Xiaomi plans yearly smartphone chip release, AI assistant for overseas
Xiaomi’s flagship smartphone with Xiaomi 17 Pro Max rear display was showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on March 3, 2026.
Joan Cros | Nurfoto | Getty Images
BARCELONA — Xiaomi The company’s President, Lu Weibing, told CNBC that it plans to release a new smartphone processor chip every year, underlining the company’s desire to expand into more advanced technology areas.
In a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday, Lu also said Xiaomi is preparing to launch its own AI assistant for overseas markets.
Last year, Xiaomi launched the XRing O1, a system-on-chip (SoC) based on an advanced 3-nanometer manufacturing process. Very few smartphone manufacturers design their own SoCs that power the devices they’re built into.
Apple It has A-series chips, while Samsung has the Exynos branding. Other smartphone manufacturers rely on SoCs from companies such as: Qualcomm And MediaTek.
“This is our first chip product. Going forward, we should probably release an annual upgrade,” Lu told CNBC at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
The annual upgrade to the SoC is a major undertaking keeping up with Apple, which usually releases a new A chip every year. The chip will debut in a device to be released in China later this year, and will eventually appear in phones the company sells abroad, Lu said.
Lu’s comments differ from those made by Xiaomi Vice President Xu Fei in September, when he told CNBC that the company could not promise to release a new one every year.
A custom SoC will allow Xiaomi to tightly integrate its hardware with its software to differentiate from competing products. Xiaomi has developed its own Android-based mobile operating system called HyperOS.
International artificial intelligence assistant
In China, Xiaomi’s devices feature an artificial intelligence assistant called Xiao AI, built on artificial intelligence models developed in-house.
Xiao AI focuses primarily on Xiaomi’s products in China. But Lu told CNBC that the company is preparing to release an AI assistant for international markets as it launches its electric vehicles overseas. It was previously rumored that it would be in Europe in 2027.
“When our cars hit international markets, you will see our AI agents coming with it,” Lu said.
Lu said Xiaomi will likely try to partner with Google to use Gemini models for its own AI assistant as well as for its AI assistant abroad.
Other smartphone manufacturers have taken a similar approach. While Samsung relies heavily on Google Gemini, it integrates different AI models and offerings into its devices.
Lu said Xiaomi aims to use the artificial intelligence assistant in smartphones and cars.
Last year, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said the company would invest at least 50 billion yuan ($6.9 billion) in its own chip development over the next 10 years.
Lu said that the Beijing-based company plans to combine the XRing O1 chip, HyperOS operating system and artificial intelligence assistant in a single device for the first time this year.
“It will be in the Chinese market first, but eventually we would like to introduce them to overseas markets as well,” he added.
