Xiaomi set to launch self-developed smartphone chip XRING 01 to compete with Apple, Huawei

Xiaomi is preparing to launch the XRING 01, its first in-house smartphone chipset, later this month, marking a major step forward in the company’s long-term ambition to reduce reliance on third-party chipmakers and strengthen its hardware ecosystem.

The announcement was made by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun on Chinese social media platform Weibo. While he did not disclose technical details, he confirmed that the XRING 01 will debut in China by the end of May 2025. The chip has been fully designed and developed by Xiaomi’s internal semiconductor division.

According to a Reuters report, sources familiar with the matter have mentioned that the XRING 01 is built on ARM architecture and manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using its advanced 3-nanometre process. This puts the chip on par with the most cutting-edge mobile processors in terms of fabrication technology.

Xiaomi’s re-entry into mobile chip development comes seven years after the Surge S2 project, which was ultimately shelved in favour of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform. Since then, the company has shifted its focus to developing other in-house silicon, such as the Surge P series for fast charging, G series for power management, T series for signal enhancement, and D series display processors.

The XRING 01 marks Xiaomi’s renewed attempt to compete with tech giants like Apple, Google, Huawei, and Samsung, all of which have successfully integrated their own chips into high-end devices. Industry tipster Digital Chat Station suggests that the XRING 01 could be manufactured within a 5nm process and noted that early tests exceeded expectations, even claiming the chip may outperform the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in certain scenarios.

The XRING 01 is a critical milestone for Xiaomi’s ambition to build a vertically integrated hardware ecosystem. Analysts also suggest that the proprietary silicon could benefit Xiaomi’s growing electric vehicle (EV) business by allowing for deeper hardware-software optimisation across its product range.

Xiaomi has not yet revealed which smartphone model will be the first to feature the XRING 01, but further announcements are expected soon as the company gears up for the late May launch.