Chinese chipmaker gains traction replacing American processors – Longsoon ships 10,000 chips into schools

As China is accelerating its transition to its own computer platforms, local developers of processors are set to benefit. Recently the Hebi city government procured as many as 10,000 computers based on processors from Loongson for 50 schools in the city. The new PCs are not only based on domestic hardware, but they also use homegrown software, according to Weixin.QQ.com. Loongson helped to adjust learning experiences and eventually could ship considerably more CPUs for China’s educational sector.

The 10,000 desktop systems are based on Loongson’s 3A5000-series quad-core processors based on the homegrown LoongArch GS464V instruction set architecture and will be used in the Hebi city and Qi Bin District. These computers run on the domestic UOS operating system and come with a full set of licensed software, including the WPS Office, the Mythware Classroom Management software, as well as 104 applications covering a wide range of educational and management needs, according to the report.

Selling 10,000 CPUs is hardly a big deal for Loongson as this is essentially a relatively small commercial batch of processors. But this is a pilot program that involves 50 schools. If the program achieves its goals and is considered a success then the company will be able to sell considerably more of its CPUs, which will be a big deal. 

In addition to building desktop computers, Loongson has reportedly helped develop educational materials by assisting in the creation of six textbooks based on the latest standards. Loongson has also supplied teaching robots and set up education scenarios in some pilot schools.

Looking ahead, Loongson plans to expand the ‘Hebi Experience’ to more regions across the country, which will provide the company with a plethora of new business opportunities to sell its computer platforms to the educational sector. 

According to a recent Financial Times report, China has begun a policy shift to phase out foreign processors from its government computers and servers. This move is aimed at gradually replacing AMD and Intel processors from PCs used by Chinese government agencies with domestic CPUs, which will decrease sales of American CPUs and increase sales of Chinese CPUs in the government sector.