Key Takeaways
1. Huawei is developing laptops running on HarmonyOS, with a potential launch delayed to 2025.
2. The company is creating its own PC chip, the Kirin PC processor, expected to debut in early 2025.
3. The Kirin X90 chip may use SMIC’s 7nm technology, limiting its competitiveness against Apple’s M-series and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series.
4. The Kirin X90 is rumored to have an 8-core CPU, a 10-core graphics unit, and performance comparable to Apple’s M2 chip.
5. The chip is expected to support 32GB of LPDDR5 memory, 2TB SSD storage, and include three USB-4 ports.
Huawei has been developing laptops that run on HarmonyOS for some time, with a launch anticipated in 2025. Nevertheless, a recent report indicates that this timeline might have been delayed.
Kirin PC Processor Development
We’ve been aware for a while that Huawei is creating its own PC chip. A report from last year suggested that the Kirin PC processor could debut in early 2025. Coinciding with this speculation, a new chip called Kirin X90 has appeared on the China Information Security Evaluation Center’s radar.
Specifications of Kirin X90
The listing for the Kirin X90 doesn’t provide extensive details about its specifications. However, considering Huawei’s limited choices, it’s probable that it’s manufactured using SMIC’s 7nm technology. This suggests that it may not be able to compete with the performance levels of Apple’s newest M-series chips or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series.
An earlier report hinted that, in terms of performance, the SoC is comparable to Apple’s M2 chip. It is rumored to be based on Huawei’s Taishan v130 architecture, featuring an 8-core CPU that could be clocked at 2.5GHz, likely its base speed. The graphics unit is said to be a 10-core component known as “Ma Liang 920”.
Memory and Storage Capabilities
The chip is anticipated to support as much as 32GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 100GB/s of bandwidth. In terms of storage, it might accommodate up to 2TB of SSD capacity and include three USB-4 ports.
Huawei’s venture into the PC processor market is significant, but whether its Kirin chip can genuinely compete on an international scale remains uncertain.
