Huawei's next phones will be allowed to use next-gen Arm technology

The US trade ban against Huawei has had far-reaching effects across the industry, with various companies unable to deal with the Chinese manufacturer as a result.

Now, chip designer Arm has confirmed that it will continue supplying its technology to HUAWEI, Reuters reported. Arm told the newswire that after a review, it determined that its key chip technology originated from the UK rather than the US.

“ARM’s v8 and v9 are UK-origin technologies,” a spokesperson told Reuters. “Arm can provide support to HiSilicon for the ARM v8-A architecture, as well as the next generation of that architecture, following a comprehensive review of both architectures, which have been determined to be of UK origin.”

Arm v8 is the technology that forms the foundation for virtually all modern mobile chips, including silicon from Apple, Huawei, MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Samsung.

But what’s rather interesting is Arm’s admission that it’s working on Arm v9 architecture. This is a hitherto-unseen addition to its tech portfolio. Current modern CPUs like the Cortex-A77, Cortex-A76, Apple’s CPUs, and Samsung’s Mongoose are based on Arm v8, but a new architecture like Arm v9 means we can expect new CPUs too. This suggests that HUAWEI can use next-generation Arm tech in its Kirin chips, allowing its upcoming phones to stay on the cutting edge.

Huawei’s relationship with Arm was disrupted in the immediate wake of the US trade ban against it. At the time of the ban, the chip designer confirmed that it was complying with the restrictions. The manufacturer was reportedly allowed to keep using its existing chipset designs based on Arm technology, but the firm’s ability to produce new mobile chipsets was under question.

A HUAWEI spokesperson told Android Authority that its relationship with Arm “never stopped,” directing us to an article covering a closed door meeting between the two firms. We’ve contacted Arm to clarify what this development means for its relationship with HUAWEI, and will update the article accordingly.