China poised to break 5nm barrier — Huawei lists 5nm processor presumably built with SMIC tech, defying U.S. sanctions | Huawei and SMIC quietly rolled out a new Kirin 9000C processor.::Chinese foundry SMIC may have broken the 5nm process barrier, as evidenced by a new Huawei laptop listed with an advanced chip with 5nm manufacturing tech — a feat previously thought impossible due to U.S sanctions.
Xiaomi is publicly traded, and Huawei was indirectly funded by the Chinese government with $75B in tax breaks. Good quality control in leading technology is very expensive. The losses from a manufacturing defect can be difficult to absorb, often leaving standards parallel to financing.