'AI' and 'AI PC' are, of course, two big buzzwords these days — and not only in the U.S. and Europe, but also in China, where openKylin just released what it's calling an operating system for AI PCs. OpenKylin is an open source OS based on Linux and maintained by the OpenKylin community, which is backed by a number of Chinese companies including Hygon and Phytium. Clearly, Chinese PC makers are interested in getting in on the AI PC craze — but Windows remains China's most-used OS.
The new version of openKylin launched Sunday, and is "deeply" integrated with AI, featuring support for on-device large language models (LLMs), an AI-assistant, and text-to-image generation, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
OpenKylin wants to get in on the AI PC trend, which has been driven by hope that AI applications will reinvigorate demand for PCs. The company says that AI integration is designed to boost "productivity and user experience" for those using domestic operating systems. AI PCs are generally equipped with advanced processors capable of running generative AI tasks locally — instead of having to rely on cloud processing. It's unclear how the OS is supposed to accelerate AI workloads, and also whether it can take advantage of a CPU's built-in AI capabilities.
Also, while Microsoft's Copilot+-badged PCs require neural processing units capable of handling at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), it's not clear whether openKylin has any performance requirements for CPUs or NPUs.
PC maker Lenovo sees China as a unique market for AI PCs due to its data-localization requirements, so openKylin might be correct in assuming it can get big in China with AI capabilities. On Monday, China's state-run newspaper, Science and Technology Daily, described the AI-enhanced version of openKylin as "secure, stable, and controllable." This is because, unlike Windows, openKylin is developed entirely in China by 3,876 developers from 271 different companies.
OpenKylin resembles Microsoft Windows, and is part of China's effort to decrease its dependence on foreign operating systems (and American technology in general). This initiative has been ongoing for a while, and was given an extra boost by the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China.
Despite these efforts, home-grown operating systems have struggled to gain significant traction and Windows remains the dominant operating system in China with nearly 80% of the market as of June 2024, according to StatCounter.
