Staff reporter
A mainland computing service provider, xFusion Digital Technologies, has announced plans to establish an innovation center in collaboration with chip designer StarFive Technology.
This partnership is backed by the family office of Peter Lee Ka-kit, co-chairman of Hong Kong and China Gas. Its objective is to develop an energy-saving chip called “Lion Rock,” which utilizes the open standard instruction set architecture known as RISC-V.
The chip is specifically designed for data centers and aims to offer green and energy-efficient solutions. The chip is expected to be developed by next year, with the center playing a crucial role in its invention.
In a recent signing ceremony, Lee expressed admiration for the concept of “new quality productive forces,” proposed during this year’s two sessions.
He strressed the significance of digital technology, including artificial intelligence, big data, and new energy, as essential drivers of new quality productive forces.
Lee also stressed the importance of China’s autonomy and security in major technological advancements and acknowledged the role of open source RISC-V chips in achieving independent chip innovation.
Highlighting the immense potential of the semiconductor industry, Lee said its value is expected to exceed US$1 trillion (HK$7.8 trillion). “The ‘Lion Rock’ chip, the first RISC-V chip developed by StarFive Technology and tailored for data center environments, will be used for xFusion’s works,” Lee said.
”The new center can also take advantage of Hong Kong’s leading scientific research, policies, talents and internationalization to accelerate its technological innovation and commercial application. It can also help the development of Hong Kong’s semiconductor industry and new digital foundation.”
Lee also mentioned the benefits of establishing the center in Hong Kong, leveraging its scientific research capabilities, policies, talent pool, and internationalization. He emphasized that the center would accelerate technological innovation, facilitate commercial applications, contribute to the development of Hong Kong’s semiconductor industry, and bolster its new digital foundation.
Thomas Xu Tao, chairman and CEO of StarFive, said the chip would significantly enhance energy efficiency and security in data centers, resulting in reduced operating expenses and computing costs.
In addition to its collaboration with StarFive Technology, xFusion has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Towngas. This partnership aims to expedite Towngas’s digital transformation.
With xFusion’s assistance, Towngas plans to expand its capabilities in cloud computing and in-memory computing, thereby enhancing its competitiveness in the digital realm.
XFusion, based in Zhengzhou, was established as a data server business by tech giant Huawei in 2021. However, due to US sanctions preventing Huawei’s access to x86 chipsets, xFusion was sold.
Alan Chan Ying-lung, chief investment officer of Towngas and managing partner at Full Vision Capital, said Towngas had already produced 1.6 million Towngas Security Chips in 2022.
These chips have been deployed in the mainland, and the plan is to launch them extensively here in the near future. Chan hopes people would eventually utilize gas meters equipped with the Towngas chips.
Jeffrey Liu Hongyun, chairman of xFusion, said that the partnership would cultivate a favorable industry ecosystem and stimulate synergistic development across the value chain.
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
