Oppo is reportedly working to develop its own Chipset following the US crackdown on Chinese companies like Huawei. The company is planning to rope people from different chip makers.
As per a report by Nikkei Asian Review, Oppo has hired several top employees from its key chip supplier MediaTek and it has also hired many engineers from UNISOC. The report highlights that Oppo has also hired Jeffery Ju, MediaTek’s former co-chief operating officer. The report says that another executive with experience in MediaTek’s 5G chipset development will also join Oppo in a month or two.
The report further highlights that Oppo has also reached out to talent in Qualcomm as well as Huawei’s own chipset HiSilicon. “Oppo has been aggressively recruiting chip talent since last year as they realized that owning the chip design capability will give it more control over its supply chain,” said a source with direct knowledge. “Developing chips, however, could mean burning a lot of money, and even if they have hired a group of experienced professionals, such efforts take years to mature.”
The move is meant to reduce the company’s reliance on US suppliers. However, it would be interesting to see whether the company will be successful in building its own lineup of chipset for its smartphones.
Meanwhile, Oppo has announced that it will launch Oppo Reno 4 and Reno 4 Pro smartphones in China on June 5. As per the teaser video released by the company, Oppo Reno 4 and Oppo Reno 4 Pro will feature a punch-hole for the selfie camera in the front. The back panel appears to be made out of glass and has large-sized “Reno Glow” and OPPO branding text written on it.