Why are there more mobile phone CPU brands than computers?

The progress of CPU production for PCs in China has disappointed many netizens who had high expectations for it, while the development speed of mobile phone CPUs has made people wonder: why there are so many mobile phone CPU manufacturers in China, but only two or three companies for computers?

Why are there only two companies, Intel and AMD, that make computer CPUs? Before we begin, we need to correct the netizen's statement. It's not Intel but Intel.

This problem actually involves the issue of PC architecture patents. The CPU on the PC is mainly based on the x86 architecture, and x86 is the instruction set of the desktop CPU. The x86 architecture patent for the PC is owned by only three companies in the world: Intel, AMD, and VIA. Only these three companies can produce CPUs. Unless there is a better system than Windows that does not only support the x86 instruction set, other companies that want to produce it can only sigh at the patents.

Another reason is the ecological reason. Under the monopoly of x86, it is impossible to find a new CPU through other architectures. First, you need to redesign the operating system and convince various software vendors to release corresponding software. Otherwise, your CPU will be useless if the system does not support it. If there are no software developers to develop software for you, and users lack rich software support when using it, the ecological environment will become worse and worse.

As for the combination of the domestic "Loongson" CPU and "Kirin" operating system, its main purpose is actually for military use, for the information security of the state secret departments. Moreover, the "Loongson" is made with the authorization of MIPS. Strictly speaking, it is not truly independent research and development. After all, the core is also purchased, just like a car engine, and it is backed by the state and funded.

Why do mobile phone CPUs are produced by domestic manufacturers?

In fact, the CPU of mobile phones is not independently developed in China. The main reason why some domestic manufacturers make mobile phone CPUs is that ARM has opened up for licensing. The fundamental reason why ARM licenses is to compete with X86. In fact, it can be summarized in a simple sentence. ARM sells its designs to these mobile phone CPU manufacturers. After getting the drawings, the manufacturers can install several CPUs together according to the drawings, and then claim that it is a new chip design, but the real core architecture design is still someone else's technology.

The second is the support of the mobile phone operating system. Unlike the computer operating system, the excellent operating system on the PC side is not compatible with those newly released CPUs, but the excellent system on the mobile phone side is compatible with these CPUs. This is why the CPU of the mobile phone can be made independently without considering the operating system.

In fact, to sum up, it is because of compatibility and authorization issues that mobile phone CPUs can be designed and produced without considering the operating system, but the core technology is still owned by others. The reason why computer CPUs cannot develop is still because of patent reasons, and the most important thing is that there is no good operating system support, which means that no matter how good a computer CPU is, it cannot become a good CPU.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.