At a launch event on May 6, Powerleader said its Powerstar CPU was developed based on the x86 architecture, and is suited for “government, education, energy, industry, finance, healthcare, gaming and retailing” applications. The company also set an annual sales target of 1.5 million units.
Powerleader’s case initially raised concerns given the Hanxin chip scandal of 2006, when Chen Jin, the developer of the Hanxin series of chips from Shanghai’s Jiaotong University, was exposed for “serious falsification and fraud”.
Funded by the Shanghai government in 2003, Hanxin was initially hailed as the project that would make the city a leading chip-making centre.
In its Weibo statement, Powerleader’s Li said the company would “firmly stick to the plan and … become a new force in the Chinese chip industry”.
In another social media post a few days after the product launch, he also responded to being called the “second Hanxin”.
“We will grow steadily and take cautious steps, rather than burn cash or lose money … and stand on the shoulders of giant Intel to reach a higher level,” he said. “We will find our own way to address the issue of original source code, not just simply ‘building a bridge’.”
Founded by Li in 1997, Powerleader specialises in manufacturing servers and personal computers for industrial users. The company is owned by Shenzhen Powerleader Investment Holding, which also owns the Hong Kong-listed PowerLeader Science & Technology Group Co.
