A state-backed semiconductor tool maker based in Shenzhen, which has connections with Huawei Technologies and has raised hopes of China reducing its reliance on US chipmaking technologies, will make its debut at a trade event in Shanghai next week.
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SiCarrier, a chip tool maker backed by the Shenzhen government, will launch new products during the three-day Semicon China exhibition, an annual industry event hosted by US-based industry association SEMI.
SiCarrier came under the spotlight in 2023 after it was granted a patent for a process that produced 5-nanometre node chips using existing deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) tools. The breakthrough was seen as the underlying technology used by Huawei to produce a 7-nm chip for its Mate 60 Pro smartphone in 2024, although neither company has ever publicly commented on the matter.
Established in 2021, SiCarrier came into being around the time that Huawei Technologies became subject to tighter US tech sanctions by Washington.
The start-up has maintained a low profile. Its website lists just four low-tech chip tools under the title of “semiconductor manufacturing” products, while the page for “news information” is blank. The company website offers no information about the company’s ownership or senior executives, although it has a “compliance statement” that pledges to respect third-party intellectual property rights.
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SiCarrier’s official social media account on WeChat this week published a brief agenda for its participation at Semicon China, which runs from March 26 to 28. It was the only post on the account. According to the brief statement, SiCarrier, as “a core semiconductor equipment supplier”, has always committed to development and manufacturing of “advanced semiconductor equipment” to help enable China’s chip industry.