One of the most popular Chinese makers of home appliances and the world's largest residential air-conditioner manufacturer, Gree Electric, has just announced that its six-year quest for an in-house-developed and manufactured processor has reached a positive outcome. Sadly, the details surrounding this chip and its purpose remain in the shadows for the time being.
According to Gree Electric's chairwoman, Dong Mingzhu, this new processor is "a significant milestone in our journey towards technological self-sufficiency," and, based on the reasons behind the company's decision to enter this area of the market, it is most likely that the chip targets air conditioning systems and other appliances.
Back in 2018, Gree established a subsidiary that would design chips for air conditioners due to the fact that the company was spending roughly $550 million annually on such chips made by others. This year, the company announced its plans to construct a chip factory in March. This factory was expected to start production in June. Although the production starting date might have been delayed (this information is not public), it is certain that Gree Electric is now on the list of self-reliant Chinese chip makers. Remains to see how long it will take for them to challenge Intel and AMD on the global market, if that would happen anytime in the foreseeable future.
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