May 18, 2024 – China Mobile has recently made a significant procurement of over 5,000 Shenwei servers, highlighting its commitment to supporting domestic technology development. The acquisition showcases China’s growing emphasis on fostering domestic technology and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.
Shenwei, a domestic high-performance computing company, has long been focused on the field of high-performance computing. Its servers, equipped with Shenwei processors, have demonstrated impressive performance. The Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer, powered by Shenwei processors, was ranked among the top 500 supercomputers in the world for many years. The Sunway OceanLight is another Shenwei-powered supercomputer that has maintained a low profile, with its current performance likely ranking second in the world.
The recent win by Shenwei in the China Mobile tender is a testament to the company’s shift from supercomputing to server development. The servers in this procurement are powered by the Shenwei 3231 chip, which features 32 cores. According to previous technical presentations, the Shenwei 3231 should be of the same generation as the Shenwei 1621 CPU core, with performance roughly equivalent to the ARM Cortex-A72. The Shenwei 3232, on the other hand, represents an updated core with performance roughly equivalent to the ARM Cortex-A76. However, it’s possible that previous technical presentations are outdated, and that the Shenwei 3231 was abandoned, with the originally named Shenwei 3232 now referred to as the Shenwei 3231.
The development of domestic server CPUs has taken two distinct paths. The first is the technology import route, which involves importing X86 and ARM technologies, with reference to mature overseas technologies. The advantage of this approach is a high starting point and a mature X86 and ARM ecosystem. However, the downside is the risk of becoming trapped in repeated imports, with a limited development ceiling as an important player in the X86 and ARM camps and the need to pay patent fees to foreign companies, such as ARM, which discloses in its IPO filing that 38% of its revenue comes from China.
The other route is the autonomous route, which involves designing CPUs based on an indigenous instruction set. The disadvantage of this approach is the need to build an ecosystem independently, without the ability to purchase foreign CPU cores and with all core IPs developed in-house. The advantage is a strong development momentum and a high development ceiling, with high autonomy and reliability and no need to pay patent fees to foreign companies. If successful and widely promoted in China, there is hope that it can displace Intel, Microsoft, and ARM from the Chinese market.
The procurement of Shenwei servers by China Mobile fully demonstrates the responsibility of state-owned enterprises to support autonomous technology, providing a good application platform and growth ladder for autonomous technology.
This move by China Mobile is not just a procurement decision but a strategic choice that reflects the country’s commitment to fostering domestic technology and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers. It is a significant step towards achieving technological independence and strengthening the country’s competitiveness in the global market.
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