China's Huawei to Host Product Launch Event on Sept 25

FILE PHOTO: Pricing details of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphones are seen on smartphones displayed at a Huawei store in Shanghai, China September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Pricing details of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphones are seen on smartphones displayed at a Huawei store in Shanghai, China September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
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China's Huawei to Host Product Launch Event on Sept 25

FILE PHOTO: Pricing details of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphones are seen on smartphones displayed at a Huawei store in Shanghai, China September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Pricing details of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphones are seen on smartphones displayed at a Huawei store in Shanghai, China September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

China's Huawei Technologies said on Thursday it will hold a media event to discuss new products on Sept. 25, fanning expectations that details about recently released smartphones will be revealed.

Its Mate 60 series is in the spotlight - both for the use of a China-made advanced chip and because the series likely marks the first major attempt by Huawei's smartphone business to come back from crippling US sanctions.

Reuters said that Huawei did not elaborate on the new products that will be discussed but domestic business daily Yicai reported that information about its latest phones will be disclosed.

Huawei started selling its latest high-end smartphones Mate 60 and Mate 60 Pro at the end of last month and last week it started presales for its Mate 60 Pro+ smartphone alongside a new foldable phone Mate X5.

The series' launch was unusual in that Huawei did not carry out any pre-marketing or organize a glitzy event. Even so, the phones have caused a stir, with the first sales coinciding with a trip to China by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and because the Pro version was found to be using a 5G-capable chip made by a Chinese company.

How Huawei's phones will fare against Apple at a time of heightened US-Sino tensions will be of much interest to investors and China watchers.

The launch of Apple's iPhone 15 series this week has drawn mixed reactions in China - the company's third-largest market - with many online users liking its faster chip and improved gaming capabilities while others preferred Huawei's new smartphone.

Further denting Apple's sheen in China, the government has expanded curbs on the use of iPhones by state employees, with some told not to use them at work.

The state-backed Securities Times this week reported that Huawei had raised its Mate 60 series second-half shipment target by 20% due to better-than-expected sales.

Huawei, once the world's largest smartphone maker, saw that business decimated after the US started restricting tech exports to the company in 2019.
The US and other Western governments have labelled Huawei a security risk, a charge the company denies. Since then, Huawei has only sold limited batches of 5G models using stockpiled chips.



KACST Manufactures 25 Advanced Electronic Chips by Saudi Talents

The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)
The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)
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KACST Manufactures 25 Advanced Electronic Chips by Saudi Talents

The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)
The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced on Thursday its successful design and fabrication of 25 advanced electronic chips, developed by Saudi talents in its cleanroom laboratories for purposes of training, research, and development.

The achievement is part of KACST’s ongoing efforts to support and enable the semiconductor ecosystem in the Kingdom.

These chips are distinguished by their versatility and can be used in a range of applications, including electronics, wireless and high-frequency communications, integrated circuits, energy-efficient lighting, micro-sensor systems, as well as industrial and research applications in measurement and testing.

The chip design process involved researchers from the National Laboratory, alongside students from four Saudi universities. This effort was conducted under the initiatives of the Saudi Semiconductors Program (SSP), which aims to build national expertise in this critical field.

The chips can be used in a range of applications. (SPA)

This milestone is part of a series of strategic initiatives led by KACST to support the semiconductor sector in the Kingdom, including the Saudi Semiconductors Program to boost research and development and qualify human talent and the "Ignition" semiconductor incubator program to support startups and entrepreneurs.

Through these initiatives, KACST underscored its commitment to the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by localizing strategic technologies, empowering national talent, and achieving technological self-sufficiency in advanced domains.