Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is looking to further disrupt the mobile industry with the introduction of a handset powered by a homegrown processor according to sources familiar with the matter as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
As the publication correctly points out, Chinese companies are increasingly investing in their own technology as a way to differentiate themselves from what has blossomed into an incredibly crowded market. In-house chips will also help ease the company's reliance on the supply chain and companies like MediaTek and Qualcomm.
One source claims Xiaomi's "Pinecone" processor will make its debut within a month's time. If true, Xiaomi would be only the second Chinese smartphone maker to turn out a phone powered by its own processor (the first was Huawei).
In 2014, an Xiaomi-linked private entity called Beijing Pinecone Electronics purchased mobile processor tech from Leadcore Technology Ltd. for $15 million, the Journal notes. Beijing Pinecone Electronics is the in-house company making Xiaomi's chip. Evidence in the form of a website and verified social media account seem to further confirm Xiaomi's processor developments, the Journal added.
Even with its own chip, there's no guarantee that the venture will pay dividends for Xiaomi. Companies like Apple have demonstrated time and again that the benefits of developing hardware and software under one roof simply can't be overstated but Xiaomi doesn't have its own software. Huawei, meanwhile, benefits from decades of experience in making networking gear or seemingly any other specialty.
Image courtesy Qilai Shen, Bloomberg News