Huawei released desktop computers with their own made cpu in China

[AndreiArgeanu]

Summary

Huawei has already released desktop computers in china with their own Kunpeng 920 cpu's that have 24 cores and AMD graphics, models with up to 64 cores are also expected to be launched.  The CPU is based on Arm's Neoverse N1 (codename Ares) microarchitecture.

 

Quotes

Quote

 

Huawei Qingyun W510 desktop has already launched in China and it’s available for the industry and enterprise businesses. This computer comes with a 24 core Huawei Kunpeng processor and recent information reveals that it comes with HiSilicon’s graphics system.

According to the Huawei official website, the Huawei Quinyung B510 desktop comes in the following variants.

• Kunpeng 920 24-core processor/8gb/512gb/Huawei Hisilicon 1gb graphics + independent display/support WiFi
• Kunpeng 920 24-core processor/8gb x 2/512gb/AMD 1gb + independent display/support WiFi
• Kunpeng 920 24-core Processor/8gb/512gb/AMD 1gb + single display/no WiFi
• Kunpeng 920 24-core processor/8gb/256gb/AMD 1gb + single display/no WiFi
• Kunpeng 920 24-core processor/8gb/512gb/AMD 1gb + single display/support WiFi

To be mentioned, the above-mentioned variants also supports external displays. Furthermore, these desktops come with pre-installed Unity Operating System AKA Unified Operating System (UOS), which is a Chinese Linux distribution based on Deepin Linux.

 

Chinese news outlet IThome received word that Huawei is on the brink if launching the brand's new desktop PC (internally known as Pangu) for the domestic market. The system utilizes a variant of the company's Kunpeng 920, which is also known as the Hi1620. The report claims that the Kunpeng 920 3211K's multi-core performance is slightly better than the Intel Core i9-9900K Coffee Lake processor.

 

The Kunpeng 920, which is based on Arm's Neoverse N1 (codename Ares) microarchitecture, boasts core configurations that span from 24 up to 64 cores, running between 2.4 GHz and 3 GHz. TSMC used to produce Kunpeng 920 for Huawei on its 7nm process node before cutting off all ties with Chinese tech giant due to new U.S. regulations.

 

My thoughts

   It looks like Huawei maybe on its way to recover and potentially become again a player in the market. This may also be the first Apple silicon competitor, though it may be a while before anyone can get their hands on this.

 

Sources

https://www.huaweicentral.com/huaweis-new-desktop-computer-equips-24-core-processor-and-hisilicon-graphics/

https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/news/huaweis-24-core-7nm-kunpeng-920-cpu-allegedly-outmatches-core-i9-9900k-in-multi-core-performance

[dizmo]

Kind of, but not really. It's an ARM chip, so it has that limitation software wise (for now). It's not really surprising it has better multicore performance, as it has significantly more cores. I'd wonder if there's even programs that run on both platforms that provide a decent comparison.

 

Huawei was never that badly off, it simply wasn't going to continue to be the powerhouse that it was. China is an absolutely massive market, and even if they only stayed in their own country, they could do better than most other companies.

 

It'd be nice to see China start to produce it's own tech instead of just copying others.

 

[Senzelian]

I bet that Google is to follow next... 

... unless they cancel it just like they cancel their apps.

 

... and then Samsung.

 

 

And while everything mobile slowly seems to walk away from x86, I wonder where this will leave manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo. Microsoft buys Dell and Google buys Lenovo? Or will they find their own way into ARM and / or a new architecture? Depends on the success of Windows 10X I suppose.

[unsorted]

You would think that a 24-core processor would beat a processor like i9-9900K (with just a third of the cores). So apparently it does.

 

I applaud the Chinese government for moving away from US-based spyware (Windows, Intel Management Engine, AMD PSP). Home-grown backdoors are far more sensible.

 

 

 

 

[AndreiArgeanu]

1 minute ago, unsorted said:

You would think that a 24-core processor would beat a processor like i9-9900K (with just a third of the cores). So apparently it does.

Considering it's their first desktop cpu, it's quite the achievement regardless.

[porina]

1 hour ago, dizmo said:

Kind of, but not really. It's an ARM chip, so it has that limitation software wise (for now).

I think there are two perspectives to this, maybe 3 if you throw in Apple. I suppose we have a kinda chicken-egg type situation here. We have x86 code that runs best on x86 CPUs. So we get x86 CPUs to run x86 code. Repeat. Probably throw in something about Windows in there too.

 

But it isn't like Arm is totally alien. The vast majority of mobile phones have used them for many years. We have OS support like Linux, and people are already familiar with it. However the transition is made, it is not going into the unknown. x86 (both Intel and AMD) really have to up their game to keep up for the long term. 

 

 

Anyway, I think the core count is a distraction for now, and we need to understand the core itself more before trying to extrapolate wider. In a quick search the N1 seems to be closely related to A76 from early 2019, but more recent ARM cores have moved onto A77. The cores were said to be made on TSMC 7nm. If they're not being made there on that process, where are they being made, on what process? Apple's M1 is likely far ahead of this, but between the two I think it raises the pressure on x86 some more.

[CarlBar]

32 minutes ago, porina said:

But it isn't like Arm is totally alien.

 

For corporate space that doesn't actually matter very much, backwards compatibility does, if ARM does take over it's going to take somthing massive happening in corporate space to make it happen, because as long as corporate is running x86 i don't see mainstream desktop shifting.

 

I also don't see this or the M1 having any real significant effect on this, both have niche issues, and this doesn't sound that impressive whilst apple is still only in the ultra low power mobile segment. We've seen this before with Polaris from AMD, worked great at low power, but scaled awfully to the high end.

[williamcll]

I wonder if it's made in SMIC these days. 

[StDragon]

These CPU's aren't for the international market, it's for domestic consumption more than likely.

 

China is one of those nations that's large enough to easily get away with isolating themselves from the rest of the world if they so choose. There's not a single bit of technology they couldn't either reproduce or rediscover to build on their own.

 

So, none of this surprises me in the slightest. They might even create their own 802.11 WiFi spec too while they're at it.

[Salv8 (sam)]

23 hours ago, Senzelian said:

Depends on the success of Windows 10X I suppose.

it's gonna go the way of RT.

it just is.

[Jeppes]

20 hours ago, StDragon said:

These CPU's aren't for the international market, it's for domestic consumption more than likely.

 

China is one of those nations that's large enough to easily get away with isolating themselves from the rest of the world if they so choose. There's not a single bit of technology they couldn't either reproduce or rediscover to build on their own.

 

So, none of this surprises me in the slightest. They might even create their own 802.11 WiFi spec too while they're at it.

Maybe if they get that factory going. These were made in Taiwan so no longer an option for Huawei.

[yian88]

On 12/29/2020 at 12:45 AM, Senzelian said:

I bet that Google is to follow next... 

... unless they cancel it just like they cancel their apps.

 

... and then Samsung.

 

 

And while everything mobile slowly seems to walk away from x86, I wonder where this will leave manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo. Microsoft buys Dell and Google buys Lenovo? Or will they find their own way into ARM and / or a new architecture? Depends on the success of Windows 10X I suppose.

Hopefully we can finally get rid of windows garbage, but thats just a pipe dream of mine, to be able to run lightweight optimized ARM laptop with decent prices with a stable android desktop OS thats lightweight

[RejZoR]

On 12/28/2020 at 11:40 PM, dizmo said:

Kind of, but not really. It's an ARM chip, so it has that limitation software wise (for now). It's not really surprising it has better multicore performance, as it has significantly more cores. I'd wonder if there's even programs that run on both platforms that provide a decent comparison.

 

Huawei was never that badly off, it simply wasn't going to continue to be the powerhouse that it was. China is an absolutely massive market, and even if they only stayed in their own country, they could do better than most other companies.

 

It'd be nice to see China start to produce it's own tech instead of just copying others.

 

HiSilicon did really well before all the US nonsense. Kirin chipsets were pretty amazing and it's a shame their phones just disappeared into nothingness in the West. They really pushed competitors to make better chipsets.

[Mark Kaine]

On 12/28/2020 at 11:45 PM, Senzelian said:

bet that Google is to follow next... 

Google isn't capable of making a CPU, they can't even get app notifications right... 

[Mark Kaine]

On 12/29/2020 at 3:33 AM, StDragon said:

These CPU's aren't for the international market, it's for domestic consumption more than likely.

 

yeah, I mean you're right, that's what it says in the article... only for enterprise and industry tho... kind of odd. 

 

but considering 

 

12 hours ago, Jeppes said:

Maybe if they get that factory going. These were made in Taiwan so no longer an option for Huawei.

we don't even know who where and when these are produced not really surprising... 

 

 

(also I could have sworn there was similar or even the same "news" couple of months ago, so this isn't really news at all... iirc...) 

[Senzelian]

3 hours ago, yian88 said:

Hopefully we can finally get rid of windows garbage, but thats just a pipe dream of mine, to be able to run lightweight optimized ARM laptop with decent prices with a stable android desktop OS thats lightweight

But I like Windows and let's be honest, Android isn't exactly the future.

We will be stuck with Windows for a very long time and I think that in itself is fine, as long as Microsoft will improve it. Maybe Microsoft will even create their own Linux distro. We'll see...

 

2 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

Google isn't capable of making a CPU, they can't even get app notifications right... 

Google is working on them. I'd assume that they will release them together with Fuchsia in either a Pixel phone or a Pixel laptop.

[RTX 3090]

15 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

Android isn't exactly the future.

Btw android is base on linux so it kinda is

[Bombastinator]

On 12/28/2020 at 5:07 PM, unsorted said:

You would think that a 24-core processor would beat a processor like i9-9900K (with just a third of the cores). So apparently it does.

 

I applaud the Chinese government for moving away from US-based spyware (Windows, Intel Management Engine, AMD PSP). Home-grown backdoors are far more sensible.

 

 

 

 

Depends on the cores.  How many “cores” does a gpu have? Even a slow antique gpu? Not infrequently it’s thousands. Those cores won’t be doing the same level of work than a core in a 9900k.  If they were a ten year old cell phone would be faster than any desktop.  A 24 core processor only makes sense if the work can be split amongst the cores.  Running an app where the body of the program runs on 1 thread the thing is going to be very slow no matter how many cores it has. 

[Senzelian]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

Btw android is base on linux so it kinda is

It's too old at this point. Even Google works on a new OS to get rid of it. 

Just because something is based on Linux, doesn't mean its not going to die. 

[dizmo]

9 hours ago, RejZoR said:

HiSilicon did really well before all the US nonsense. Kirin chipsets were pretty amazing and it's a shame their phones just disappeared into nothingness in the West. They really pushed competitors to make better chipsets.

Yeah, their chips (or Huawei's skin, or a combination of both) were very energy efficient; it's definitely one plus their chips had. They were almost untouchable in the battery life department. I think with the rise of Samsung (their newest SoCs are beasts, and finally a threat to Qualcomm) and with Apple moving into the ARM space (though the chance of them selling their chips to be used in anything else is slim to none) competition between the big producers should ramp up.

 

I agree with the US blocking Huawei from the West's 5G infrastructure, and while them blocking certain Chinese companies from using US tech seems somewhat childish, China (a company which arrests innocent people because of their native country's actions, or to gain an upper hand in bargaining talks) would do the exact same thing, if not worse if they had the upper hand.

[And Im Javert]

Noce to see they’re still operating on copying Apple but just face planting on the execution.  

[AndreiArgeanu]

32 minutes ago, And Im Javert said:

Noce to see they’re still operating on copying Apple but just face planting on the execution.  

They're not copying apple, China has been actively working on making their own chips to rely less on other companies way before apple even released Desktop cpu's. They haven't even 'face planted' considering how long they have been making chips for and how well their first attempt at performs.

[Drama Lama]

On 12/28/2020 at 11:45 PM, Senzelian said:

I bet that Google is to follow next... 

maybe the'll make some thin client computer that's always connected to the cloud and if it doesn't sell very good they'll shut it down after 2 years

[And Im Javert]

55 minutes ago, AndreiArgeanu said:

They're not copying apple, China has been actively working on making their own chips to rely less on other companies way before apple even released Desktop cpu's. They haven't even 'face planted' considering how long they have been making chips for and how well their first attempt at performs.

I mean in general. Does the MateBook remind you of anything? 
 

 

Also Huawei have been making their own chips for a while, none have been particularly great and it’s not particularly new. 

[BuckGup]

On 12/28/2020 at 5:07 PM, unsorted said:

You would think that a 24-core processor would beat a processor like i9-9900K (with just a third of the cores). So apparently it does.

 

I applaud the Chinese government for moving away from US-based spyware (Windows, Intel Management Engine, AMD PSP). Home-grown backdoors are far more sensible.

 

 

 

 

It's funny but you are right