China’s tech giant Xiaomi has successfully completed the tape-out of its first 3nm system-on-chip (SoC), marking a significant milestone for the company and China's domestic semiconductor industry. The announcement was made by Tang Jianguo, Chief Economist of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, on October 20 during a broadcast on Beijing Satellite TV. This breakthrough signifies Xiaomi’s continued effort to develop high-performance smartphone chips and represents a leap in China’s ability to produce advanced semiconductors.

The 3nm SoC developed by Xiaomi is expected to integrate ARM's latest Cortex-X925 super-core CPU, which boasts a 36% improvement in single-threaded performance over previous flagship models. Additionally, it is likely to feature the Immortalis-G925 GPU, which promises a 37% boost in graphics performance and supports advanced gaming and ray-tracing capabilities. This cutting-edge technology is anticipated to rival the performance of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek's Dimensity 9300.

However, while Xiaomi has achieved significant progress with the 3nm SoC, it faces challenges in developing 5G modems due to the technical complexity and patent restrictions involved. Xiaomi is likely to rely on external partners, such as MediaTek or Unisoc, for integrating 5G connectivity into its upcoming devices.

Xiaomi’s achievement is being seen as a potential game-changer in the global semiconductor landscape, with speculation that this breakthrough could help other Chinese companies, such as Huawei, gain access to advanced chips despite U.S. trade sanctions.

While detailed specifications of the SoC’s CPU clusters and fabrication process are yet to be confirmed, Xiaomi’s 3nm chip is expected to debut in the company's next-generation smartphones, positioning it as a direct competitor in the high-end market.

The broader implications of Xiaomi’s 3nm chip success reflect the evolving landscape of China’s semiconductor industry, which has faced significant challenges due to restrictions on accessing EUV lithography. Industry insiders speculate that Xiaomi’s ability to tape out the 3nm SoC, possibly using TSMC's N3E process, is a sign of progress and resilience within China’s tech sector.