Hello everyone! Yesterday I saw some exciting news that China’s Loongson Technology announced it has achieved a 100% independently developed chip architecture! Seeing this news really brings mixed feelings. Remember when Americans mocked us saying ‘even if we give you the blueprints, you can’t produce it’? How about now?
01 The Days of Being Stifled
Speaking of chips, we Chinese have really suffered a lot. Back in 2018, when the U.S. said they wouldn’t sell, they really meant it and companies like Huawei and ZTE were suddenly choked off. At that time, those Americans were quite pleased, thinking that without their chips, Chinese companies would have to shut down.
What’s worse, they openly mocked us saying: ‘Chinese can only assemble, they will never produce real chips.’ How harsh that was! At that time, we indeed lacked the technology and over 90% of high-end chips had to be imported. Being choked like that was really uncomfortable.
02 You Don’t Understand the Temper of the Chinese
But, what is the temperament of the Chinese? The more you choke me, the more I want to fight back! From that moment on, the country made a firm decision to develop its own chips. Loongson started its difficult journey of independent research and development against this backdrop.
To be honest, at that time, no one knew if it would succeed. Chips are too complex; from design to manufacturing, every step is a technical barrier. But the engineers at Loongson were determined and worked day and night on R&D for several years.
Over the years, Loongson has made steady progress. From the initial Loongson 1 to Loongson 2, and now to Loongson 3A5000, each generation of products is a genuine ‘Made in China’. Unlike some so-called ‘independent chips’ that still use foreign architectures.
03 What Does 100% Independent R&D Mean?
Many people may not fully understand what 100% independent R&D means. Simply put, from the chip’s instruction set architecture to the specific design implementation, everything is developed by us Chinese!
It is known that there are very few countries in the world that can achieve this. The U.S. has the x86 architecture, the UK has the ARM architecture, and now China has the LoongArch architecture. This means that even if the whole world stops selling chips to us, we can still produce our own!
Currently, the performance of Loongson 3A5000 is already quite impressive, and in some application scenarios, it can even compete head-on with Intel products. Would you say this progress is fast?
04 Americans Are Starting to Panic
The most interesting part is the reaction of the Americans. A few days ago, American media reported that ‘China’s chip sanction strategy has completely failed; we have sealed ourselves in vain.’
Look at how quickly this attitude has changed! Initially, they were adamant about wanting to crush the Chinese chip industry, but now they find that not only has it not collapsed, but they have also developed a completely independent architecture. Isn’t that a slap in the face?
To be honest, Loongson’s success is not just a technological breakthrough; it also proves to the world that Chinese people are definitely not just imitators. Given us time and opportunity, we can create our own things.
Now, Loongson has not only established a foothold in the domestic market but has also begun to expand overseas. Some countries along the ‘Belt and Road’ have already started adopting Loongson’s solutions. From being blocked to going global, this transformation is truly exhilarating!
Of course, we must be realistic. Although Loongson has achieved 100% independent R&D, there is still a certain gap in some high-end application fields compared to international top levels. However, this is not a big deal as the road is walked step by step, and meals are eaten bite by bite.
The story of Loongson tells us: as long as there is determination and perseverance, there is no technical barrier that cannot be broken!
That’s all for today’s topic. What are your thoughts on the development of Loongson? Feel free to leave comments for discussion!