Gree Electric, a leading Chinese home appliance manufacturer, has announced the successful development of proprietary chips, according to a Monday report in local media citing the company chairwoman. This milestone follows six years of dedicated research and development within Gree.
Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu confirmed to Sina.com that Gree has achieved significant advancements in chip research, design, and manufacturing, all accomplished independently without government funding. Specific chip types produced remain undisclosed.
In 2018, Gree established a subsidiary focused on designing chips specifically for air conditioners, with plans to expand into the production of additional smart home devices. At that time, Dong revealed that Gree was investing 4 billion yuan (approximately $549.45 million) annually on chip purchases for its air conditioning units.
Gree announced in March that it is establishing a Silicon Carbide (SiC) chip manufacturing facility, with projected production commencing in June.
Other Chinese firms in the consumer electronics and appliance industries, including Xiaomi and Midea, have similarly pursued in-house chip development to improve self-reliance and supply chain security.