In the PC arena, the Wintel alliance—X86 chips paired with Windows—has long reigned supreme, binding countless software and hardware vendors worldwide into an ecosystem of tens of millions.

Its monopolistic grip has prompted more and more countries and regions to contemplate "de-Wintelization," but this is no easy feat—it requires rethinking CPU hardware, then the operating system, and the software ecosystem as well.

The same holds true in the Chinese market, especially in sensitive sectors such as finance, military, and government—where trusting Wintel is simply out of the question; better safe than sorry.

Domestically, various homegrown Linux distributions emerged early on, followed by integrated systems from UOS, Kylin, and others, all aiming to break Wintel's monopoly from the ecosystem side.

On the hardware front, China boasts six major domestic CPUs—Loongson, Zhaoxin, Phytium, Kunpeng, Hygon, and Sunway—all striving to dismantle the X86 monopoly.

Huawei charted a different course. After launching HarmonyOS, it not only has its own CPU but also its own operating system, pursuing a software-hardware integration strategy to pry open the Wintel alliance.

Data shows that Huawei HarmonyOS PC shipments have already surpassed 1 million units. Against the backdrop of a global PC market shipping 250 million units, this represents only about 0.4%—hardly a ripple.

But consider this: in 2026, complete machine shipments in China's Xinchuang sector are projected to reach around 10 million units. If HarmonyOS PCs account for 1 million of those, that's roughly 10%.

Moreover, forecasts suggest HarmonyOS PC shipments will exceed 2 million units this year, which would represent about 20% of the Xinchuang sector—an impact that would be truly significant.

Currently, China's Xinchuang sector has approximately 30 million machines in use. Once all these Xinchuang computers are driven to be replaced, HarmonyOS PCs will in the future command a robust ecosystem and a massive user base, making it all the easier to challenge Wintel.

Clearly, Wintel—which has monopolized the global PC market for decades—has now truly met its match.