ARM's Controversial Claims vs. Xiaomi's Xuanjie Chip: The Real Story Behind Semiconductor Self-Reliance

May 28, 2025

ARM's controversial claims against Xiaomi's new 3nm Xuanjie O1 chip are raising eyebrows in Silicon Valley. When Xiaomi's latest chip benchmarked close to Apple's A18 Pro, ARM described the Xuanjie O1 as a "chip based on ARM CSS (Custom Services)" in its press release, raising widespread skepticism. However, ARM subsequently republished its press release on the official website, revising the previous "Custom Silicon" description and confirming that the Xuanjie O1 was independently developed by Xiaomi. While Xiaomi's chip uses ARM's standard CPU and GPU IP licensing, the critical multi-core architecture and backend physical implementation were meticulously crafted by Xiaomi's team—representing genuine autonomous development. Even after ARM's correction, public skepticism persisted.

arm, xiaomi, semiconductor