Loongson Technology

Loongson Technology is a Chinese computer chip manufacturer founded in March 2008 with the support of the Institute of Computing Technologies, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The company is developing the first Chinese Loongson processor, which is also known as Godson. In August 2011, Loongson Technology received licenses from MIPS Technologies to use MIPS32 and MIPS64 architectures.

History

2023

The first Russian OS compatible with Chinese Loongarch processors has been released

The first Russian operating system compatible with Loongarch processors has been released (developed by the Chinese company Loongson Technology). We are talking about the Alt platform developed by BASEALT. The press service of the latter spoke about the new project on November 16, 2023. Read more here.

Return to the Russian market

On October 9, 2023, it became known that the Russian company Norsi-Trans is organizing the production of servers, storage systems, desktops and laptops based on Chinese Loongson processors. The partner in this project is the developer of BASEALT, which adapts its Alt operating system to the named chips.

Loongson, founded in 2002 by the Academy of Sciences, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA designs processors based on the LoongArch architecture compatible ON with the x86 and Arm platforms. At the end of 2022, the Chinese authorities banned the supply of Loongson processors Russia due to the fact that the technology is recognized as "strategically important and used in the military-industrial complex." China In addition, the export restrictions were caused by Loongson's concerns about possible sanctions from the outside. USA However, in March 2023, Loongson was American included in the sanctions list, and against this background, the company decided to resume shipping its products to the Russian market.

Norsi-Trans organizes the production of servers, storage systems, desktops and laptops based on Chinese Loongson processors

According to Kommersant the newspaper "," Norsi-Trans purchased approximately 100 Loongson processors, on which a test batch of equipment will be released. Executive Director Consortium of Russian Storage Developers (RosStorage) Oleg Emeralrudov clarified that we are talking about 12-nm Loongson 5000 series chips, which are comparable in performance Intel to the tenth generation Core i5. Norsi-Trans plans to supply equipment with Chinese processors to state and corporate customers. The equipment will be included in the Russian register. electronic engineers Ministry of Industry and Trade

It is noted that devices based on Loongson chips will also be produced by Promobit, which sells computing equipment under the Bitblaze brand. In the current geopolitical environment, Loongson products will become an alternative to AMD and Intel processors, which are delivered to Russia through parallel imports.^[1]

2022: Ban on the supply of processors to Russia

On December 13, 2022, it became known about the ban imposed by the Chinese government on the supply of Loongson processors based on LoongArch's own architecture to Russia and other countries. The decision is due to the fact that the technology is recognized as strategically important and is used in the military-industrial complex of the PRC.

According to Kommersant, citing a source close to the Ministry of Digital Development, Russian electronics manufacturers have already tested these chips, but now it will not be possible to purchase a batch of these processors.

China has banned the supply of processors to Russia by the state-owned company Loongson, created to compete with Intel and AMD

Although Russian companies were not very dependent on Chinese processors, with the theoretical blocking of parallel imports, they hoped to switch to Loongson solutions, the source added.

Vitaly Mankevich, chairman of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RASPP), says that RASPP "has many ways to purchase such goods through third countries and smaller companies." He drew attention to the fact that all large Chinese companies that depend on the world market, in any case, try not to advertise supplies to Russia.

Maxim Koposov, director of Promobit, noted that it is unlikely that at least one mass project using Loongson chips has begun in Russia, so he sees no damage right now. In addition, the expert suggested that the ban would be formal, because it is still possible to buy laptops and motherboards based on the Loongson chip, including through AliExpress.

A source Kommersant in the electronics market also noted that in order to establish the production of equipment for the Russian market, it is much easier and safer to use processors. Intel

In addition, in terms of its technological characteristics, Chinese components, although ahead of Russian ones, still do not reach the American ones, "he explained.[2]

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