You’ve seen “Tao Law” trending everywhere, right? He Tingbo from Huawei dropped it at a conference, and suddenly everyone’s saying it’s going to challenge Moore’s Law.
But here’s the thing. If you actually dig into the paper she released the same day, you’ll notice something.
The real breakthrough isn’t the name. It’s a concept buried deeper: logic folding. That’s the hardcore stuff. That’s the foundation.
So what is the Tao Law, really?
First, the name comes from the Greek letter τ, used in physics to measure how fast a system responds. Bigger τ means slower. Smaller τ means faster. Simple enough.
But the Tao Law itself isn’t a law of physics. It’s more like Moore’s Law—a guiding principle for an industry.
To get it, you need to understand two things.
First, chasing Moore’s Law may no longer be the best move for Chinese chip companies.
For sixty years, the semiconductor world has had only one rule: make transistors smaller, pack more into a chip, and performance goes up. That’s it. From microns to nanometers, from 14nm to 3nm. The whole industry bet on “smaller.” If you could go one step further, you left everyone in the dust.
The key tool? Lithography machines.
But here’s the reality. Chinese companies can’t buy the most advanced ones. TSMC is already at 2nm. The best most domestic players can get is 7nm. That’s two generations behind. It’s not about effort—the track itself is blocked.
Second, and this is the real story—the Tao Law offers a completely different track.
Instead of focusing on making each transistor smaller, it shifts the focus to the system. You can’t keep shrinking the individual pieces? Fine. Then think about the whole circuit board. Think about how different layers work together. Use design to make up for the physical limits.
That’s where logic folding comes in.
It’s like this. Instead of trying to build a taller skyscraper on the same tiny lot, you use the space above and below, stack functions, find clever ways to route connections. You don’t need the smallest bricks. You need the smartest architecture.
The Tao Law says: stop obsessing over the single dimension of “smaller.” Start looking at time, temperature, and system-level performance. You can design chips that run faster as a system even if each part is a little bigger, as long as the whole thing works in harmony.
What does this mean for someone in personal growth?
It’s the same trap we all fall into. We fixate on one metric. Faster. More. Smaller. We think the only way forward is to win the race on their track.
But sometimes the smartest move isn’t to run harder. It’s to redefine the race.
The Tao Law isn’t just about chips. It’s a reminder that when external conditions block your original path, you don’t have to quit. You just need a different kind of thinking. Systems thinking. Multi-dimensional solutions.
You can’t get the latest gear? Fine. Then use your design skills, your architecture, your unique understanding of the system to create something that works better within your constraints.
That’s the core of “unity of knowledge and action”—not just knowing the principle, but actually applying it to your real situation.
So next time you hear “Tao Law,” don’t just think about semiconductor competition. Think about how you, in your own life, might be too focused on a single metric.
Maybe the real breakthrough isn’t getting smaller.
Maybe it’s thinking bigger.