Huawei Launches 'Entirely Chinese' Desktop PC System: Features Kirin X90 CPU and HarmonyOS Enterprise, But Western Supply Chain Lingers
Huawei introduces its first self-developed desktop PC system, claiming domestic components, though actual manufacturing still relies on Dutch, US, and Japanese equipment and IP.
According to Tom's Hardware, Huawei has introduced its first desktop personal computers powered by its own 10-core processor and proprietary HarmonyOS operating system. This move is seen as a significant step in seeking technological sovereignty and domestic supply chain security within sanctioned China. However, whether these machines are truly 'entirely domestic' remains an open question.
The newly launched models, Huawei Qinyun HM650 and HM650g, come with 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory (likely made by China's CXMT) and either a 256GB or 512GB SSD (likely made by Chinese flash maker YMTC). The key ingredient is the Kirin X90 system-on-chip (SoC), which originally debuted in Huawei's consumer systems in 2025. The Kirin X90 features 10 Huawei-designed Armv8-based Taishan CPU cores in a 4+4+2 configuration, with all cores supporting simultaneous multithreading (SMT) to execute up to 20 threads simultaneously. The chip also integrates Huawei's Maleoon graphics processing unit (based on Arm Mali) and a dedicated neural processing unit for AI workloads.
Although Huawei does not officially disclose the Kirin X90's manufacturing process, a teardown analysis by TechInsights confirmed that the CPU is manufactured by SMIC using its 7nm-class N+2 process technology. This makes the X90 an example of Huawei's ability to develop PC-class processors using domestically available semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, albeit on a process technology that trails leading-edge nodes from Intel, TSMC, and Samsung.
The most interesting aspect of the Qinyun HM650 series is certainly Huawei's claim that all of its new system's components, including the processor, memory, storage, power supply, and wireless connectivity, are manufactured domestically. Such certification itself does not necessarily mean that the entire semiconductor supply chain behind the machine is Chinese. While the CPU, memory, and storage chips are fabricated domestically, they are still made using foreign manufacturing equipment (from the Netherlands, U.S., and Japan), materials (from Japan), intellectual property (from the UK), and electronic design automation (EDA software from the U.S. and partly from China) tools.