Innosilicon Technology has unveiled its latest flagship GPU, the Fenghua No. 3, marking a major leap forward in China’s push for semiconductor self-reliance. While the company’s graphics cards haven’t yet made a strong impact on global rankings, the Fenghua No. 3 is positioned as a significant technological milestone. Unlike its predecessors—the Fenghua No.1 and Fenghua No.2, which were based on Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR IP—the Fenghua No.3 is built on the open-source RISC-V architecture. The design draws inspiration from the OpenCore Institute’s Nanhu V3 project, signaling a shift toward more independent and customizable chip development. From a performance standpoint, the Fenghua No.3 claims support for modern graphics APIs including DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.2, and OpenGL 4.6. It also boasts ray tracing capabilities, a feature previously rare in Chinese-made GPUs. During a press demonstration, the card ran games like Tomb Raider, Delta Force, and Valorant with reportedly smooth performance. However, specific details such as resolution, frame rates, and in-game settings were not disclosed, so these claims should be viewed with caution. One of the most striking features of the Fenghua No.3 is its massive 112GB+ of HBM memory, making it highly suitable for AI workloads. According to Innosilicon, a single unit can run large language models with 32 billion and 72 billion parameters, while eight cards working together can handle models as large as 671 billion and 685 billion parameters. The GPU reportedly offers full compatibility with DeepSeek V3, R1, and V3.1 models, as well as Qwen 2.5 and Qwen 3 series. The card also introduces several specialized capabilities. It is the first in China to support the YUV444 color format, delivering superior color accuracy—ideal for professional CAD design and high-end video editing. It can drive up to six 8K displays (7680 x 4320) at 30 Hz, a notable achievement for a single GPU. Perhaps most uniquely, the Fenghua No.3 is the world’s first graphics card to offer native DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) support. This allows medical professionals to view X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and ultrasounds on standard monitors without requiring expensive, specialized grayscale displays—potentially reducing costs and improving accessibility in healthcare settings. While the U.S. still leads in advanced semiconductor manufacturing and AI chip innovation, China’s focus has shifted toward achieving strategic self-sufficiency. Individual advancements like the Fenghua No.3 may seem modest in isolation, but collectively they represent meaningful progress. Over time, such developments could form the foundation of a robust, domestically driven tech ecosystem—much like grains of sand accumulating into a beach.