No More MariSilicon? OPPO Is Shutting Down Its Custom Chip Unit.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
tl; Dr.
- OPPO has confirmed that it is shutting down its chip development division.
- The company cited "uncertainty" in the global economy and the smartphone market.
- The company added that the change will not affect devices that use the MariSilicon X chip.
OPPO entered the custom chipset in 2021 after announcing the MariSilicon X imaging NPU that comes with the Find X5 series and several other phones. The company then released its MariSilicon Y Bluetooth audio chip, but there was also bad news about the company's efforts to develop the chip.
OPPO has confirmed to the Android Authority that it has closed its ZEKU chip development division, which is responsible for manufacturer custom chips.
Due to the uncertainty in the global economy and the smartphone industry, OPPO has had to make difficult adjustments for long-term growth. Therefore, the company has decided to discontinue ZEKU operations.
The confirmation follows the news that the chip development division has been shut down.
“This change will no longer affect devices using MariSilicon X,” the company said in an emailed response to a request. This means that any new device that might include the MariSilicon X chip will still be able to use it.
We assume this disruption means we won't see any new MariSilicon chips. We've asked the company to clarify what this news means for its future embedded chips, but have yet to hear back.
OPPO has relied heavily on the MariSilicon X chip, integrating it into its Find and Reno lines of smartphones. The hybrid AI and image processing chip offers powerful noise reduction, resulting in better photos and videos in low-light conditions. The chip supports live viewfinder preview and enhanced 4K HDR video. Still, we thought the MariSilicon-powered Find X6 Pro delivered fantastic visuals in the short time we spent with the device. So OPPO has to do something.
Brands like Google, vivo and Xiaomi are also said to be introducing custom chips for image processing and/or machine learning for differentiation.
