The popular Chinese smartphone vendor, Oppo, is pushing forward with its efforts to design its proprietary mobile chipsets. It had initially begun focus on chip development back in 2019 when Huawei was hit with the trade ban. Now, the company is aggressively pushing for the self-made chips after recent sanctions have effectively cutoff Huawei’s chip supply from TSMC.
With the US and China trade disputes on the rise, various companies caught in between the crossfires will have to take precautionary measures. Huawei losing its chip supplier and losing Google support is a clear indication of what the US is capable of enforcing against those it considers a threat. Thus, Oppo is heavily investing in chips to reduce its reliance on US suppliers and expanding its presence in other western regions like Europe.
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However, this major undertaking will come at a hefty cost and could even take Oppo years to achieve. According to sources, the Chinese tech giant is already bringing in top executives from its known chip supplier MediaTek, and UNISOC, which is China’s second largest mobile chip developer. Through this deal, Oppo aims to create an experienced chip team in Shanghai.
MediaTek is the second largest mobile chip developer after the industry giant, Qualcomm, in the US. It is currently based in Taiwan, with Oppo also bringing in its former co-chief operating officer, Jeffery Ju. Additional hires are also said to be underway, with talents being acquired from Qualcomm, Huawei’s HiSilicon, and more.
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(Via)
