Xiaomi, SAIC Motor invest in domestic automotive chip supplier Flagchip

Beijing (Gasgoo)-China’s automotive chip supplier Flagchip has completed its latest investment round with SAIC Motor-backed and Xiaomi- backed ventures as investors.

Photo credit: Flagchip

According to China’s corporate database, Qichacha, Flagchip’s fourth financing round participants include SAIC Motor’s Shangqi Capital, Xiaomi’s Hubei Xiaomi Yangtze River Industry Fund Partnership, Xiaomi-backed Shunwei Capital, auto electronics supplier Jingwei Hirain, and several others.

Flagchip has raised hundreds of millions of RMB through four investment rounds since its establishment.

The company’s operations revolve around the R&D and sales of advanced automotive controller chips. Its products and execution capability helped to win the venture capital over.

Its ArmCortex-M4 based 32-bit auto-grade MCU chip, the FC4 series, is under tape out and engineering samples will be produced in the first quarter of 2022, with estimated mass production starting in the following July or August.

According to the company, the FC4 chip series consist of low-consumption cores, abundant peripheral resources, and configurations. The chip is compatible with various onboard scenarios, including BCM, T-box, Motor Control, Chassis, and Safety.   

Meanwhile, Flagchip is co-defining and designing its second-generation multi-core DCU chip with clients.

Currently, the company has formed relationships with Jingwei Hirain, SAIC’s UAES, DIAS, and other Tier 1 suppliers. Flagchip has also come in contact with automakers like Geely, BYD, Changan Auto, and Great Wall Motor.