Xiaomi is planning to make its own processors and will be ditching Qualcomm in the process.
Qualcomm has long been the company of choice when it comes to processors. But with the recent controversy surrounding it, some companies are considering looking elsewhere for their processor needs. Xiaomi, for one, is reportedly looking at the prospect of manufacturing its own chips.
Slash Gear reported that the prolific Chinese company has a chipset currently in development which is codenamed "Pinecone." Reports also said that the Xiaomi processor will be available real soon, within a month to be a bit more precise. In fact, one rumor stated that the new chipset will be used in the next smartphone from the Xiaomi stable.
Engadget pointed out the many possible benefits of the move. For one, the smartphones will be cheaper. Production of smartphones will cost less since the chipset will not be outsourced. On the other hand, if something goes wrong with the processor, they only have themselves to blame.
Having its own chipset will also allow the Chinese company to be more creative with its handsets. The Huawei Mate 9, for example, uses its own Kirin processor. This allowed the company to include support for artificial intelligence in the phablet.
Xiaomi and Huawei are not the only companies that have started or are about to start using their own CPU. Samsung also has the Exynos processor. One thing common with Huawei and the Korean conglomerate is that the road to chipset independence was not a paved one. Both companies took their time in developing and later manufacturing their own chipsets to ensure that they will be better or at least at par with those currently in the market. That said, Xiaomi is surely doing everything in its power to do the same despite the aforementioned rumor that its chipset is set for release real soon.
