China’s Hygon moves beyond data centres with embedded processors for robotics, edge AI

Chinese chipmaker Hygon Information Technology unveiled its Hygon 1000 series processors on Tuesday, marking a shift from cloud computing to the burgeoning market of embedded processors for robotics and industrial edge devices. The four-core, eight-thread CPU utilizes the firm's x86-compatible C86 architecture and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory.

Positioned as the company's smallest chips to date, the Hygon 1000 series features embedded graphics capabilities and is priced between US$40 and US$80. Hygon's CEO, Sha Chaoqun, emphasized the company's expansion into physical AI applications, stating, "AI will not only run in data centres, but will increasingly operate in the physical world, from factories and power stations to railway transport and medical devices."

Unlike data centre processors, edge AI chips must prioritize real-time processing, low power consumption, and security in unpredictable environments. The new chips are part of Hygon's ongoing push to meet the growing demand for AI integration in industrial robotics and smart manufacturing. The Shanghai-listed chipmaker is also contributing to Beijing's self-sufficiency drive in semiconductors, which faces US restrictions.

Hygon's current CPU product lines include the 7000 series, 5000 series, and 3000 series, with plans to release a next-generation 1000 series by 2027, doubling computing performance.