Loongson, the pioneering Chinese hardware manufacturer, is making waves by setting its sights on the performance benchmarks of Intel’s 12th and 13th generation CPUs with its forthcoming 3B6600 chips. These next-generation CPUs, boasting an innovative in-house architecture, were unveiled during the Loongson Industrial Ecosystem Conference, where chairman Hu Weiwu introduced several promising product lines. These include high-performance general-purpose CPUs, GPUs, and SoC/MCU microcontrollers, all crafted to rival industry giants such as Intel and AMD.
The company’s development over the past 20 years has culminated in matching the performance of older Intel and AMD chips with its 3A6000 processor, crafted using a 14nm process node. While it may not compete head-to-head with the latest mid-range and flagship CPUs, the technological trajectory Loongson is on seems promising. The anticipated 3B6600 CPU is projected to stand toe-to-toe with Intel’s 12th and 13th-gen processors, potentially capturing a significant share of the desktop CPU market.
Loongson is not stopping at CPUs. The company plans to break into the graphics market with its 9A1000 General-Purpose GPU (GPGPU). This entry-level desktop graphics card promises performance equivalent to a Radeon RX 550 and will feature 128-bit LPDDR4X memory, scheduled for a 2025 release. It will soon be joined by the more powerful 9A2000 GPU, aimed at reaching the capabilities of an RTX 2080.
In addition to these advancements, Loongson is enhancing its embedded SoC and MCU offerings. Its 2K1500 and 2K2000 models, utilizing the in-house LoongArch cores, are already establishing a presence in mainstream markets with significant performance improvements and superior energy efficiency. The upcoming 2K3000 model promises even greater performance enhancements, with power consumption reduced to less than 1W and an integrated iGPU, keeping total power consumption under 15W.
Loongson is also committed to building a robust software ecosystem. The first phase, centered on a Linux-based foundation, is nearing completion. The following phases will focus on expanding compatibility and developing native applications to support its hardware offerings.
A key advantage for Loongson is its ability to independently develop chips without relying on foreign licenses, thanks to its proprietary instruction set architecture (ISA). This strategic independence sets it apart from the traditional dependency on Windows + Intel and Arm + AMD ecosystems. While Loongson may not yet deliver the cutting-edge performance of industry leaders like Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA, it’s steadily closing the performance gap and could become a formidable competitor in the near future.
