Xiaomi unveils new chip team ahead of SoC launch

Xiaomi is back in the news in the tech circle once more as it takes a bold step by creating a specialized Chip Platform Department under its Mobile Phone Product Department. Head of this new department is the recently appointed Qin Muyun who was previously Senior Director of Product Marketing at Qualcomm before joining the Xiaomi fold. This strategic step is a crucial step in the countdown to the highly awaited launch of Xiaomi’s self-developed SoC chip. This increased momentum in chip development by Xiaomi is a testament to its long-term vision of creating a stand-alone and competitive technology ecosystem.

Xiaomi’s Initial Steps towards Chip Making

Xiaomi’s chip development journey started in 2017 when it launched the Surge S1 chip, an 8-core, 64-bit processor following the 28nm manufacturing process, initially integrated in the Xiaomi 5C. Even though the phone wasn’t a hit, Xiaomi became the fourth smartphone company behind Samsung, Apple, and Huawei to have both terminal and chip R&D capabilities by this step.

In spite of the modestly successful Surge S1, Xiaomi did not abandon the chip ambition. It had a different approach that included concentrating on small-scale custom chips in order to incrementally develop expertise and infrastructure.

Xiaomi Surge Chips: Establishing the Foundation

Xiaomi subsequently launched several in-house developed chip series:

Surge C Series – Bespoke image signal processors (ISP)
Surge P Series – Fast-charging chips
SurgeG Series – Power management units
Surge T Series – Signal enhancement chips
Surge D Series – Display driver chips

This method of layering enabled Xiaomi to gradually but consistently build up the know-how and expertise to develop more sophisticated chips.

The Next Big Leap: Xiaomi 15S Pro

In 2024, Beijing Satellite TV said Xiaomi successfully taped out a 3nm SoC chip, a milestone development in Chinese semiconductors. Now, there are reports that the new Xiaomi 15S Pro might launch featuring this in-house chip, a milestone in the company’s self-reliance in technology.

Co-founder Lin Bin recently verified the presence of Xiaomi 15S Pro through Weibo, generating excitement amongst fans and the tech community. Although the specs remain a closely guarded secret, the phone might signal the start of a new direction in Xiaomi’s hardware journey.

Source: ITHome