Loongson

龙芯中科 / 龙芯 / 龙芯中科技术股份有限公司

A Beijing-based fabless processor designer developing LoongArch CPUs for Chinese domestic systems, providing general-purpose compute that indirectly supports edge and server AI workloads.

SSE: 688047 (STAR Market, A shares)
Profile as of September 14, 2026
#111 in the AsiaAI Tech Index
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Loongson owns a strategically relevant domestic CPU architecture and has a growing product portfolio spanning desktop, industrial, and server compute. However, its smaller scale, recurring losses, high R&D burden, and limited direct AI accelerator exposure constrain its near-term competitiveness.

Key figures

Revenue FY2025: Chinese yuan 635.321 million
Revenue growth FY2025: 25.99%
Operating margin FY2025: Not disclosed
Net income FY2025: Negative Chinese yuan 455.14 million
R&D spend FY2025: Chinese yuan 434.146 million
Capital expenditure FY2025: Not disclosed
Market capitalization Near 2026-09-14: Chinese yuan 39.50 billion Estimate
Total R&D spending (including capitalized) FY2025: Chinese yuan 506.689 million
Information-technology chips revenue FY2025: Chinese yuan 309 million
Granted patents 2025-06-30: 820
3A6000 mainstream-industry shipments By 2025-03-10: Over 1 million units

Overview

Loongson Technology Corporation Limited is a Beijing-based fabless processor designer founded in 2008. It develops proprietary LoongArch CPUs and associated chips for domestic-government IT, security, industrial control, PCs, workstations, and servers. The company generates revenue from processor sales and foundational software-hardware solutions.

Its principal differentiation is its proprietary instruction-set architecture and the software ecosystem it develops around it, giving Chinese government and industrial customers an alternative to x86 and Arm architectures where domestic control and policy alignment matter. The technical asset is broader than a CPU core: customers need compilers, operating-system support, device drivers, middleware, applications, boards, and validated complete systems.

This ecosystem is difficult to copy in its installed base and qualification history, but it does not create the performance and manufacturing advantages held by leading global CPU suppliers. Loongson matters most in the silicon and AI server hardware layers because it supplies a domestic CPU architecture for Chinese systems that prioritize indigenous technology control.

The AI angle

The company's direct AI product exposure is limited. Its server CPUs, such as the 3C6000, 3D6000, and 3E6000, can support general computing in domestic AI-adjacent server deployments. Its workstation, PC, industrial-control, and embedded CPUs can run inference or automation applications at the edge.

However, Loongson does not disclose revenue from AI accelerators, AI training systems, AI cloud services, HBM-related products, or dedicated GPU products. Its AI connection currently runs through customer systems and domestic-compute substitution rather than through a disclosed AI-specific revenue segment. The 3C6000 server CPU is based on LoongArch, uses a 12 nm process, has 32 cores and 64 threads, and provides 844.8 GFLOPs of double-precision peak performance at 2.2 GHz. The related 3D6000 and 3E6000 use LoongLink interconnect and multi-die packaging configurations.

Its first general-purpose GPU, 9A1000, has returned from fabrication, but commercial shipment, architecture, and AI workload performance remain undisclosed. Loongson's AI relevance is primarily indirect: its processors supply general-purpose compute and edge systems that may host AI workloads, rather than leading AI accelerators or hyperscale AI cloud infrastructure.

Technology and moat

Loongson's moat is its proprietary LoongArch instruction-set architecture and the surrounding software ecosystem, which includes compilers, operating-system support, device drivers, middleware, and applications. This ecosystem is difficult to copy in its installed base and qualification history, giving Chinese government, security, and industrial customers an alternative to x86 and Arm architectures where domestic control, source-code visibility, and long-term availability matter.

However, it does not create the performance and manufacturing advantages held by leading global CPU suppliers. The 3C6000 server CPU is manufactured on a 12 nm process, and its 32-core configuration performs roughly alongside Intel's 2021 Xeon Gold 6338. This represents a lag relative to contemporary leading Intel and AMD server platforms in process technology, memory bandwidth, accelerator attachment ecosystems, and hyperscale deployment scale. Loongson held 820 granted patents as of mid-2025, comprising 643 invention patents, alongside software copyrights and integrated-circuit layout-design rights.

Five-pillar assessment

Scale and market position: A prominent domestic CPU supplier for Chinese government and industrial systems, though small globally with FY2025 revenue of Chinese yuan 635.321 million.
Technology and R&D: Proprietary LoongArch architecture and software ecosystem, but lags global leaders with its 12 nm server CPU manufacturing process.
Supply-chain centrality: Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing state capital, but relies on undisclosed external foundries and supply-chain partners.
Financial momentum: Revenue grew 25.99% in FY2025 driven by industrial-control and IT chips, though the company continues to report significant operating losses.
Governance and quality: Listed on the STAR Market with transparent reporting, but features concentrated leadership under a combined Chairman and General Manager and substantial state influence.

Supply chain and relationships

Loongson depends on external semiconductor foundry capacity, wafer fabrication, packaging and testing, memory, electronic components, and EDA tools. Specific foundry, assembly, test, substrate, memory, and EDA suppliers are not disclosed in the FY2025 annual-report summary. This is a material limitation because Loongson designs chips but does not operate a leading-edge wafer fab.

If Loongson stopped shipping, domestic-government and industrial customers that require LoongArch-compatible hardware and software would face qualification and migration costs. On the customer side, named end customers are not disclosed, though its end markets include cybersecurity, office and business information systems, industrial control, IoT, e-government, energy, transport, finance, telecommunications, and education. For general x86-compatible systems, Intel, AMD, Hygon, Zhaoxin, and domestic Arm-based suppliers could replace demand, subject to procurement policy and operating-system support.

Partners

Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of SciencesHistoricalHistorical research origin and indirect institutional shareholder

Competitors

IntelInferredCompetes in desktop and server general-purpose CPUs
AMDInferredCompetes in desktop and server general-purpose CPUs
Hygon Information TechnologyInferredCompetes for Chinese server and domestic-compute procurement
ZhaoxinInferredCompetes for domestic PC and server processor deployments
HuaweiInferredKunpeng Arm server CPUs compete in domestic-compute deployments

Geopolitics and risk

Loongson is exposed to US and allied export controls, which restrict access to advanced semiconductor equipment, EDA tools, manufacturing services, and related intellectual property. Because it is fabless and relies on external wafer fabrication for its 12 nm products, any restriction on leading process capacity or production inputs could constrain its future process migration, design-tool access, and supply-chain flexibility.

Additionally, a regional disruption in the Taiwan Strait could affect fabs, packaging, components, logistics, and equipment supply across East Asian semiconductor chains, even where direct suppliers are not disclosed. The company's reliance on policy-linked domestic markets also creates potential concentration by procurement channel and geographic market, exposing it to domestic-government demand cyclicality and procurement timing.

Risk matrix
Risk	Severity	Why it matters
Advanced-node manufacturing access	High	Fabless model depends on external wafer fabrication, exposing it to restrictions on leading process capacity.
US and allied export controls	High	Restrictions on advanced equipment and EDA can constrain process migration and design-tool access.
Domestic-government demand cyclicality	High	Exposed to procurement timing and policy budgets for party-and-government office demand.
Persistent operating losses	High	Reported a FY2025 net loss of negative Chinese yuan 455.14 million despite revenue growth.
High R&D intensity	High	FY2025 R&D expense was 68.34% of revenue, requiring continuing funding before scale economics.
Software ecosystem adoption	High	LoongArch requires extensive OS, compiler, driver, and application support compared to x86 and Arm.
Competition from x86 and Arm alternatives	Medium	Intel, AMD, Hygon, Zhaoxin, and Huawei offer alternatives with broader ecosystems and scale.
Customer concentration	Medium	Reliance on policy-linked domestic markets creates potential concentration by procurement channel.

Governance and ownership

Loongson is a listed company with mixed founder, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Beijing state-capital influence. It is state-influenced, not wholly state-owned. The largest shareholder is founder-linked Beijing Tiantong Xinyuan Technology at 21.59%, while Beijing China Sciences Suanyuan Assets Management holds 19.35%.

Hu Weiwu serves as both Chairman and General Manager, concentrating board leadership and executive authority. The company is subject to Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market disclosure rules and Chinese securities regulation as a listed A-share issuer.

What to watch

Whether FY2026 revenue exceeds FY2025's Chinese yuan 635.321 million while the company narrows or eliminates its operating loss.
Whether the 3C6000, 3D6000 and 3E6000 achieve disclosed mass shipments or production deployments beyond product-launch claims.
Whether the 9A1000 general-purpose GPU reaches commercial qualification and discloses its architecture and AI workload performance.
Whether the 3B6600 moves from tape-out to volume shipment and improves edge-system competitiveness.
Whether the planned Chinese yuan 2.30 billion private-placement proposal proceeds.
Whether export-control developments affect Loongson's access to foundry capacity, EDA tools, packaging, and memory.

Recent developments

August 28, 2026The company reports that its first general-purpose GPU, 9A1000, has returned from fabrication and 9A1000 MPW tape-out succeeded.
April 29, 2026Loongson releases FY2025 results, reporting revenue of Chinese yuan 635.321 million and a net loss.
June 26, 2025Loongson launches the 3C6000 server processor family at its 2025 product launch and user conference in Beijing.
March 10, 2025Loongson states that mainstream-industry shipments of the 3A6000 exceed 1 million units.

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About this profile

Compiled with AI-assisted research from company filings, market data, and published reporting as of September 14, 2026, then reviewed by AsiaAI.FYI. Figures marked Estimate are not company-reported. Check primary filings before relying on any number.

Confidence: B. Audited and company-reported FY2025 revenue and patent data are strong, but named customers, suppliers, fab partners, and AI-specific revenue are not disclosed.

Main sources: Loongson annual-report disclosures; Shanghai Stock Exchange filings; Company product and news pages; Market-data sources.

All 83 sources

Position in the AI stack

Supplies general-purpose LoongArch processors for Chinese PCs, industrial systems, and servers that can host AI-adjacent workloads rather than leading AI accelerators.

Legal name: Loongson Technology Corporation Limited
Headquarters: Beijing, People's Republic of China
Founded: 2008
Founders: Hu Weiwu / 胡伟武
Leadership: Hu Weiwu / 胡伟武, Chairman and General Manager
Employees: 977
Ownership: Publicly listed
Listings: SSE: 688047 (STAR Market, A shares)
Business: Fabless general-purpose CPU designer
Sector: Chip Design
Website: loongson.cn