Loongson - the Chinese chipmaker gunning for Intel and AMD - has joined the cosmic competition (literally) as its chips are now available in space. ITHome reports that China's latest Tianzhou-8 spacecraft was packaged with a space-based system powered by Loongson processors - reportedly fabbed using an unnamed "advanced" process node. This cargo spacecraft delivered six tons of supplies and materials to the Tiangong Space Station and successfully docked within three hours of flight.
The new space-computing platform was dispatched via the Tianzhou-8 payload and successfully installed on docking with the Tiangong Space Station. This is a major step forward for China as it looks to achieve self-sufficiency in the semiconductor realm. A domestic and locally produced chip mitigates the risks associated with foreign supply and reduces China's dependence on Western hardware.
