Oppo Unveils MariSilicon X, a Self-Developed Chip for Telephones

Chinese language smartphone maker Oppo on Tuesday unveiled a brand new self-developed chip, because the {hardware} firm strikes additional into the semiconductor sector. The chip, known as the MariSilicon X, is a neural processing unit (NPU) that improves pictures for video and images taken on smartphones. Will probably be manufactured utilizing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Firm’s (TSMC) 6-nanometre course of know-how and will likely be positioned within the firm’s upcoming Discover X collection of smartphones, set to hit the market in early 2022.

Oppo is one in every of China’s high telephone manufacturers, occupying 21 p.c of the home market as of the third quarter of 2021, based on analysis agency Canalys. The corporate is owned by BBK Electronics, which additionally owns Vivo, one other top-selling Chinese language smartphone model. The 2 corporations compete for patrons however have an overlapping provide chain. Each corporations are investing closely within the chip sector as nicely.

Along with MariSilicon X, Oppo has additionally developed an influence administration chip that it makes use of for a few of its chargers. In September, Vivo introduced it had developed a picture sign processor chip (ISP) it would use in its telephones. The chip efforts dovetail with a authorities push for Chinese language corporations to spice up the nation’s home chip sector, which for many years has lagged behind that of the USA and different East Asian economies. The necessity for a self-sufficient chip trade got here to gentle final yr when US sanctions towards Shenzhen-based Huawei Applied sciences Co Ltd prevented the corporate from sourcing key parts.

The measures crippled the corporate’s smartphone division in addition to its in-house chip division HiSilicon, as soon as the one Chinese language unit creating smartphone processors that would rival these of Qualcomm. Governments and corporations around the globe have been scrambling to spice up semiconductor manufacturing after a worldwide scarcity hit manufacturing within the wake of the COVID-19 disaster.