Lisuan Technology has announced the successful power-on of its prototype G100 graphics card, marking a major milestone for China´s ambitions in advanced GPU design. The G100 is touted as the country´s first domestically designed 6 nm GPU, a significant technical achievement as Chinese firms work to reduce dependence on foreign semiconductor technology. With early silicon now operational, Lisuan is advancing into key phases like driver creation, software validation, and full-system integration testing. Although the company has released few official technical details, industry rumors suggest that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) is manufacturing the G100 chip. SMIC is reportedly the country´s only foundry capable of producing chips on a 6 nm node amid stringent US export controls. Performance benchmarks referenced in early reports claim the G100 can achieve gaming performance comparable to NVIDIA´s GeForce RTX 4060, supported by competitive onboard memory, efficient power consumption, and compatibility with major graphics APIs such as DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6. If these claims are validated, the G100 could serve both gaming and broader GPU-compute applications.
Established in late 2021 by a group of former Silicon Valley engineers with more than 25 years of cumulative chip-design experience, Lisuan Technology represents a new wave of Chinese GPU startups. It follows Biren Technology and Moore Threads, which have risen since 2019 and 2020, fueled by Beijing´s drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency and strategic resilience in the technology supply chain. Lisuan positions itself as unique by developing its so-called TrueGPU architecture entirely in-house, forgoing external licensing to ensure greater local control. The G100´s original timeline targeted a 2023 release, but Lisuan encountered significant financial challenges that nearly led to bankruptcy in 2024. A last-minute capital injection from Dongxin Semiconductor, the company´s parent, enabled Lisuan to complete tape-out and begin risk production runs.
Looking ahead, Lisuan plans to start limited shipments of the G100 graphics card in the third quarter of 2025, with broader mass production expected to follow in 2026. This measured rollout reflects both the technical complexity of bringing a new GPU to market and the ongoing strategic importance of homegrown semiconductor manufacturing in China. With the G100, Lisuan aims not just to rival international flagship GPUs but also to demonstrate the maturation of China´s domestic chipmaking capabilities amid global technology restrictions.
