Do domestic CPUs need domestic boards?
Beijing Jite Intelligent Technology, a maker of computer components, claims to have created the first motherboard produced wholly in China utilizing Chinese technology. With a Chinese-developed Arm CPU, the GM7-2602-02 motherboard has the usual Mini-ITX form factor. If this motherboard is authentic, China has made significant progress in enhancing its domestic manufacturing capacity.
Most motherboards that are Mini-ITX seem to be mainstream. Its back I/O includes VGA, HDMI, audio connectors, two Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an M.2 slot, and a 16x PCIe slot. Its two SODIMM DDR4 memory slots and the bundled CPU, which appears to be soldered rather than socketed, aren’t entirely conventional. Except for the 16x PCIe slot, this makes the GM7-2602-02 motherboard more similar to one in a NUC or Mini PC.
The CPU is an eight-core Feiteng D2000, designed and manufactured in China. However, it is based on the Arm architecture. The GM7-2602-02 should be equally capable of gaming as the four-core variant of this CPU, given that it can also accept a standalone graphics card. It appears that a complete gaming PC made entirely of Chinese domestic components might be assembled with this motherboard and a Moore Threads graphics card.
This is presuming that this motherboard is indeed entirely manufactured in China. While numerous Chinese companies have made similar claims in the past while relying on foreign technology, there isn’t any specific evidence to imply Beijing Jite Intelligent Technology is lying. Even though the GM7-2602-02 is marketed as homegrown, the company’s website lists several items that came out before it, even though it is the first motherboard in the country. Simply put, it’s unclear what “domestic” really means.
Nevertheless, manufacturing motherboards isn’t mainly the most challenging part of a computer. Since China can produce its own SSDs, CPUs, and GPUs, adding motherboards to the list wouldn’t be too far-fetched. A motherboard is required for every computer; therefore, it’s also an essential part of the nation’s developing semiconductor sector. The GM7-2602-02 isn’t very innovative but is supposedly built in the country.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Pixabay; Pexels
