China's semiconductor development needs an international circle of friends

Latest update time：2021-08-31 11:41

Reads：

Source: Content from Economic Observer, thank you.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. Standing at an important historical node and looking into the future, where will China's opening up go? The answer to this question is directly related to China's innovative development and rise in the field of high technology.

In this regard, the 19th CPC National Congress clearly pointed out: "To build a modern economic system, we must promote the formation of a new pattern of all-round opening up. Opening up brings progress, while closure will inevitably lead to backwardness. China's door to opening up will not close, but will only open wider and wider."

This has set the tone for China's future opening-up - China should not only further open up to the outside world, but also integrate its industrial development and upgrading into the global innovation system. As one of the pillar industries in the field of information technology, the development of China's semiconductor industry should embrace openness and face globalization.

In fact, the development of China's semiconductor industry has never been separated from the influence of globalization. Take Samsung's semiconductor project in Xi'an as an example. As early as 2012, Xi'an High-tech Zone successfully introduced Samsung Electronics' memory chip project, with a total investment of US$10 billion in the first phase of the project. The project set three "largest" records: the largest investment project in Samsung's overseas investment history; the largest foreign-invested project in the electronic information industry since China's reform and opening up; and the largest foreign-invested high-tech project introduced in Shaanxi and even the western region.

The first phase of Samsung Electronics' memory chip project was completed and put into production in May 2014, creating the "Shaanxi speed". The project has driven more than 100 supporting enterprises to settle in Xi'an High-tech Zone, forming a relatively complete semiconductor industry chain in Xi'an.

Although Xi'an was an important semiconductor base as early as the 1960s, and the first integrated circuit in New China was also produced by Xi'an Microelectronics, Xi'an's semiconductor industry has long been "scattered and small". Data shows that before Samsung came, the output value of integrated circuits in Shaanxi was about 10 billion yuan, and in 2016, the output value of Shaanxi's semiconductor industry was more than 50 billion yuan. This means that in five years, the scale of Xi'an's semiconductor industry has increased fivefold.

In addition to the changes in economic indicators, more importantly, it has brought about industrial upgrades and technological progress. According to Gu Meiru, deputy director of the Industrial Development Bureau of Xi'an High-tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone, the Samsung Xi'an factory, which originally used imported equipment, has now introduced a semiconductor equipment company from Shanghai for trial use - this means that local companies from China have participated in Samsung's industrial cooperation in Xi'an semiconductors.

After 40 years of reform and opening up, foreign investment has been introduced. With the optimization and upgrading of my country's "investment introduction path", the investment strategy of foreign investment in China has been constantly adjusted. From the initial single reliance on China's land resources and labor costs, to today's increasingly localized investment strategy, more and more emphasis is placed on collaborative cooperation with local industries.

A number of international IT giants, represented by Samsung, have successively established R&D institutions in China. China is no longer just a simple "OEM factory" for them, but has become more deeply involved in their global technology innovation system. There are two main reasons behind this change: first, the Chinese market is becoming increasingly important, and this important market needs products that are more adapted to localized innovation; second, China's progress in the field of technological innovation has made it possible for it to participate in the global innovation of the "giants".

This kind of industrial collaboration and technical cooperation of "you have me, I have you" has fed back the development and progress of China's local industries. Taking the semiconductor industry as an example, the accumulation and output of foreign capital in the fields of talent training, management model, process flow, etc. in the Chinese market has also accelerated the transformation and upgrading of the local semiconductor industry to a certain extent.

Data shows that over the past five years, my country's integrated circuit industry has made solid progress, achieved technological breakthroughs at multiple points, all links in the industrial chain have been comprehensively upgraded, and the industry has maintained an average annual growth rate of 20%.

In this regard, Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, publicly stated: "Integrated circuits are a highly internationalized industry. Openness, cooperation, and win-win are the only way for the industry to grow and develop. China's integrated circuit industry has always adhered to the principle of "open development", deepening international cooperation in multiple aspects such as capital, talent, technology, and market, promoting open and innovative development in all links of the industrial chain, and striving to integrate into the global integrated circuit industry ecosystem."

In order to promote the rise of China's semiconductor industry, we should gather global resources with a more open mind. On March 28, the second phase of the memory chip project of Samsung (China) Semiconductor Co., Ltd. broke ground in Xi'an, reflecting the "Xi'an efficiency" of the new era. The opening up of China's semiconductor industry will open a new page.

Today is the 1558th issue of content shared by "Semiconductor Industry Observer" for you, welcome to follow.