After Oppo's announcement regarding the closing of the chip design division of Zeku, DJI and Xiaomi are positioned as key players in the search for talent specialized in this area. With industry attention focused on Zeku's 3.000-employee team, Xiaomi and DJI emerge as possible buyers of these skills highly sought after. However, it is DJI that is particularly active in recruiting talent from Oppo.
How Xiaomi and DJI are targeting Zeku chip talents, opening up new perspectives in the industry. The focus is on the proprietary ISP
DJI and Xiaomi's interest in Oppo's talents may indicate an unexpected strategic move in the chip sector. While DJI is universally known as a manufacturer of drones, its recent recruitment activity aims to expand its skills in the field of ISP (Image Signal Processor). This movement reflects the growing importance of ISP in smartphone cameras and in the fields of autonomous driving and driver assistance.
Competition for Zeku chip talent is intensifying, with companies like Qualcomm, Huawei HISILICON e Ziguang Zhanrui seeking to attract the best professionals in this highly specialized sector. However, DJI stands as one of the main protagonists, thanks to its established reputation in the drone industry and a willingness to expand its expertise in ISP chips.
The Zeku chip team has demonstrated considerable success over the years, successfully developing the NPU chip for image processing, known as Mariana MariSilicon, as well as the SoC chip for flagship Bluetooth audio, called MariSilicon Y. In addition, Oppo recently finalized its AP chip, which is expected to go into production by the end of 2023. This demonstrates the solid preparation of Oppo's R&D team and could represent a valuable opportunity for DJI and Xiaomi, which could enrich its chip R&D capabilities by acquiring the likes of talent from Zeku.
Source | DigiTimes
