Shanghai-based CIX Technology may have found a way to advance China’s domestic chip tech with its new AI CPU P1, which could mean a large step for China toward setting its own path in the semiconductor arena. Designed for AI PCs, the versatile AI CPU P1 delivers 45 TOPS, the company says, and supports various AI apps. The start-up is backed by experienced leaders and engineers from leading semiconductor and IT companies.
What do we think? CIX has not revealed the architecture of its P1 chip, but it is likely a tensor processing device with a programable I/O and internal cache. It would be logical for it to be FP16-capable. Also, the company has not revealed the fab. If it is an all-China-funded operation, then it’s mostly likely fabbed at SMIC.
CIX Technology chip could be big step in Chinese semiconductor independence
CIX Technology Co. Ltd. (Cixin), a Shanghai-based start-up founded in October 2021, has unveiled its new AI CPU P1, representing a significant advancement in China’s efforts to develop domestic chip technology. This processor, says the company, is specifically engineered for AI-enabled personal computers, providing an alternative to offerings from international industry leaders like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia. The introduction of the AI CPU P1 marks an important milestone in China’s pursuit of technological self-reliance in the semiconductor sector.
CIX Technology claims its new AI CPU P1 can deliver 45 TOPS, exceeding Microsoft’s AI PC benchmark of 40 TOPS. The company says the processor is capable of running large language models with up to 10 billion parameters directly on the device. It also supports a range of AI applications, including computer vision, natural language processing, and generative AI tasks. This level of performance positions the P1 as a competitive option in the growing market for AI-capable personal computing chips.
CIX comprises a team of experienced engineers and managers from leading semiconductor and IT firms, many of whom have backgrounds at AMD.
CEO Hank Sun, formerly the SOC director at AMD and head of AMD’s semiconductor business unit in China, leads the company. CTO Fang Liu brings 22 years of semiconductor industry experience, including roles at Meta (Facebook) as lead SOC architect for augmented reality, at AMD as lead SOC architect, and 11 years at Apple working on multiple generations of CPUs, GPUs, and SoCs. Liu’s experience also includes positions at P.A. Semi and Sun Microsystems.
CIX Chief Executive Sun Wenjian emphasized the chip’s versatility as “one chip fits all,” stating it could support various operating systems, including both domestic and global platforms such as HarmonyOS and Windows.
In the on-site demonstration, CIX showcased demo applications for the text-to-image tool Stable Diffusion and high-resolution gameplay of Genshin Impact, which offer similar experiences for mainstream AI PCs.
Sun added that CIX’s AI processors will also be used in the augmented reality, virtual reality, and industrial sectors in the future.
The company raised several hundred million yuan in funding in April, signaling strong investor confidence in its growth prospects. Among its backers are PC giant Lenovo, new-energy vehicle manufacturer Nio, and Qiming Venture Partners.
The P1 chip’s debut aligns with Shanghai’s broader push for technological innovation, particularly in AI, biomedicine, and chip development. The city announced on Monday a 100 billion yuan fund (US $13.8 billion) to support the three pioneering industries. In May, an A+ round, led by National Development, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation Fund, followed by Kunshan State Investment, Jiliuling Capital, and Xinshang Capital, with tens of millions of dollars. The first chip was successfully demonstrated.