Xiaomi is Working on its Own Mobile Application Processors

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Qualcomm may be about to a notable client if the latest rumours turn out to be true.

Chinese device maker Xiaomi is said to be working on its own mobile application processors which will reportedly go by the Pinecone name.

At the moment, Xiaomi is said to be working on two chips, the V670 and V970 (see specifics in the source link below), all targeted at some of its future high-end devices.

The company currently relies on chips from American silicon giant Qualcomm and Taiwan-based MediaTek to power its broad range of mobile devices that cuts across all market segments. MediaTek chips power Xiaomi’s budget devices like the Redmi Pro while Qualcomm’s chips can be found in its premium offerings like the Mi5 and Mi5s.

If indeed this happens then Xiaomi won’t be the first company to go this route nor is it likely to be the last. Most notable Android device makers have turned to their own inhouse options in recent years. Samsung is well known for its own Exynos chips. Huawei has been making significant strides with its Kirin processors which are supplied by subsidiary HiSilicon with the most recent high-end chip from the company (the Kirin 960 found on the Mate 9) being ranked as one of the best performing SoCs in the market at the moment. LG is set to start making its own chips using Intel foundries.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Oh great. That’s just great. That’s what we need.

    Is it only me, or does this move seem to exacerbate this Android fragmentation matter? Everyone making their own chipsets means everyone doing their own R&D, which means everyone writing their own drivers for their chips. That takes time and money.

    Add that to competition for the title “Best chip of the year” and soon we have no support for the phones rocking older chips. No support means no updates (unless you are a developer – and even so, you won’t be bothered with older phones to begin with)

    Again, am I just overthinking it, blowing things out of proportion, or does someone else see my point?

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