[News] Xiaomi Confirms 3nm SoC, Commits $6.9 Billion to Chip Development Over 10 Years

Xiaomi recently drew widespread attention after announcing its self-developed smartphone SoC, the XRING 01. According to Chinese media outlet Ming Pao, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun revealed on Weibo on May 19 that the chip is manufactured on a 3nm process—marking the first time a Chinese firm has successfully achieved a breakthrough in 3nm chip design, the report highlights.

The Chinese tech giant is ramping up its chip development efforts. According to Wall Street Journal, Xiaomi plans to invest nearly $7 billion in chip design over a period of at least 10 years. Founder and CEO Lei Jun revealed the investment figure in a post on Weibo on Monday. A Xiaomi spokesperson added that the 50 billion yuan investment—equivalent to $6.94 billion—will begin in 2025, the report notes.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi has already allocated 13.5 billion yuan in R&D funding for its development of XRING01 chip, supporting a team of over 2,500 employees, according to Lei, as cited by The Daily Star.

Xiaomi’s XRING01 is reportedly built using TSMC’s 3nm process, as mentioned by Chinese media outlet ICsmart. The report notes that Xiaomi is the fourth smartphone brand globally—after Apple, Samsung, and Huawei—to develop its own mobile SoC. In 2017, it launched its first self-developed chip, the Surge S1, which failed in the market due to weak baseband capabilities.

In addition to the highly anticipated debut of its in-house XRING 01 smartphone chipset, Xiaomi is preparing for a major product launch later this week, coinciding with its 15th anniversary, according to GSMArena. The company confirmed it will unveil the Xiaomi 15S Pro—an upgraded version of the Xiaomi 15 Pro—on May 22, alongside the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra and the YU7, its first electric SUV, as GSMArena notes.

Read more

• [News] Xiaomi Announces Homegrown XRING 01 Chipset, Reportedly Built on TSMC 3nm, Rivaling Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• [News] Xiaomi Reportedly Forms 1,000-Strong Team for In-house Chip amid U.S. Scrutiny, with May Launch Ahead

(Photo credit: Xiaomi)