Loongson’s 9A1000 GPU Nears Tape-Out, Designed for Entry-Level Workloads in China

Renowned Chinese CPU producer Loongson is gearing up to make a significant foray into the graphics processing unit (GPU) arena. The company is set to tape out its inaugural GPU chip, known as the 9A1000, in the upcoming months.

Loongson’s Debut GPU Marks a Key Milestone but Faces Stiff Competition

The domestic market in China is rapidly evolving, with an increasing demand for local alternatives that fulfill consumer needs. Loongson is seizing this moment to dive into the GPU sector, capitalizing on the momentum behind ‘Made in China’ technology, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence. The 9A1000’s tape-out is anticipated to occur in the third quarter of this year.

According to a report from ITHome, the 9A1000 will debut as Loongson’s first GPU, although details about its successor, the 9A2000, remain elusive. Preliminary insights suggest that the 9A1000 will support OpenGL 4.0 and OpenCL ES 3.2 APIs, promising respectable performance metrics. Notably, the tape-out process has indicated a remarkable up to 5x increase in performance, coupled with a 70% reduction in power consumption under load.

Loongson Technology presents 9A1000 at a 2025 product launch conference, with detailed GPU specs on a screen. — Image Credits: ITHome

Despite these optimistic specifications, the 9A1000 is anticipated to struggle against established competitors, specifically AMD’s Radeon RX 550, which is nearly eight years old. Even though the launch of the 9A1000 represents Loongson’s entry into the GPU market, it starkly highlights how far behind the company is in the race against prominent brands. Future iterations like the 9A2000 and 9A3000 are planned, but timelines for their release remain uncertain.

Historically, China’s efforts to create competitive consumer GPUs have faced hurdles, particularly in efforts to replace dominant players like NVIDIA and AMD. Nevertheless, there are signs of progress, as exemplified by products like the Lisuan G100, the first 6nm GPU developed in China.

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