Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said he was “shocked” to learn that Huawei has assembled more than 100 top-tier CPU architects, despite being cut off from advanced US chipmaking tools.
Speaking at Intel’s Second Annual AI Summit on February 3, Lip-Bu Tan said he discovered Huawei’s growing talent pool while trying to recruit senior chip designers.
Some engineers told him that although they lack access to leading electronic design automation tools from Cadence and Synopsys, they are building their own alternatives.
When he mentioned advanced lithography systems from ASML that China cannot access, they said Huawei was quietly developing substitutes.
Tan warned that Chinese firms are narrowing the semiconductor gap through engineering intensity and infrastructure optimisation.
While the US leads at cutting-edge nodes such as 2-nanometer, Chinese companies are extracting more performance from mature 7-nanometer technology by focusing on software and system-level gains.
He also cited China’s faster regulatory approvals and flagged AI firm DeepSeek as a wake-up call.
Lip-Bu Tan cautioned that without sustained investment and urgency, the US chip advantage may not last.
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