US is unable to harm Huawei 5G power due to gallium nitride: Report

Despite several efforts, the US is unable to completely harm Huawei 5G power and a major reason is gallium nitride. This particular substance is the secret ingredient of the Huawei network that keeps it ahead of foreign rivals like Ericsson and Nokia.

A leading analyst recently said that Huawei 5G power amplifiers are edging out Ericsson and Nokia regardless of US sanctions. This is due to the long use of gallium nitride in Huawei’s 5G solutions. To understand this report, let’s explore some basics.

Gallium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element. It is mixed with nitrogen to form a compound called “gallium nitride”. It is better than silicon as a raw material for tech products and bears significant properties that boost the 5G amplifiers’ performance.

It’s used in radiofrequency power amplifiers for 5G products. Without gallium nitride, the 5G network solutions won’t perform efficiently. Now here comes the main point! China has the most gallium in the world. The country is considered the “leading global supplier of gallium”, which is one of the key components for gallium arsenide chips.

Huawei used gallium nitride to develop lightweight and energy-efficient 5G radios compared to its foreign competitors. Thus, despite hurting the Chinese tech giant in the chip industry, the U.S. can’t fully harm Huawei, not at least in the 5G network.

Analyst Views:

Earl Lum – the founder of EJL Wireless Research says that gallium nitride is prepared via a technique called MOCVD process (Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition).

China has mastered this process to make radiofrequency elements. But that’s just the opposite in the US. Earl further notes that after the US sanctions hit Huawei in 2019, the company changed its gallium nitride source from Sumitomo to Xiamen Sanan.

As of now, the race for high-end RF power amplifiers in 5G networks is among NXP (from the US), Sumitomo, and Huawei’s gallium nitride supplier. A telco source said:

“Despite the US sanctions affecting other parts of Huawei’s business, the firm has the most advanced 5G radio units that weigh less and are more efficient than Ericsson and Nokia.”

Heavier 5G products often lead to additional workers, energy consumption, and more expense. Huawei on the other hand, is making perfect use of the best ingredient found on its home turf. The chief marketing officer of Huawei Carrier Networks – Philip Song says:

“For this component (gallium), we are leading the industry one generation ahead of our competitors, and that is why, according to third parties who report, we keep leading market share.”

As of now, China is reportedly planning to cut the US off from gallium. The Chinese government recently said to ban exports of some key chipmaking components like gallium to the US. This will probably be China’s answer to the US on trade tensions.

US is unable to harm Huawei 5G power due to gallium nitride: Report (Image Credits: Huawei)

|| source ||