Loongson

Loongson () is the name of a family of general-purpose, MIPS architecture-compatible microprocessors, as well as the name of the Chinese fabless company (Loongson Technology) that develops them. The processors are alternately called Godson processors, which are described as its academic name. The Godson processors, based on MIPS architecture, were initially developed at the Institute of Computing Technology (ICT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The chief architect was zh. The development of the first Loongson chip was started in 2001. The aim of the Godson project was to develop "high performance general-purpose microprocessors in China", and to become technologically self-sufficient as part of the Made in China 2025 plan. The development was supported by funding via the 10th and 11th Five-Year Plans. In 2010 the company was commercialised as a separate entity, and in April 2010 Loongson Technology Corporation Limited was formally established and settled in Zhongguancun, Beijing, China. The company is a public–private partnership between ICT and Beijing-based chip designer BLX IC Design Corporation. BLX itself was a spin-off from ICT, and was founded in 2002 with Jiangsu Zhongyi Group. As Loongson is a fabless designer, STMicroelectronics fabricates and markets the processors. The South China Morning Post reported that since 2020, Loongson has partnered with UnionTech and Sunway to develop and promote the Debian Linux-based Deepin operating system to reduce Chinese computers dependency on Microsoft Windows. In 2021, Loongson filed for an initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market. The company was seeking to raise US$500 million. Details from this time suggested Loongson needing annual funding, for the first 10 years of its existence, and the company only broke even in 2015. In March 2023, the United States Department of Commerce added Loongson to the Bureau of Industry and Security's Entity List for acquisition of American technology to support the People's Liberation Army (PLA).