China has taken another step toward technological self-sufficiency with the official release of the 3C6000 series CPUs by Loongson Technology.
The newly released CPUs are designed as general-purpose central processing units that compete with global standards. According to the company, these chips rely solely on Loongson’s own instruction set architecture—LoongArch™, a self-developed alternative to foreign ISAs like x86 and ARM. This move distances China from overseas licensing agreements and supply chains, a shift that experts say has critical national security implications.
Loongson confirmed that the performance of the 3C6000 is on par with mainstream international processors available in 2023. Third-party tests cited by Chinastarmarket.cn even compare it to Intel’s 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable Processors, indicating a strong leap in capability.
Zhang Xiaorong, director of the Beijing-based Cutting-Edge Technology Research Institute, emphasized the strategic significance of this milestone. “The debut of the 3C6000 marks a breakthrough for China in the field of high-end general-purpose processors, breaking through foreign technological blockades and monopolies,” he said. The sentiment is echoed across China’s tech policy sphere, with the new chip seen as a cornerstone for safeguarding national information and industrial security.
Alongside the 3C6000, Loongson also introduced additional chips, including the 2K3000 and 3B6000M, aimed at industrial control systems and mobile computing terminals. These launches reflect a broader strategy that goes beyond general-purpose computing. According to Loongson’s chairman, Hu Weiwu, the company has now “systematically mastered the core technologies” necessary for a full stack of processor design, spanning AI chips, graphics processors, and foundational software. This advancement marks what Hu describes as the company’s entry into “a new era” of innovation, with even more powerful next-generation CPUs currently in development.
The LoongArch ISA, which forms the backbone of these new chips, is at the heart of China’s vision for technological independence. At the launch event, Shi Huikang, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, reflected on the country’s former dependence on foreign technology licenses.
“Today, products based on the independently developed LoongArch ISA are rapidly expanding, reflecting a swift enhancement of self-development capabilities,” he said. Shi added that by securing control over its core processor architecture, China has achieved “both quantitative growth and qualitative improvements” across a growing ecosystem of homegrown technologies.
These new processors are designed to handle a wide array of computational scenarios, including general-purpose computing, AI processing, storage management, industrial automation, and workstations. They have already passed rigorous safety and reliability assessments conducted by the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center, earning a Level 2 security certification, the highest possible rating. This distinction confirms that the chips are suitable for use in mission-critical and high-security environments, and some enterprises have already begun deploying them in core business systems.
Chairman Hu Weiwu also stressed that the 3C6000 and other newly launched chips are not just technical achievements but also platforms for broader industry collaboration.
“The Loongson 3C6000 adopts the independently developed LoongArch ISA. This facilitates collaboration with more industry partners to jointly build a self-reliant software and industrial ecosystem,” Hu said.
