Communications Semiconductors: Broadcom vs. HiSilicon

 

Why comms chips matter now

Communications semiconductors sit in the radio front-end, baseband/PHY, switches/routers, optics, and NICs that move the world’s data. As networks progress from 5G into early 6G study phases, the stack is tilting toward higher bandwidth, lower latency, denser connections—and far more software. 6G activity in standards bodies is ramping (with study items around Release-20 and normative work targeted for Release-21), while IMT-2030 visions point to peak rates in the tens to hundreds of Gbps depending on scenario. Commercial deployments are broadly discussed for around 2030.

Broadcom: Merchant-silicon powerhouse

Broadcom dominates merchant Ethernet switch silicon (Tomahawk/Jericho families) that underpins data centers, telco backbones, and AI fabrics. It also supplies Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and custom ASICs to top OEMs. The company deepened its “chips + infrastructure software” model by closing the VMware acquisition, adding virtualization and cloud-software scale to its hardware footprint. Apple has also committed to multiyear, multibillion-dollar purchases of U.S.-made RF components (FBAR filters) and wireless connectivity parts—underscoring Broadcom’s role in advanced radio front-ends.

Scope note: Broadcom’s leadership is strongest in switching/optics/NICs/Wi-Fi and RF components; it is not a leading supplier of 5G smartphone modems or base-station basebands (roles more associated with Qualcomm/MediaTek/Marvell/Intel/Nokia/Ericsson). Broadcom’s chips often connect and accelerate those systems rather than replace them.

HiSilicon (Huawei): Design resilience under constraints

HiSilicon—Huawei’s chip design arm—built its reputation with Kirin mobile APs and Balong 5G modems, plus networking and AI parts for Huawei infrastructure. U.S. export controls beginning in 2019 curtailed access to leading foundries, forcing a pivot toward domestic capacity. Teardowns of Kirin 9000S in 2023 indicated a 7nm-class SoC produced at SMIC without EUV, signaling partial re-entry to advanced nodes via complex DUV flows. Progress is tangible but bounded by tool availability and yield scaling.

Head-to-head: positioning in a geopoliticized market

  • Product center of gravity

    • Broadcom: Ethernet switch ASICs, optics, NICs, Wi-Fi/RF, and custom ASICs for hyperscale/telco—strength in the infrastructure plumbing that AI and cloud rely on.

    • HiSilicon: Mobile AP/modem lineage plus chips for Huawei RAN/optical gear and Ascend AI—ambitions limited by foundry/tool access.

  • Manufacturing reality

    • Broadcom: Access to leading-edge foundries and a broad customer base across the U.S./EU/Asia.

    • HiSilicon: Reliant on China-based fabs (e.g., SMIC) for advanced nodes under sanctions; EUV restrictions and supply-chain pressure remain key bottlenecks.

  • Policy tailwinds/headwinds

    • Broadcom: Benefits indirectly as allied export controls limit Huawei’s access to advanced semis; the VMware platform adds strategic software lock-in with carriers and clouds.

    • HiSilicon: Central to China’s semiconductor self-reliance push; faces continuing license denials and tightened export regimes.

What to watch (2025–2027)

  1. 6G standardization cadence: If Release-21 timelines hold (freeze near decade’s end), early 6G silicon definitions will crystallize RAN/core requirements and drive new switch/optics/NIC roadmaps.

  2. AI-scale networking: Ethernet fabrics built on Jericho/Tomahawk are stretching across multi–data-center AI clusters; merchant-silicon roadmaps here are now strategic for both cloud and telco.

  3. China’s advanced-node yields: Continued SMIC iterations at 7nm-class—and any credible progress toward 5nm-class without EUV—will determine HiSilicon’s headroom in phones, RAN, and data-center parts.

  4. Export-control scope: Adjustments in Entity-List/FDPR enforcement directly shape HiSilicon’s product cadence and Huawei’s infrastructure bids worldwide.

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