OPPO’s ambition of having its own chips kicked off in 2021 with the Marisilicon X imaging NPU, which was used on the Find X5 series and Reno8 Pro for improving image and video post-processing capabilities. The NPU proved to be a big help in improving camera performance in general, and OPPO intends to take another step further and follow Apple’s footsteps. Yes, OPPO intends to make itself self-sufficient by having its own in-house processor.

OPPO’s next ambitious goal was revealed by a MediaTek executive at a foreign investment forum in Taiwan. Speculated to come out in 2024, OPPO’s upcoming in-house processor will be similar to what Apple has with its A- and M-series processors.

The similarities does not end there: unlike Samsung’s Exynos processors that use Samsung’s own manufacturing process, OPPO has reportedly tapped TSMC to manufacture its own processors. OPPO’s upcoming processor is said to be based on a 4nm processor, which also makes sense since TSMC’s 3nm might be allocated entirely to Apple’s A17 chips initially.

We also don’t know if OPPO’s upcoming in-house processor will be a mid-range or flagship variety. While we think that OPPO will most likely do a mid-range in-house chip first, we will not be surprised if they’ll debut a flagship-tier one IF they want to prove that they can be competitive without being dependent on more established chip companies like Qualcomm and MediaTek.

Prior to this, OPP) has invested more than CNY 10 billion (around $ 1.4 billion) to set up IC design centers in Shanghai, Shenzen, and Beijing, signifying that the brand is indeed serious about becoming self-sufficient when it comes to chips.