The journey of developing its first custom chipset started with the Surge S1, which Xiaomi debuted in the Mi 5c around seven years ago. A Surge S2 never materialized, likely because of the Herculean task of developing an in-house silicon. Fortunately, the Chinese firm’s determination never wavered, and according to the latest rumor, the company has not just resumed working on a custom solution but has successfully completed the tape-out of its first 3nm SoC. However, there could be various obstacles that impede Xiaomi’s progress, which we will discuss below.
The rumor was published on MyDrivers, with our acquaintance @faridofanani96 also spotting the information that talked about Xiaomi’s alleged milestone. The news was made public by Beijing Satellite TV, when Tang Jianguo, Chief Economist of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, announced that a successful tape-out on the 3nm process had been achieved. Interestingly, the individual refers to this event as a historical one for China, which can cause problems for Xiaomi down the road.
For instance, companies like Huawei have been barred from conducting business with TSMC or Samsung thanks to the U.S. trade sanctions, as this prevents Chinese entities from competing with their economic rivals on an equal playing field. If Xiaomi has successfully reached the tape-out status for its 3nm chipset, it potentially means that other Chinese firms, including Huawei, can take advantage of this silicon to use in their devices, giving them an edge against the competition. For those who do not know, ‘tape-out’ is the final stage of the design process of any integrated circuit before it is sent for mass
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