China’s demand that the public sector step up use of domestic semiconductors can best be seen within Huawei’s Qingyun L540 laptop.

The “safe and reliable” device features a self-designed processor and a Chinese-made operating system, having stripped out foreign-made components and software as much as possible.

The computer, which is being snapped up by governments and state groups across the country, has become the signature model of China’s localization campaign known as Xinchuang, or “IT application innovation.”

Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/huawei-laptop-teardown-shows-chinas-steps-towards-tech-self-sufficiency/

  • itsmect
    266·
    3 months ago

    None of the high end chips were made in Chinese fabs, and the device barely qualifies as a “laptop” besides the form factor. For some bizarre reason they used a USB5744 USB 3.2 5Gb/s hub chip, which tells me the following:

    • Their CPU doesn’t even have multiple USB3 interfaces
    • Their CPU doesn’t even have a single 10GB/s USB interface, which has been standard for may years
    • They don’t really care about using local parts only, because they have alternative products like the GL3590

    Unless We get better close up tear down photos, this devices primary purpose is propaganda

    • IrritableOcelot@beehaw.org
      41·
      3 months ago

      Yeah that was my reaction…chip design is the “easy” part of the creation of a new chip, and the fact that it the CPU was of course fabbed in Taiwan is a sign of just how much ground Chinese fabs still have to cover. And relying entirely on SK Hynix NAND and memory says a lot.