Chinese MIPS rival to Intel and AMD is set to launch a 128-core server CPU to compete in the crowded market – EPYC and Xeon fans needn’t worry for now, but keep an eye on the NVLink-like technology
Despite US trade restrictions aimed at keeping advanced chips and chip-making equipment out of China, domestic semiconductor production there remains impressive.
Loongson recently informed investors that the first samples of the Loongson 3C6000/3D6000/3E6000 series server-grade processors have been successfully returned and “meet expectations”. In line with the roadmap, the release is on track for Q4 2024.
Loongson claims that the 3C6000 design, a single chip with 16 cores and 32 threads, significantly improves the price-performance ratio of its server CPUs.
Loongson coherent link
The chip features a hexa-issue LA664 processor core, which Loongson claims doubles overall processing performance compared to the previous-generation 3C5000.
In addition, it features DDR4-3200 4×4 RAM, which greatly increases memory bandwidth compared to its predecessor. The PCIe 4.0 x64 interface also greatly improves IO performance compared to the 3C5000. The 3C6000 supports high-speed national encryption standard calculations, with SM3 encryption bandwidth of over 20Gbps.
Loongson’s 3D6000 features two 3C6000 chips connected via “Loongson Coherent Link” technology, creating a 32-core/64-thread processor, while the 3E6000 connects four 3C6000 chiplets for 64 cores and 128 threads. Chiplet architectures are increasingly being recognized as the future of microprocessors, and China is no different.
Similar to Nvidia’s NVLink and AMD’s Infinity Fabric (or the recently announced UALink), Coherent Link technology enables core cache coherent interconnects between multiple devices, virtualizing all resources and enabling dynamic device and chip allocation. Loongson says the technology is compatible with common hardware ecosystems and PCIE electrical standards, and supports interconnection and upgrading from 1 to 8 chips.
While there is no independent verification of the 3C6000’s performance, Loongson continues to make impressive strides within regulatory constraints. By leveraging its own MIPS-based LoongArch ISA and domestic Chinese fabs, the company may not be challenging EPYC and Xeon chips outright, but the gap is closing.
