Several smartphone manufacturers, such as Apple, Samsung, and Huawei, have ventured into producing their own chipsets for smartphones, and Xiaomi seems poised to follow suit. The Chinese phone giant has teamed up with chip designer ARM to develop its own silicon, a collaboration confirmed by MediaTek’s CEO, Rick Tsai. This partnership was initially revealed by the well-known informant Digital Chat Station on Weibo, although the primary source document remains elusive.
ARM has a history of partnering with Chinese phone makers for chipset production, having previously worked with Oppo. However, the Oppo-ARM partnership faced challenges and was eventually discontinued. Oppo’s attempt to design its own chips ended in 2023 due to the smartphone market’s global downturn.
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With Oppo out of the picture, ARM has turned to Xiaomi as its new partner. While Apple collaborates with TSMC for its A-series and M-series chips, and Google partners with Samsung for its Tensor silicon used in Google Pixel phones, Xiaomi must now choose a manufacturing ally for its venture. While ARM will provide the foundational architecture for the processors, developing a chip from scratch presents unique challenges.
Xiaomi’s success in this endeavor remains uncertain, as it navigates the complexities of chipset design and manufacturing in a competitive market. Only time will tell how Xiaomi’s partnership with ARM unfolds and whether it will lead to successful chipset production for its smartphones.
