Oppo has unveiled a new self-developed chip, as the China-based smartphone maker moves into the semiconductor sector.

The chip, called the MariSilicon X, is a neural processing unit (NPU) that improves images for video and photography taken on smartphones.

MariSilicon X – unveiled at OPPO INNO DAY that runs from December 14-15, 2021 — enables 4K AI Night Video to be captured in the RAW domain using image data for the first time on Android smartphones. The Imaging NPU will make its debut on the Find X Series in Q1 2022.

It will be manufactured using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) 6-nanometre process technology and will be placed in the company’s upcoming Find X series of smartphones, set to hit the market in early 2022.

Oppo is one of China’ top phone brands, occupying 21 percent of the domestic market as of the third quarter of 2021, according to research firm Canalys.

The company is owned by BBK Electronics, which also owns Vivo, another top-selling Chinese smartphone brand. The two companies compete for customers, but have an overlapping supply chain.

Both firms are investing heavily in the chip sector. In addition to MariSilicon X, Oppo has also developed a power management chip that it uses for some of its chargers.

In September, Vivo announced it had developed an image signal processor chip (ISP) it will use in its phones.

During the second day of the event on December 15, OPPO will unveil its highly-anticipated foldable smartphone, OPPO Find N.