Visitors look at a display of a semiconductor device at Semicon China, a trade fair for semiconductor technology, in Shanghai, China, March 17, 2021. (Photo by=Reuters) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Smartphone maker Xiaomi banded together with other Chinese tech companies venturing into the semiconductor sector, revealing on Wednesday (Mar 31) a new chip to help smartphone cameras process images, Reuters reported.
Xiaomi's Surge C1 chip was developed following an earlier unsuccessful attempt at producing a smartphone processor and comes as Chinese Internet giants, automakers, and even home appliance firms invest heavily in semiconductor research and development. While all remain in the early stages, their drive dovetails with Chinese government policy to boost the domestic semiconductor sector as demand for chips soars. The initiative has become ever-more critical, with a global chip shortage crimping supplies and US sanctions hobbling Huawei Technologies, once China's top smartphone maker and for a time the only company capable of producing high-end smartphone processors.
In addition to Xiaomi, Chinese Android phone maker Oppo is following Huawei and Apple's lead by developing its own chips for handsets. The trend is a global one, with major US companies including Alphabet's Google, Amazon.com, and Facebook, also investing in their own chips making efforts. Meanwhile, large Chinese Internet companies, by comparison, have focused their efforts toward cloud computing and artificial intelligence, targeting a market dominated primarily by Intel and Nvidia.