back-end library are not enriched. In the design stage, it is not only about designing a main processor, but also requires the support of surrounding IPs such as AD (analog-to-digital signal conversion)/DA (digital-to-analog signal conversion). After the design is completed, there is still a verification stage. Whether the designed chip can effectively control power consumption, whether it can operate normally, and whether it can be successfully taped out, all these require a long time to verify. This cycle is long and complicated. Top chip design companies have the technology and financial resources to take the lead in this process, so it is easier for them to seize market opportunities." Li Yang, senior analyst at CCID Consulting, told China Electronics News.

　　The threshold for R&D is extremely high, and it is a big challenge for mobile phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and OPPO who are interested in developing their own processors. However, the response strategies of mobile phone manufacturers are also relatively diverse. Xiaomi has built a semiconductor ecosystem through "investment + self-research"; OPPO has continuously improved its R&D strength by establishing a chip R&D center and a semiconductor design subsidiary, as well as self-research and acquisition of related patents. It currently has the ability to design coprocessors. Vivo cooperates with Samsung to develop processors, and Exynos1080 and Exynos 980 are the results of the cooperation between the two parties. Vivo said that in the process of jointly developing Exynos 980, vivo invested more than 500 professional R&D engineers to participate in customized R&D and jointly solved more than 100 hardware problems. It can be said that this method of helping chip manufacturers optimize designs based on end-user data and obtain relatively customized processors that can be equipped with the first launch first is also a way to improve quality control capabilities, which helps mobile phone companies strengthen their brand voice and continue to accumulate R&D experience.