Most of the best Android smartphones use a Qualcomm or MediaTek chip. But occasionally, an Android manufacturer will develop its own custom chip to deliver improved imaging, AI, or ML performance on its phones. Oppo, for example, debuted its custom MariSilicon X neural imaging chip last year with the Find X5 series. The same ISP does duty inside the Find X6 Pro to process photos taken from the 1-inch type Sony IMX989 camera. Sadly, the company has abruptly shut down its chip design subsidiary, Zeku, marking the end of the road for its MariSilicon chip efforts.

Reportedly, Oppo gave the subsidiary's employees less than a day's notice about the shutdown (via South China Morning Post), who were shocked by this move. Besides the MariSilicon X ISP, which is found inside some Find and Reno-branded phones, Zeku designed Oppo's MariSilicon Y Bluetooth audio SoC, which was unveiled in December 2022. The chip design subsidiary was set up in 2019.

In a short statement to Android Authority, Oppo confirmed the move and blamed it on economic uncertainties.

The smartphone industry is struggling, with the market shrinking by 12% in Q1 2023 due to a slowdown in consumer demand. Sales are expected to decline further in the ongoing quarter, with a recovery likely in the third or fourth quarter of the year.

Oppo shuttering its custom chip design subsidiary won't impact phones and devices already using the MariSilicon X ISP. But this should shut the door on MariSilicon chips appearing in the company's future devices. Going forward, Oppo will likely rely on the built-in ISP of MediaTek and Qualcomm SoCs that it will use in its phones.