Kirin X90 Emerges, Accelerating the Journey of Domestic Chip Replacement. Before starting this article, I would like to clarify that this article represents my personal views, and the sources are from the internet. Please do not criticize if you disagree. Amidst the fierce competition in the TSMC 3nm and Samsung 2nm chip markets, a PC processor—Kirin X90, which is rooted in China from design to manufacturing, is quietly rewriting the competitive rules of the global chip industry. On May 19, 2025, Huawei’s first HarmonyOS PC was officially unveiled, equipped with the self-developed Kirin X90 processor. This chip first appeared in the security reliability evaluation results announcement from the China Information Security Evaluation Center in March 2025 and received Level II certification. The Kirin X90 adopts the “Taishan V3” architecture, based on the ARMv9 instruction set, achieving “hyper-threading + big.LITTLE heterogeneous” design for the first time on the PC side. It integrates the CPU, self-developed NPU, and 5G baseband together through Chiplet technology.
—01 Breaking the Deadlock: Technological Breakthroughs of Kirin X90. In the context of various opinions on chip manufacturing processes, the well-known semiconductor industry observation agency TechInsights completed an exploratory analysis of the Kirin X90, confirming that this processor still uses a 7nm (N+2) process technology, rather than the rumored 5nm. Although the manufacturing process is not the most advanced, the Kirin X90 has achieved several innovations in design. It adopts the “Taishan V3” architecture, based on the ARMv9 instruction set, achieving “hyper-threading + big.LITTLE heterogeneous” design for the first time on the PC side. Regarding core configuration, reports indicate it has 16 cores (4 big cores + 12 efficiency cores), with a maximum frequency of 4.2GHz. However, there are also reports suggesting a 10-core 20-thread design (4+4+2 structure). This innovative design allows the Kirin X90 to excel in multi-threaded task processing, with its multi-threaded performance approaching that of Intel’s 12th generation i7, easily handling multi-tasking and complex computational demands. At the same time, the Kirin X90’s energy efficiency ratio has improved by 40%, and power consumption has decreased by 20%, meaning that PCs equipped with the Kirin X90 can provide longer battery life.
02 Security: The Cornerstone of Autonomy and Control. The Kirin X90 has obtained Level II certification for security reliability, which is a relatively high level in this system. This certification indicates that the Kirin X90 has passed strict reviews in terms of core technology autonomy, supply chain security, and intellectual property compliance, meeting national information security standards. The security reliability evaluation covers the entire product lifecycle, including R&D design, manufacturing, and supply assurance, with a particular emphasis on localization rates and security risk protection capabilities. The evaluated products must complete key processes within China and possess vulnerability response and after-sales service capabilities. Other domestic CPUs that also received Level II certification include Feiteng, Longxin, and Shenwei, while Shenwei WY831 and Zhaoxin only received Level I, further highlighting the competitive edge of Kirin X90 in security performance. The Level II certification of Kirin X90 paves the way for its promotion in the government and enterprise market. In the current international situation, the security reliability certification of domestic chips is an important threshold for entering procurement catalogs in key areas such as government, finance, and energy.
03 Ecosystem: Building a New Integrated Hardware and Software System. The Kirin X90 is deeply integrated with Huawei’s self-developed HarmonyOS PC system, forming a vertical ecosystem similar to Apple’s “chip + system,” enhancing user experience and market competitiveness. If Huawei can deeply integrate the Kirin X90 with the HarmonyOS PC system, it is expected to form a vertical ecosystem similar to Apple’s “chip + system.” In terms of system architecture, the HarmonyOS PC system is reconstructed from the kernel, adopting the Harmony kernel and integrating technologies such as distributed soft bus, Ark Engine, and Star Shield security architecture, achieving vertical integration of software, hardware, and cloud. Compared to traditional Windows systems, redundant code is reduced by 40%, significantly improving smoothness, energy efficiency, and security. The distributed architecture of the Harmony operating system allows seamless interconnection between mobile phones, tablets, and PCs, making data transfer, task continuation, and quick screen projection between multiple terminals more convenient. In terms of ecosystem applications, the HarmonyOS PC has covered core scenarios such as basic office, design creation, and audio-visual entertainment, including applications like WPS, Feishu, Zhongwang CAD, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu. However, professional software such as Photoshop and Steam games have not yet been natively adapted but can be transitioned through virtual machines or third-party tools.
04 Outlook: Opportunities and Challenges of Domestic Replacement. The mass production of the Kirin X90 marks a breakthrough in the domestic semiconductor industry in the design-manufacturing-packaging-EDA toolchain. The certification of the Kirin X90 indicates that Huawei has strong domestic capabilities in chip design and production, reducing dependence on the international supply chain. If this chip is successfully applied in the PC market, it will directly challenge traditional manufacturers like Intel and AMD, promoting the replacement process of domestic chips in high-performance computing. However, the Kirin X90 also faces many challenges. TechInsights points out that the Kirin X90 lags behind competitors such as Apple’s 3nm, AMD’s 4nm Ryzen 8040 series, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite series. As TSMC, Samsung, and Intel are expected to provide 2nm processes to customers within the next 12 to 24 months, it will lag at least three generations. With the dual shortage of EUV equipment and EDA tools, overcoming the domestic 5nm challenge remains difficult. Ecosystem construction is also a challenge that the Kirin X90 and HarmonyOS PC must face. Although Huawei has attracted many developers to join the Harmony ecosystem through open APIs and powerful development tools, the ecosystem still needs time to mature for professional application scenarios.
— From 7nm to 5nm, the Chinese semiconductor industry is overcoming the last technical fortress. Although SMIC’s N+2 process still has a gap compared to TSMC’s 3nm, three-dimensional hybrid packaging technology is becoming a bridge to cross the process gap. The Kirin X90 is like a ray of light, shining through the cracks of sanctions into reality—it proves that the Chinese semiconductor industry can not only innovate in design but also break through in manufacturing and take root in the ecosystem. This road is long, but the starting point is already beneath our feet. Creating is not easy, and I hope that after reading, you can raise your esteemed hand and give a little red heart. If you want to follow me for future updates, you can add me, as this is also the source of my motivation to continue sharing. Thank you for your viewing! See you in the next article.