Xiaomi introduces the Xuanjie O1, a self-designed smartphone chip set to be released in late May.

      Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo last night that the company’s self-developed smartphone SoC chip, named Xuanjie O1 (Xring O1), is set to launch in late May. While information about the manufacturing process is still under wraps, the chip is expected to power the forthcoming Xiaomi 15S Pro, which will serve as the company's flagship phone for its 15th anniversary.

      Significance: The introduction of the Xuanjie O1 signifies Xiaomi's return to designing its own smartphone chips, an important strategic move that parallels its recent focus on electric vehicles. This initiative aims to decrease dependency on external suppliers, enhance core technological capabilities, and secure long-term competitiveness.

      Details: The Xuanjie O1 is Xiaomi’s second self-developed smartphone main processor, following the Surge S1 released eight years ago. In February 2017, Xiaomi presented its first in-house smartphone chip, the Surge S1, which was launched with the Mi 5C. This established Xiaomi as the fourth smartphone manufacturer worldwide, after Apple, Samsung, and Huawei, to create its own mobile chipset.

      However, the Surge S1 did not perform well in the market, largely due to its insufficient modem capabilities, as reported by Chinese media outlet Icsmart. It lacked support for China Unicom’s 3G or 4G networks and did not meet any of China Telecom’s network standards.

      The Xuanjie O1 is anticipated to be manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm process and will likely feature an 8-core or 10-core tri-cluster CPU architecture, which includes the high-performance Arm Cortex-X925 core, according to sources from Icsmart. It will also incorporate the Immortalis-G925 GPU, with overall performance potentially on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen2. For connectivity, it might utilize an external 5G modem from either MediaTek or Unisoc.

      Context: Shanghai Xuanjie Technology, a chip design subsidiary established by Xiaomi in 2021, is dedicated to creating high-performance smartphone main processors to support Xiaomi’s independent innovation in the semiconductor sector. The Xuanjie O1 chip was developed by this subsidiary and named after it, rather than being classified as a new model in the Surge series. The company is led by Xiaomi vice president Zeng Xuezhong, the former CEO of Chinese chip company Unisoc. As of June 2023, it had a registered capital of RMB 1.92 billion (approximately $270 million).

      Jessie Wu is a technology reporter based in Shanghai, specializing in consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. You can reach her via e-mail at [email protected].