Xiaomi to Reportedly Refresh In-House Smartphone Chips Annually; Eyes Global Expansion of AI Assistant

Xiaomi is said to be planning to upgrade its in-house chips for its smartphones on a yearly basis. Speaking to a publication on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 in Barcelona on Wednesday, officials reportedly said that the China-based company plans to deploy its proprietary mobile processors in Xiaomi devices sold globally, not just on its home turf. The company is also working on expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant for overseas markets.

Xiaomi Tech Stack Outside China

In a conversation with CNBC, Xiaomi President Lu Weibing said that the company's next version of the chip is expected to arrive in 2026, as part of its long-term semiconductor roadmap. The move would kick off an annual refresh of Xiaomi's proprietary chipsets for mobile devices, following in the footsteps of Apple and Google, whose in-house silicon powers their smartphones.

The Xiaomi official reportedly mentioned that the company sees chip development as a strategic investment. “This is a long-term commitment. We are going to continue investing in chip development,” Lu told CNBC.

Notably, the China-based OEM introduced its first modern in-house smartphone processor, the XRing O1, last year. The chip, built using TSMC's 3nm node, debuted in the Xiaomi 15S Pro and the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra. It represented Xiaomi's latest push into custom silicon development.

While Xiaomi has not disclosed technical details about future iterations of the chip, subsequent versions are expected to improve performance and efficiency. The most notable aspect of this announcement is the chip's availability. While the XRing 01 SoC is limited to China, Weibing emphasised that Xiaomi plans to bring the chips to smartphones launched in international markets as well.

Xiaomi is also working on expanding its AI assistant beyond China, as per the report. The company's current assistant, Xiao AI, is primarily focused on its ecosystem and integrates with Xiaomi smartphones, smart home products, and other connected devices. It is, however, exclusive to the Chinese market as of now.

Lu told CNBC that Xiaomi is preparing to introduce an AI assistant for international markets as it expands its presence globally. The company previously said it plans to launch its electric vehicles in Europe around 2027. Xiaomi aims to deploy the AI assistant across its broader ecosystem, spanning mobile devices and EVs.

“We want the AI assistant across smartphones and cars,” Lu said, outlining the company's vision for a connected software platform.