A while back we published an article about how China is moving away from depending on US technology, creating their own GPUs and also their own CPUs. They have also recently shown that they have obtained DDR5 modules, which is another step forward. However, in this article we are going to focus on one of the Chinese CPUs that is causing the most talk, it is the Loongson 3A6000, which we will analyze in depth and we will see the performance it gives compared to Intel and AMD.
Technical specifications of the Loongson 3A6000
The first thing to comment on is the Technical specifications of the Loongson 3A6000, and compare them with the 3A5000, the previous generation of this Chinese CPU. This will help us understand what type of microprocessor we're dealing with and help us better interpret the test results:
| 3A5000 | 3A6000 | |
| Manufacturing node | 14/12 nm SMIC | 14/12 nm SMIC |
| Clock frequency | 2.5 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Physical cores | 4 | 8 |
| SMT (logical cores) | No (4 threads) | Yes (8 threads) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB | 256 KB |
| L3 cache | 16 MB | 16 MB |
| Supported RAM | DDR4 at 3200 | DDR4 3200 |
| TDP | 35W | 50W |
| Packaging | FCBGA-1211 | FCBGA-1190 |
As you can see, although many expected a huge leap in many aspects in the long-awaited Loongson 3A6000, the truth is that we see how many things remain identical to the previous generation, such as the clock frequency, the cache memory size, the RAM memory support, or the manufacturing process. However, the truth is that there is a significant change, as is the fact that having 2-way SMT support, which allows each physical core to be split into two logical cores, allowing up to eight threads to be processed simultaneously. But this isn't the only secret to the increased performance…
Architecture of the Loongson 3A6000
Loongson Technology has launched this year the most updated version of its PC CPU, i.e. the Loongson 3A6000, a 4-core, 8-thread microprocessor based on its own ISA called LoongArch, and a microarchitecture designed by themselves for this instruction set.
With this new launch, China intends to not depend so much on US technology, and they want to compete with the IPC performance levels with the Intel Willow Cove and AMD Zen 3, which may seem a bit outdated, but keep in mind that these are quite acceptable performances for today; in fact, many people still use these processors today and they work just fine...
The Loongson 3A6000 is powered with cores with Dragon microarchitecture for the cores called LA664, manufactured with a 14/12 nm manufacturing process in Chinese factories, and with clock speeds ranging from 2 GHz to a maximum of 2.5 GHz, as well as a TDP of 50W, which is not bad either.
This has led to several hardware manufacturers with interests in the Chinese market announcing motherboards and computers based on these Loongson 3A6000s. In addition, to fuel the news about this CPU, ASUS China, the Uncle Tony group, has overclocked this CPU reaching 2.63 Ghz with conventional active air cooling, and in tests carried out with liquid nitrogen they were able to reach 3 Ghz, although they assure that there is still room to continue increasing the clock frequency.
It must be said that the ISA LoongArch It has been designed by Loongson Technology itself, and is not Arm, nor x86, but they have created their own version since 2020, improving year after year with new instructions, and with a current total of about 2000 instructions working in the repertoire. However, it seems that this ISA could be inspired by MIPS64, which was the one Loongson used previously.
The LongArch ISA has some basic instructions that are mandatory for all implementations or microarchitectures, as they can run all types of software. However, they also have several optional extensions, which are used to improve performance with certain workloads. For example, we find the LBT (Loongson Binary Translation) extension for binary translation, the LVZ (Loongson VirtualiZation), the LSX (Loongson SIMD eXtension), which is a type of vector extension, and the ASX (Advanced SIMD eXtension), another SIMD extension to improve performance in certain tasks that require more intensive computation.
With this ISA, they not only aim to achieve a CPU that is completely independent of US technologies, but they also want to compete with the best in the sector and be available for a large number of software. However, the latter is somewhat more difficult, since developers are not very keen on compiling for this minority architecture, as it is focused on the Chinese market. Therefore, they have to rely primarily on open source packages that they can compile themselves, Linux systems, or some closed-source Chinese software created specifically for this purpose. This would be a big problem, but the truth is that they have solved it. How? Well, what they have added is a binary translator to be compatible with x86, so even Windows and other popular software compiled for this architecture can run on these systems. Finding drivers for all the auxiliary components is another matter entirely…
And don't miss out, as Loongson 3A6000 processors, like the 3A5000, can also be compatible with software compiled for Arm, so they have a significant advantage in terms of binary compatibility. This is also achieved through a translation engine and ISA extensions, as is the case with x86. Therefore, the Loongson 3A6000 is compatible with binaries compiled for LoongArch, binaries compiled for x86, and binaries compiled for Arm.
On the other hand, the Loongson ISA is also designed for the workloads of today's world, being quite recent compared to others that are already part of prehistory, such as x86, Arm, and many others. In this sense, it resembles RISC-V, much newer, and despite inheriting some reminiscences of MIPS64, the Chinese have modernized their instruction set to improve current loads, improve energy efficiency, virtualization, etc.
That is, we have that LoongArch is an evolution of LoongISA previously used in the 3 2000A2015s, which was nothing more than a superset of MIPS64 Release 2. This currently open source RISC-like ISA has been extended by extensions such as the 148 general purpose LongEXT instructions, 5 LoongVZ instructions for virtualization, 213 LongBT instructions for x86 and ARM binary translation, 1014 128-bit SIMD LoongSIMD or LoongMMI instructions, and the MIPS64 Release 5 MSA (MIPS SIMD Architecture), DSP, and VZ instructions.
The microarchitectures arising from this ISA were seen in the GS464E cores, which had a penalty of 5% of the total area of the chip by having to add that x86 instruction translation engine. But the performance penalty was 30%, and without these translation extensions it could have been much more. Keep in mind that the cores running x86 software aren't working with native instructions; they have to take the x86 instructions from the binary and translate them on the fly into the LoongISAs...
Having learned these lessons, Loongson set to work to launch LoongArch in 2021, about 6 years later. This new ISA that I mentioned would first appear in the predecessor of the Loongson 3A6000, that is, the 3A5000. In this case, a reduced 32-bit LA32R set is included, another standard 32-bit LA32S set, but it is still a variant or fork of the MIPS64r6. However, the Chinese have also looked at the best of RISC-V to nourish this LoongArch, so we have a MIPS/RISC-V hybrid interesting…
Benchmarks: Loongson 3A6000 Performance Results
As we can see in the results obtained in the benchmarks in which the new Loongson 3A6000 CPU has been tested, we see how with the standard clock frequency at which this CPU comes, the Chinese processor has performance similar to an Intel Core i3-10100, that is, a 3th Generation Intel Core i10. However, it should be noted that this Core i3 based on the Comet Lake microarchitecture has a higher frequency of 3.6 GHz, as well as a higher TDP of 65 W. Therefore, this is a point in favor of the Chinese 3A6000, which offers almost identical performance (-3%) with lower consumption and a lower clock speed. They are equally matched in cores and threads, so in that aspect it is a fair battle in this UnixBench test.
The tests carried out in SPEC CPU 2006At nominal clock speed, without overclocking, we were also surprised, as it achieved performance almost equal to the latest generation Intel Core i5-14600K. This is truly remarkable…
But... here comes another pleasant surprise, and that is that SPEC CPU 2006 is only available natively for ARM, Power ISA, RISC-V, SPARC and x86 architectures, and not for MIPS or for LoongArch itself. This means that in these aspects, binary versions are being used. probably x86, with translation, which entails a considerable performance penalty. Therefore, all things being equal with native binaries, the Loongson 3A6000 would likely be more on par with current AMD and Intel processors.
Who is behind Loongson Technology?
Processors They started calling themselves Godson, and were initially based on the 32-bit MIPS ISA, and were intended for small computers or devices requiring a CPU, within the Chinese market. These processors were initially developed by the Institute of Computing Technology (ICT) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the chief architect was Hu Weiwu.
CAS is the national academy of natural sciences and the main advisory body for science and technology in the People's Republic of China, similar to the CSIC in Spain. This is the largest research organization in the world, with 100 research institutes (including the ICT), three universities, nearly 3 full-time employees, and 70.000 graduate students.
The development of the Loongson would begin in 2001, when it was decided to create a high-performance, general-purpose CPU manufactured in China. To this end, money was injected for several years of development, and with the idea of manufacturing a 100% Chinese CPU by 2025. However, they have jumped the gun, as the Loogson 3A6000 is already manufactured in China, just like its predecessor.
In 2010 a separate company was established as an entity for the marketing of products called Loongson Technology Corporation Limited, founded by Hu Weiwu himself, who would also become its CEO. It's similar to the EU initiative to create a European processor, involving a multitude of entities from different countries, but a company called SIPearl has been created based in France for marketing.
Well, this company with base in Zhongguancun, Beijing (China), was consolidated with public and private capital, with the collaboration of the aforementioned ICT and also with the chip designer BLX IC Design Corporation, which is a spin-off of ICT founded in 2002 as part of the Jiangsu Zhongyi Group.
Since Loongson was a fabless, and so were the other institutions involved, they had to find a partner, a foundry to manufacture the chips. And to do so, they signed an agreement with the European STMicroelectronics, as it had more advanced manufacturing nodes than other Chinese foundries at the time. However, they would soon switch to SMIC when it surpassed the European company.
More information in the official web
Who makes Loongson?
As I mentioned earlier, Loongson chips were manufactured in STMicroelectronicsHowever, the European foundry has stagnated at 22nm with MOSFET transistors and FD-SOI substrates with 300mm wafers. Meanwhile, SMIC has continued to push ahead despite restrictions imposed by the United States government on China to curb its weapons and technological development, as well as for geopolitical reasons. In fact, Chinese foundries are prohibited from accessing cutting-edge photolithography equipment such as the European ASML, the current leaders, and also from equipment from Tokyo Electron, Canon, and Nikon in Japan, which are ASML's direct competitors.
Despite these restrictions, which were intended to block SMIC from 28nm, the truth is that the Chinese have managed to overcome the problems and SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp) has requested to reach manufacturing capacities of up to 7nm, and they probably have nodes ready for 5nm as well. Despite this, Loongson 3A6000 is manufactured in 14/12 nm, as I mentioned before, which is a much more mature node for SMIC. However, SMIC has stepped up its game for Huawei, as its subsidiary HiSilicon, which designs the Kirin chips for these devices, has had to rely on domestic factories following US sanctions.
The Xi Jinping government invested about 41.000 million to launch SMIC technology, taking important steps together with Hua Hong Semiconductor and SMES (Shaoxing Semiconductor Manufacturing Electronics), etc. This has allowed them to overcome the obstacles to the manufacture of advanced chips. Although they are not at the same level as Samsung and TSMC, the truth is that they are hot on Intel's heels despite all these obstacles, which should be a concern for the US.
Which teams are they intended for?
For those wondering which computers Loongson motherboards are used on, the 1A, 2A, and 3A series are intended for desktop and laptop PCs. The 1C, 2C, and 3C series are intended for servers and HPC. There is also the B Series, which has been used in previous generations for both PCs and servers. That is the Nomenclature that these Chinese processors follow.
Well, the Godson-1, the first Chinese MIPS-based chips were used for consumer electronics such as PDAs, portable media players, etc. These chips were released between 2001 and 2002, and were 32-bit, manufactured with 0.18 micron CMOS technology and clocked at 266 MHz. They had a single core and GS132 and GS232 cores. There were also derivatives of the GS232 called Loongson X, which were RD versions, or radiation hardened chips for use in Chinese aerospace or military applications.
With the arrival of Godson-2, later known as Loongson 2, and based on 64-bit MIPS, used cores such as the GS464, launched in CPUs and SoCs between 2006 and 2009, with different versions such as 2E (CPU), 2F (with integrated northbridge), 2G with HyperTransport bus also integrating the chipset and GPU, and 2H, which were more complete SoCs. These processors were used in more devices than the Godson-1, including some low-cost computers.
Then the Godson-3/Loogson 3, which would begin with the Loongisa ISA, which was an extension of MIPS64, as we mentioned earlier, and with translation for x86 binaries, as well as multicore designs for use in computers, servers, and HPC systems, such as high-performance clusters. Among these, we have:
- 1000 SeriesThe first processor was the Loongson 3A1000 Series, using four GS464 cores for PCs. This was followed by the 3B1000 Series, which featured eight cores with performance enhancements and vectoring capabilities for high performance, and the 8C3, which featured 1000 cores for servers and HPC. However, the 16C was discontinued in 3 to focus on the design of the 2013 Series.
- 1500 y 2000 SeriesIn 2015, the 3A1500 and 3B2000 series would arrive with improved GS464E cores. The microarchitecture could improve performance, being up to three times faster than the previous generation, and they were still based on the LoongISA with new extensions. While the 3A3 was intended for embedded or low-power devices, the 1500B3 was for servers and PCs.
- 3000 Series: This third generation was launched in 2017, and the goal was to match the Intel Atom J1900, used in cheap, low-performance computers. The 3A3000 would be used for the Chinese Beidou satellite, for the Chinese geolocation system as an alternative to the American GPS.
- 4000 Series: They arrived in late 2019, with a 3A4000 and 3B4000 version, the first for low-power and the second for desktop computers. Both are based on GS464EV cores with a new, improved microarchitecture.
- 5000 Series: This series would mark a before and after, since they went from using pure MIPS and LongISA, to their own LoongArch repertoire, as I mentioned previously. The GS464V cores (later known as LA464) manufactured with 12 nm nodes were responsible for giving life to the 3A5000 for PCs with four cores and 3C500L with 16 cores for servers, which was basically a chiplet with four 3A5000 in the same package. This was where the Chinese brand really began to make an impact in the West, with media such as The Register or Phoronix testing these processors and reporting significant results, comparable to the Intel Core i3-8109U, the Core i5-750 or the Phytium FT-2000 based on ARMv8. Additionally, in 2023, two years after the launch of this series, the 3D5000, a processor specifically designed for data centers and cloud computing, would arrive.
- 6000 SeriesThese other processors are expected to be announced in 2022, but they won't hit the market until the middle of this year. Now that we know the Loongson 3A6000, based on LA664 cores, we can say that the single-core performance forecasts are being met, compared to Intel Tiger Lake and AMD Zen 3.
We'll see what the 7000 Series has in store for us, but things are looking promising. It's also worth mentioning that Loongson processors have become quite popular in the Chinese market compared to other existing alternatives. In 2021, the main computers used by Chinese administrations and the government used these processors, representing a 80% of the market share.
Since 2006, companies such as Lemote, would begin selling computers called Longmeng (Dragon Dream) based on Loongson at prices in yuan equivalent to about €100. For those unfamiliar with the company, it's a computer company owned by the Jiangsu Menglan Group and the China Institute of Information Technology, and dedicated to creating both hardware and software.
That same year, a company called YellowSheepRiver It would also announce a SFF, or small form factor, computer based on a Loongson chip. This mini computer was called the Municator YSR-639.
In 2008, Lemote would also release a laptop called Yeelong, which means Portable Dragon in Chinese, and which used Debian GNU/Linux as its operating system. And that same year, in Europe, a Dutch company called Tekmote Electronics would also distribute this system across the old continent.
By 2010, many devices and computing equipment with this CPU had already been sold. And that same year, JiangsuAnother Chinese company, Loongson, had planned to purchase 1.5 million Loongson-based PCs. And so, they gradually became more popular among Chinese administrations and government teams, as they were wary of foreign CPUs. The Chinese population was also increasingly adopting them…
However, until now we have dealt with cases of embedded devices and also PCs, but the Loongson also reaches the servers and supercomputers As I mentioned earlier, for example, in 2007, China revealed it had a Loongson-based supercomputer in Hefei. It was the first with these processors, and was called the KD-50-I. This machine could achieve a peak performance of 1 TFLOPS, or about 350 GFLOPS as measured with LINPACK, a figure that may seem ridiculous, but which for that time was quite good, considering they didn't have technology from Intel, AMD, or IBM.
The computer was designed by Chen Guoliang of the Department of Computer Technology at USCT (University of Science and Technology of China) and ICT. It would become the first supercomputer made of Chinese microprocessors, with more than 336 Loongson-2F in nodes interconnected by an Ethernet network and at a cost of around €80.000, quite cheap for an HPC system.
As you may know, there are more supercomputers based on Chinese CPUs nowadays, some of which have even entered the Top500 listThis is the case with Sunway machines. In fact, this company had a Loongson-based MPP system called Sunway Bluelight, and the Dawning 6000 supercomputer also used Loongson… It should be noted that the Dawning machines are from the company Sugon, officially called Dawning Information Industry Company Limited, a supercomputer manufacturer that competes with Chinese giants like Lenovo, and also with other American companies like HPE, IBM, etc. Sugon was another company born from CAS. As you can see, "it all stays in the family"…
Can they be purchased in Europe?
Finally, you should know that this chip will be available only for the Chinese marketTherefore, it's unlikely to find a Loongson 3A6000 in Europe. And if you can find one from Spain, it would be through Chinese sellers who ship it. In fact, few Western media outlets have had access to these CPUs for testing and review.
As for availability, they would be ready to use, in fact, if you look at sites like AliExpress You'll find some motherboards with this chip soldered on, as it's a BGA type and isn't sold separately. These motherboards cost around €100 and up, which isn't expensive at all.