Huawei's "Tao Law": A Comprehensive Overview of Core Companies
Huawei's "Tau Law": Core Companies Overview
On May 25, 2026, Huawei's Director and President of the Semiconductor Business Division, He Tingbo, formally introduced the "Tau (τ) Law" at ISCAS 2026, marking a significant principle guiding industry development in the global semiconductor field from China.
The Tau Law shifts focus from traditional Moore's Law, which pursues geometric transistor scaling, to "time scaling"—continuously compressing signal propagation delay (time constant τ) without solely relying on extreme feature size reduction. The core implementation path is "logic folding." This technique transforms circuit layouts from two-dimensional planes to multi-layer 3D stacks, using short vertical interconnects to replace long horizontal wiring, thereby drastically reducing τ.
Huawei has already designed and mass-produced 381 chips following this principle over the past six years, with plans to launch a Kirin chip utilizing logic folding in Fall 2026. By 2031, high-end chips based on the Tau Law are expected to achieve performance levels equivalent to a 1.4nm process node.
This development impacts several key industry segments, with related Chinese companies poised to benefit:
1. **EDA Design Software**: Essential for circuit-level optimization. Key players include:
* **Empyrean Technology** (Huada Jiutian): China's largest full-flow EDA provider.
* **Primarius Technologies** (Gailun Dianzi): Specializes in device modeling and verification.
* **Semitronix** (Guangliwei): Focuses on yield enhancement and test chip EDA.
2. **Chiplet & Advanced Packaging**: Logic folding's 3D stacking necessitates advanced packaging (e.g., TSV, hybrid bonding). Core participants are:
* **Tongfu Microelectronics**: A leader in advanced packaging and a key partner for AMD's Chiplet products.
* **JCET Group** (Changdian Keji) & **Tianshui Huatian Technology**: Major OSATs with advanced packaging capabilities.
* **VeriSilicon** (Xinyuan Gufen): Provides Chiplet-based design platforms and IP.
3. **Foundry Manufacturing**: Optimization must be implemented in transistor structures and process parameters. Potential foundries for Huawei's future chips include:
* **SMIC**: China's leading foundry with advanced FinFET capabilities, the most likely candidate for next-gen Kirin chips.
* **Hua Hong Semiconductor** (Huahong Gongsi): A leader in specialty processes (power, embedded memory).
* **Nexchip Semiconductor** (Jinghe Jicheng): Major foundry for display driver ICs and MCUs.
The Tau Law represents a strategic move towards architectural innovation and design-process co-optimization, driving demand across the domestic semiconductor supply chain.
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