SMIC 7nm metal pitch beats Intel 18A but density lags 38%

SemiAnalysis teardown of Huawei's HiSilicon Kirin 9030 finds SMIC's third-gen 7nm (N+3) has a 32.5nm minimum metal pitch, tighter than Intel 18A's 36nm on Panther Lake. However, N+3 transistor density of 113.4M/mm² trails 18A by 38%. SMIC achieved this without EUV using DUV quadruple-patterning.