China’s journey into the realm of domestic GPUs is meeting some bumps along the way. Their first 6nm GPU, developed by Lisuan, falls short of expectations despite initial excitement. This homegrown effort has so far only managed to compete with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 660 Ti, a card that was cutting-edge over a decade ago.
Amidst rising US export restrictions, China has been racing to become self-sufficient in tech, tackling areas from AI to GPU computing. In this context, Lisuan’s debut of a domestically produced 6nm GPU was eagerly anticipated. However, Geekbench results reveal a performance level akin to outdated AMD and NVIDIA models, raising concerns but not final verdicts about the project’s future.
Last month, Lisuan announced their development of the 6nm GPU, claiming it could rival NVIDIA’s RTX 4060. But it emerged on Geekbench with an OpenCL score of 15,524 points—placing it at the low end of the performance spectrum. This suggests it was more akin to older, less powerful GPUs.
The GPU showcased 32 CUs and 256 MB of VRAM, indications that what was tested might have been a preliminary version. The actual consumer-ready product could differ significantly in capability. Harnessing SMIC’s 6nm node, which has already seen success with Huawei’s Kirin SoC, Lisuan has managed a commendable technological feat, marking a notable first in Chinese GPU development.
An area where improvement is crucial for Chinese GPU manufacturers is in driver optimization. Inadequate drivers have hampered the performance of companies like Moore’s Threads and Birentech. Lisuan, by refining its drivers, can move closer to challenging NVIDIA’s reputable offerings.
In summary, while the initial tests may not paint the rosiest picture, the journey for Chinese GPUs is just beginning, driven by lessons learned and the promise of future innovation.
