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China’s push for semiconductor self-reliance reached a new milestone with the successful “boot up” of its first homegrown 6nm graphics processing unit (GPU) that could compete with Nvidia’s RTX 4060.
According to reports from Lisuan Technology, founded in 2021 by veterans from Silicon Valley’s GPU industry, the G100 aims for performance parity with Nvidia’s RTX 4060. This is a bold claim for a first-generation product from a relatively new player in the highly competitive GPU market, dominated by giants like Nvidia and AMD.
The G100 is reportedly fabricated on a 6nm process. Due to U.S. export restrictions, it’s highly likely that SMIC, China’s most advanced foundry, is responsible for its manufacturing.
Unlike some other Chinese GPU efforts that might rely on licensed IP, the G100 is said to be built on Lisuan’s in-house “TrueGPU” architecture, indicating a clean-slate design. This commitment to indigenous design is crucial for true self-reliance.
The company’s official WeChat announcement states that the G100 supports modern graphics APIs, including DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6. This suggests that the GPU is being designed with gaming and general-purpose GPU (GPGPU) workloads in mind, which are critical for broader adoption. While full specifications are still under wraps, Lisuan has hinted at “generous onboard memory” and “reasonable” power consumption.
Lisuan Technology’s journey has not been without its difficulties. The company initially aimed for a 2023 launch but faced financial and supply-chain hurdles, even nearing bankruptcy last year. A significant financial injection of $27.7 million from its parent company, Dongxin Semiconductor, allowed development to continue.
With the first chips now operational, the G100 is entering the crucial phases of hardware validation, driver integration, and risk-trial production. Lisuan expects early production samples to reach partners by the end of the year, with tentative mass production scheduled for 2026, assuming no major setbacks.
