After a decade on the “chip-making” path, Xiaomi has launched its second self-developed mobile SoC chip, with Lei Jun summarizing the journey of Xiaomi’s chip development as “a decade of ice-drinking, yet the passion remains hot.”
From the evening of May 15 to May 16, Lei Jun posted three Weibo updates announcing Xiaomi’s self-developed mobile SoC chip, named Xuanjie O1, which is set to be released in late May. Looking back at Xiaomi’s chip-making journey, the company released its first self-developed chip, the Surge S1, in February 2017, marking over eight years since the last self-developed mobile SoC chip was announced.
Xuanjie O1 Emerges
Although Xiaomi has not yet disclosed the details of the new Xuanjie O1 chip, there are already many clues and rumors regarding its specifications and performance.
According to multiple media reports, during a news program aired by Beijing TV in October 2024, Tang Jianguo, the chief economist of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, announced at a press conference that Xiaomi successfully taped out China’s first 3nm process mobile system-on-chip (SoC). Subsequently, there were reports that Xiaomi’s new mobile SoC chip will utilize TSMC’s second-generation 4nm process, with performance comparable to Snapdragon 8 Gen1, and in some scenarios, approaching Snapdragon 8 Gen2.
After the announcement of Xuanjie O1 on May 15, speculation and rumors about the product further intensified online. Multiple analyses suggest that Xuanjie O1 will likely adopt an “Arm reference architecture AP + external 5G modem” SoC format. It is speculated that Xuanjie O1 may feature an 8-core or 10-core tri-cluster CPU architecture design, with the super-large core utilizing Arm’s currently strongest Cortex-X925 CPU, and also integrating Arm’s most powerful Immortalis-G925 GPU, potentially offering overall performance comparable to or exceeding Snapdragon 8 Gen2, with the modem chip possibly using an external MediaTek or UNISOC 5G modem chip.
Reports indicate that the Xuanjie O1 chip will be used in Xiaomi’s 15th-anniversary flagship model, the Xiaomi 15S Pro.
Xiaomi’s Decade-Long “Chip-Making” Journey
Reflecting on Xiaomi’s “chip-making” journey, it has lasted over 10 years and has experienced many ups and downs.
In October 2014, Xiaomi established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Pinecone Electronics, to begin self-developing chips, and 28 months later, it mass-produced its first SoC chip, the Surge S1. The Surge S1 was built on TSMC’s 28nm process and was featured in the Xiaomi 5C. This chip utilized an octa-core A53 architecture and integrated a Mali-T860 GPU, supporting VoLTE calls. However, due to outdated process technology and insufficient modem capabilities, the performance of the Surge S1 lagged significantly behind contemporaneous competitors and did not become a mainstream product in the market.
After the setback of its first mobile SoC chip, Xiaomi continued to release “small chips” and continued to build momentum for new SoC products. After 2021, Xiaomi successively launched its self-developed imaging chips in the Surge C series, charging chips in the Surge P series, and self-developed battery management chips in the Surge G series, among others. Meanwhile, in December 2021, Xiaomi established Shanghai Xuanjie Technology Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 1.5 billion yuan, and the legal representative being a former executive from UNISOC, Zeng Xuezhong. The business scope includes integrated circuit chip design and services, sales of integrated circuit chips and products, and integrated circuit design. Subsequently, Beijing Xuanjie Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2023. Based on the company name, the Xuanjie O1 chip is expected to be developed by the Xuanjie group of companies.
Lei Jun has stated that investing 1 billion yuan in chip development is just the starting line, and it may take 10 years to see results. The future performance of Xuanjie O1 will not only determine the direction of Xiaomi’s self-developed SoCs but will also reflect the achievements of China’s high-end chip “breakthrough” efforts.