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Loongson has established itself as a significant entity in China’s semiconductor industry, dedicated to producing domestic chips for over two decades. The company’s mission is to offer cost-effective alternatives to products from Intel and AMD. However, there has traditionally been a considerable performance disparity between Loongson’s CPUs and those manufactured by international competitors.
Recently, Fast Technology reported that Loongson is making substantial efforts to bridge this performance gap. The company is set to unveil a new lineup of fourth-generation CPUs, collectively referred to as the “Three Musketeers.”
The evolution of Loongson’s processors began with its firstintel-core-ultra-200s-cpus-biggest-desktop-refresh/” title=”Unleashing Power: Intel's Core Ultra 200S CPUs Mark a Game-Changing Desktop Refresh After Three Years!”>-generation models: the 3A1000 and 3B1500. This was followed by the second generation featuring the 3A2000 and 3A3000, leading up to the third generation which included models such as the 3A4000, 3A5000, and 3C5000/S/D. The upcoming fourth-generation series will consist of three new chips: the Loongson 3A6000, 3B6000M, and 3C6000.
Tock-Tock2-Tick Development Strategy
The development philosophy at Loongson emphasizes independent research on core intellectual property (IP) aimed at enhancing single-core general-purpose performance. Their strategy mirrors Intel’s previous ‘Tick-Tock’ model—where ’Tick’ signifies process refinement while ‘Tock’ denotes architectural advancements,” according to reports from Fast Technology.
This latest generation adopts an innovative “Tock-Tock2-Tick” methodology that involves two cycles of design enhancements prior to any process iteration. This approach seeks to optimize existing mature processes that are approximately on par with global standards for a 7nm manufacturing node.
The Loongson 3A6000 chip is already available in the market; however, details regarding the specifications of the upcoming 3B6000M remain scarce aside from its planned integration of GPGPU graphics alongside computing cores. Meanwhile, samples for the server-oriented processor known as the 3C6000 have reportedly entered testing phases with expectations for commercial release in Q4 of next year.
An intriguing aspect is that upgraded versions of these Three Musketeers are also under development—the enhanced models being designated as the 3A6600, 3B6600, and 3C6600—marking them as part of what they refer to as their second “Tock.”
The forthcoming model known as the 3B6600 is anticipated for tape-out within early next year; it too will feature GPGPU graphics capabilities similar to those found in its counterpart model.
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