Chinese rival of Intel and AMD commits to matching performance with a trio of processors dubbed the Three Musketeers.

Loongson, a prominent chip manufacturer in China, has been developing domestic processors for over 22 years, aiming to provide affordable alternatives to Intel and AMD products. Throughout its history, a significant performance gap between its native CPUs and those from other regions has been evident. However, it has been reported that Loongson has been working hard to close this gap and is ready to launch a new series of fourth-generation CPUs, known as "The Three Musketeers."

Loongson's first chips included the 3A1000 and 3B1500, followed by the second generation with the 3A2000 and 3A3000, and then the third generation encompassing the 3A4000, 3A5000, and 3C5000/S/D. The new generation consists of the Loongson 3A6000, 3B6000M, and 3C6000 models.

Loongson's development strategy is based on independently researching core intellectual property, which enhances single-core performance for general use. The company has adopted a similar approach to Intel's old 'Tick-Tock' method, where 'Tick' refers to process iteration and 'Tock' to design and architecture optimization. For this new generation, Loongson has implemented an approach called "Tock-Tock2-Tick," which involves performing "two rounds of design optimizations before a process iteration," aiming to maximize performance using matured processes, which are approximately comparable to 7nm internationally.

The Loongson 3A6000 is already available, but there is little information about the 3B6000M, except that it will feature cores for graphics and GPGPU computing. On the other hand, the server processor 3C6000 is in sample testing phase and is expected to be available for commercialization in the fourth quarter of 2024. Interestingly, Loongson has developed enhanced versions of "The Three Musketeers": the 3A6600, 3B6600, and 3C6600 models, which are part of the second phase of "Tock."

It has been reported that the 3B6600, scheduled for production in the first half of next year, will also integrate GPGPU cores for graphics and computing, similar to the 3B6000M. Loongson's new fourth-generation CPUs will include high-speed PCIe interfaces, allowing connections to dedicated graphics cards, network cards, RAID cards, among other devices, as well as a lightweight southbridge connected via PCIe.