AsianFin -- Chinese chipmaker Loongson Technology launched its 3C6000 series server CPUs in Beijing on June 26, marking a major leap in the country’s push for self-reliance in semiconductors.
Built on the company’s proprietary LoongArch instruction set, the chips eliminate reliance on foreign licenses and supply chains and are positioned as performance rivals to Intel's third-generation Xeon processors.
The 3C6000 series, supporting up to 128 cores and 256 threads, completed tape-out earlier this year. The flagship 3C6000/Q reportedly outperforms Intel’s 40-core Xeon Platinum 8380, while other variants match the performance of 16- and 32-core Xeon chips from 2021. Loongson claims the overall performance of the series is competitive with mainstream server CPUs released globally in 2023.
More than 40 domestic manufacturers have rolled out systems and solutions based on the 3C6000 lineup, which targets applications ranging from general-purpose and AI computing to storage and industrial control. The company also introduced the 2K3000 and 3B6000M chips for industrial and mobile scenarios.
Loongson Chairman Hu Weiwu emphasized the company’s "threefold independence" strategy: owning the instruction set, IP cores, and production processes. "The fundamental solution to China’s information technology bottlenecks is to build a third independent ecosystem, outside of x86 and Arm," he said. Loongson's new fifth-generation LA864 microarchitecture, built on a 10nm-class process, delivers performance comparable to a 7nm x86 core.
The launch also marks progress in Chiplet interconnects, with the firm’s proprietary LoongLink technology pitched as a rival to NVIDIA's NVLink and Samsung's CXL.
In parallel, Loongson is developing a next-generation GPGPU chip, 9A3000, with performance potentially 3–5 times higher than its first-gen **LG100**, which is already in mass production.
Despite ongoing R&D losses—net losses reached 151 million yuan in Q1 2025 even as revenue grew 4.13% to 125 million yuan—Loongson is doubling down on innovation and market expansion.
The launch event brought together 48 firms including Inspur, ZTE, Lenovo Kaitian, and iSoft, all of which announced new products using the 3C6000 series. Many of these emphasize 100% domestically produced core components and target critical infrastructure sectors.
Shi Huikang, deputy director at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said LoongArch represents a strategic breakthrough: "Key core technologies can’t be bought or begged for. They must be developed through self-reliance."
Loongson, which listed on Shanghai’s STAR Market in 2022, aims to reshape China’s digital infrastructure. Haidian district officials reported that local integrated circuit firms saw 20% revenue growth year-on-year in the first five months of 2025, citing Loongson as a model for indigenous innovation.
"China’s chip industry must move beyond survival," said Hu. "We are on the hard road to build a fully independent and globally competitive tech ecosystem. The payoff will be enormous."
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