Huawei Unveils New Semiconductor Law

According to reports from the People’s Daily, the 2026 International Symposium on Circuits and Systems opened in Shanghai on May 25, where Huawei Board Member and President of the Semiconductor Business Division, He Tingbo, officially introduced the “Tao (τ) Law” during a keynote speech titled Exploration and Practice of New Semiconductor Pathways. The new framework marks the first time China has proposed a semiconductor industry development principle aimed at guiding future global chip innovation.

Based on the Tao Law framework, Huawei has reportedly designed and mass-produced 381 semiconductor chips over the past six years. The company is also expected to unveil a new Kirin smartphone processor this autumn, featuring a fully implemented logic-folding architecture designed to significantly improve computing performance and signal efficiency.

The newly proposed Tao Law shifts the focus of semiconductor advancement from traditional “geometric scaling” toward “time scaling.” Rather than relying solely on shrinking transistor dimensions, the theory emphasizes reducing system time constants (τ) through innovations such as logic folding, enabling lower signal propagation delay, higher transistor density, and continued semiconductor evolution beyond conventional process limitations.

The announcement comes as the semiconductor industry faces increasing pressure from the physical and economic limitations of Moore’s Law. As transistor miniaturization slows and manufacturing costs continue to rise, chipmakers worldwide are seeking alternative pathways to sustain performance growth and meet exponentially increasing computing demands across AI, data centers, automotive electronics, and next-generation communication systems.

According to the presentation, the Tao Law introduces a multi-layer collaborative optimization model spanning devices, circuits, chips, and entire electronic systems. Huawei stated that by 2031, high-end chips developed under this framework could achieve transistor density levels comparable to advanced 1.4nm process technologies.

Discussing the future of the semiconductor industry, He Tingbo emphasized the importance of global collaboration, stating that the long-term advancement of semiconductors and electronic systems will depend on open cooperation among scientists, engineers, and industry partners worldwide.

The introduction of the Tao Law has drawn attention across the semiconductor and electronic components sectors, as the industry increasingly explores post-Moore architectural innovation, advanced packaging, heterogeneous integration, and system-level optimization as key drivers for next-generation chip performance.