China is looking to feed its AI appetite with domestically developed and domestically produced chips. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AP)

Backed by Beijing, Huawei and SMIC lead efforts on 7-nm and 5-nm-like production tech

TAIPEI/HONG KONG -- China's top chip manufacturers, with strong government backing, are racing to produce several times more advanced semiconductors to support the rise of domestic AI chip developers, despite ongoing U.S. restrictions on the sector, Nikkei Asia has learned.