While the U.S. tightens its grip on Chinese corporations by restricting access to the latest manufacturing technologies from TSMC, Xiaomi seems to be evading these export controls, at least for now. According to fresh rumors, the tech giant is on course to release its inaugural in-house chipset by the end of the year. Previously, it was anticipated that Xiaomi would showcase a custom 3nm SoC in 2025. However, recent revelations have unveiled a modified version featuring TSMC’s 4nm ‘N4P’ process, without the homegrown cores seen in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The buzz around Xiaomi’s upcoming chipset has been stirred by a Weibo post shared by @Jukanlosreve. Although a more sophisticated 3nm silicon was in the pipeline, the 4nm variant seems to be stepping into the spotlight first. With similarities to Qualcomm’s earlier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in terms of lithography, this unnamed SoC from Xiaomi is expected to utilize a ‘1 + 3 + 4’ CPU cluster configuration, relying on existing ARM designs rather than developing unique cores.
The SoC’s powerhouse, the Cortex-X925 core, will operate at 3.20GHz, supported by four Cortex-A725 cores running at 2.60GHz, and rounded out by several low-power Cortex-A520 cores clocking in at 2.00GHz. Complementing this setup is a graphics chip from Imagination Technologies, the IMG DXT 72-2304 GPU, working at 1.30GHz. It’s anticipated to surpass the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s Adreno 740 GPU. While there’s no specific launch date mentioned, an earlier rumor suggests that Xiaomi might roll out this innovation in the first half of the year, potentially matching the capabilities of Qualcomm’s former Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Caution is advised, however, as @faridofanani96 points out that sources like Fixed Focus Digital might be speculating without solid evidence. Nonetheless, Xiaomi’s strides in renewing its chip-making aspirations have been documented extensively across various reports, fueling anticipation. The company may face challenges if the U.S. decides to intervene by barring TSMC from collaborating with Xiaomi, but for now, the tech world awaits further developments with bated breath.
