Main points
- Xiaomi plans to release its own mobile processors every year, starting with the XRing O1, manufactured using a 3-nanometer process technology.
- The company is investing heavily in the development of semiconductor technologies and expanding the presence of its AI assistant in international markets.
Xiaomi is seriously changing its own strategy / Depositphotos
Xiaomi intends to seriously change the approach to creating its smartphones. The company plans to release its own mobile processors every year, and this year it will present a device that combines its own chip, the HyperOS operating system and its own AI assistant. In the future, this assistant will appear not only in China, but also in international markets.
Xiaomi President Lu Weibing announced during the Mobile World Congress exhibition, which is currently underway in Barcelona, that the company plans to regularly release new generations of its own XRing mobile processors. According to him, the first chip has already been created, and in the future Xiaomi expects to update this line every year, CNBC reports.
Why is Xiaomi betting on its own chips and artificial intelligence?
In 2024, the company introduced its XRing O1 system-on-chip (SoC). It is manufactured using a modern 3-nanometer process technology, a technology used only by the largest semiconductor manufacturers.
Developing its own mobile processors remains a difficult and expensive task, which is why most smartphone brands use third-party solutions such as Qualcomm or MediaTek.
Among the manufacturers that make their own chips, only a few players stand out – including Apple with its A series and Samsung with its Exynos processors. Google also makes its own processors for its Pixels.
Lu Weibing emphasized that the XRing O1 will be just the first step. The new processor will debut in a smartphone that Xiaomi plans to release in China this year. Later, a device with its own chip should also appear in international markets.
Such plans indicate a change in the company's approach to chip development. Back in the fall, Xiaomi Vice President Xu Fei said that the manufacturer could not guarantee the annual release of new processors. Now the management announces a more ambitious schedule.
Why is Xiaomi taking such steps?
Creating its own SoC gives Xiaomi the opportunity to more deeply integrate the hardware of smartphones with the software platform. We are talking about HyperOS – an Android-based mobile system that the company is actively developing for its devices.
Artificial intelligence will play a special role in this ecosystem. Xiaomi smartphones in the Chinese market already have a voice assistant called Xiao AI , created based on its own AI models. Now the company plans to expand its presence outside of China.
When will Xiaomi show off its AI?
According to Lu Weibing, the international version of the AI assistant could arrive around the same time Xiaomi starts selling its electric cars overseas. The company previously said it plans to enter the European car market in 2027. Along with this launch, Xiaomi's proprietary AI services could also appear in international markets.
At the same time, the company does not rule out cooperation with Google. Lu Weibing noted that Xiaomi can use Gemini models as the basis for both Chinese and international AI assistants. A similar strategy is already being used by other smartphone manufacturers. For example, Samsung integrates various artificial intelligence tools into its devices, relying heavily on Google Gemini technologies.
Xiaomi is also aiming to make its AI assistant a universal part of the ecosystem. In the future, it will work not only in smartphones, but also in the company's cars.
To realize these plans, Xiaomi is ready to invest heavily in the development of semiconductor technologies. The company's CEO Lei Jun previously said that over the next ten years the manufacturer will invest at least 50 billion yuan (about 6.9 billion dollars) in the development of its own chips.