HiSilicon is a Chinese semiconductor company that designs and manufactures integrated circuit chips (ICs). The company was created in 2004 when Huawei, a leading technology company based in China, acquired a unit of a state-owned semiconductor firm, making HiSilicon one of the few independent IC design companies in the country. HiSilicon has expanded its business operations significantly since then, specializing in the development and production of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for use in a variety of digital products such as mobile phones, tablets, PC components and home security systems.
In the past, HiSilicon had been a leader in designing chipsets using ARM-based processors, as is common in many mobile devices. ARM-based processors are utilized for their power efficiency and wide interoperability, allowing for smaller, faster designs. HiSilicon had partnered with ARM and Qualcomm for their chip designs and the ARM architecture quickly became a standard component in many of their chipset designs.
However, despite its success in designing ARM-based chipsets, HiSilicon has recently shifted its strategies away from ARM-based designs after their acquisition by Huawei. According to a report recently published by the company, HiSilicon will be focusing their efforts on the development of ASICs based on its own intellectual property and Kirin processors which are compatible with the same ARM architecture. Kirin processors are more power efficient than ARM-based chipsets and are also more flexible, as they can be tailored to specific tasks, allowing for better performance in a variety of scenarios.
The shift away from ARM-based designs by HiSilicon comes as part of their larger strategy to reduce their reliance on third-party intellectual property and instead create their own. Huawei is pushing for HiSilicon to develop their own architecture for chipsets, so that Huawei can remain competitive in the global smartphone market. By developing their own intellectual property and Kirin processors, HiSilicon will be able to create innovative products that are individually tailored for Huawei’s specific needs.
This shift in strategy will make HiSilicon largely independent from ARM and Qualcomm, allowing them to sidestep potential licensing fees and to create more unique solutions. As a result, they are better able to protect their intellectual property and remain competitive in the industry. Additionally, HiSilicon will be able to customize their products more quickly and efficiently, reducing development time and costs.
Overall, HiSilicon’s decision to shift their strategies away from ARM-based designs is likely to help them remain competitive in the global chipset market for years to come. By creating their own intellectual property and Kirin processors, they will be able to create innovative products tailored to their customers’ needs, while also protecting their intellectual property from competitors. It remains to be seen how this shift will affect the market in the long run, but it is clear that HiSilicon is committed to remaining at the forefront of chipset technology.
