Chinese smartphone giants Xiaomi and Unisoc are reportedly making moves to develop their own 4nm mobile processors, which would potentially reduce dependence on foreign chipmakers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. The news comes as China pushes for greater self-sufficiency in its semiconductor industry with strong government support.

According to Liberty Times and Commercial Times, both Xiaomi and Unisoc have successfully completed the “tape stripping” process for their in-house 4nm chips. This marks a major milestone in the development cycle where the design is completed and sent to the foundry for manufacturing. However, reports state that these chips use foreign intellectual property (IP) cores from ARM and IMG.

Xiaomi has become an important power in smartphone production, ranking third in the world after Apple and Samsung in the first quarter of 2024. Their goals extend beyond phones; A competitive 4nm chip is said to rival Huawei’s Kirin 9000s, likely to launch later this year.

The Kirin chip is based on a 7nm process from SMIC, another major Chinese chipmaker. Xiaomi’s previous collaboration with Qualcomm will contribute to its long-term success in chip development.

On the other hand, it is stated that Unisoc, a Shanghai-based fabless chip developer specializing in mobile communication and connection technologies, also supports 4nm. Its chips are said to have already completed its launch phase and have achieved performance comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.

However, analysts warn that widespread adoption of domestic 4nm SoCs in Chinese smartphones may not occur before 2026. Currently, the Chinese market is dominated by well-known players such as MediaTek and Qualcomm.

This progress could be a turning point for China’s semiconductor industry. Led by Huawei, and now with Xiaomi and Unisoc also entering the arena, domestic chip makers are poised to potentially challenge international competition. This shift could reduce China’s dependence on foreign technology and promote innovation and competition in the semiconductor industry globally.