Huawei Kirin Automotive Chip

Definition and Technical Positioning

The Huawei Kirin automotive chip is an automotive-grade System-on-Chip (SoC) developed by Huawei HiSilicon for the smart vehicle sector, primarily deployed in smart cockpit domain controllers to power cabin features such as in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, digital instrument clusters, multi-screen interactions, and AI voice assistants. Working in deep synergy with Huawei HarmonyOS, the chip forms the hardware backbone of Huawei's smart cockpit solutions.

Product Lineup and Technical Evolution

The Kirin automotive chip family has spawned several production models. The Kirin 990A served as an early mainstay, featuring an octa-core setup with four high-performance Taishan V120 cores and four high-efficiency Cortex-A55 cores, paired with a Mali-G76 GPU and a DaVinci-architecture NPU delivering 3.5 TOPS of AI compute performance. First featured in models such as AITO M5, the chip gained recognition for its engineering prowess in delivering a smooth user experience despite being built on a 28nm process.

The next-generation Kirin 9610A cockpit chip delivers 200K DMIPS of CPU processing power, 3 TFLOPS of GPU performance, and 30 TOPS of NPU AI compute capability. In benchmark performance, it matches Qualcomm's fourth-generation Snapdragon SA8295 cockpit chip—delivering roughly double the output of the Qualcomm SA8155—while achieving comparable performance via a domestic 14nm fabrication process, marking a significant milestone in semiconductor localisation. This chip has been deployed in models including AITO M5/M7 Intelligent Driving Edition, AITO M9, and JAC Refine RF8.

Architectural Innovation: Moving from Single-Chip to Dual-Chip Synergy

Latest teardown reports reveal that the cockpit controller in the 2026 AITO M8 and AITO M9 adopts a dual-chip collaborative setup combining the Kirin 990A and Qualcomm SA8155, replacing the single Kirin 9610A used in previous-generation models. Operating on two distinct hardware subsystems with dedicated, isolated power delivery, this architecture provides crucial redundancy—should one hardware channel fail, the other seamlessly assumes core cabin operations, substantially improving long-term system reliability. The primary Kirin 990A processor is built on a mature 7nm process with an integrated native 5G modem, while the Qualcomm SA8155 offloads peripheral tasks such as the 360-degree surround-view camera system and audio decoding to avoid consuming the primary processor's compute bandwidth. With an overall cost lower than a single Qualcomm SA8295 unit, this setup carves out a distinctive technical route.

Technical Limitations

Kirin automotive chips are primarily tailored for smart cockpit domain control and do not participate in autonomous driving data processing, which demands significantly higher compute power and functional safety standards. Constrained by external trade restrictions, Kirin chips continue to trail international rivals like Qualcomm in leading-edge semiconductor lithography nodes; bridging this fabrication gap through architectural design remains the defining hallmark of their technical roadmap.