Opinionated - China Chipping Away to Semiconductor Dominance

[JSCh]

Latest AI chips a startup success story
By MA SI | China Daily | Updated: 2018-05-22 08:05

Chen Tianshi, CEO of Cambricon Technologies Corp Ltd, introduces the company's new chip products at a news conference in Shanghai on May 3. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is nurturing domestic tech companies to reduce reliance on foreign products
Artificial intelligence technologies are bursting out of laboratories and into reality at a faster rate than many expected.

Consumers can now take selfies with smartphones that automatically beautify their pictures－removing dark circles under the eyes and adding patches of rouge. After a hard day at work, people can talk to internet-connected TVs, which will switch on automatically and begin beaming their owners' favorite shows. When stepping into smart vehicles, people can ask cars to lower the temperature and recommend the nearest coffee shop, just by speaking.

All these applications are made possible by miniature processors that operate within the devices themselves or via cloud services. As the brains powering these smart electronic products, AI chips help smartphones, TVs and automobiles understand what humans say, recognize pictures, and more importantly, give appropriate feedback.

As part of its broad push to gain a lead in the AI era, China is nurturing globally competitive chip companies that can reduce the nation's reliance on foreign technologies.

Describing chips as being like the human heart, President Xi Jinping said in late April that "no matter how big a person is, he or she can never be strong without a sound and strong heart". He urged businesses to make major breakthroughs in chip technology and reach new heights in the global semiconductor industry.

A string of Chinese startups and tech heavyweights are scrambling to respond to President Xi's call.

At a much-anticipated event held in Shanghai in early May, Cambricon Technologies Corp Ltd, a startup that specializes in AI processors, unveiled China's first cloud AI chip－the MLU 100. The chip outperforms traditional general purpose processors and can better support AI-powered applications.

"The MLU 100 consumes less power, is compatible with various AI algorithms, and can better drive applications like visual, speech and natural language processing," said Chen Tianshi, CEO of Cambricon, which is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Cambricon－which raised $100 million from investors last year－is part of a boom of Chinese companies and startups working on AI chips, hoping to take on United States semiconductor giants such as Nvidia Corp, Intel Corp and Qualcomm Inc.

The trend comes as China's semiconductor industry sees a unique opportunity to establish itself amid the current wave of enthusiasm for hardware optimized for AI, after the country lagged behind foreign rivals in traditional general processors for years, company executives and industry experts said.

Chinese companies are now benefiting from favorable government policies, a growing demand for tailor-made AI chips and the country's huge digital population, which lay a sound foundation for large-scale AI applications.

"Chips and software are closely bounded. That is particularly true in AI, as chips powering an application must be specifically designed. China's booming software market and large user base will allow homegrown companies to update chip design quickly based on user experience," said Roger Sheng, research director at consultancy Gartner Inc.

"More importantly, AI has just jumped out of laboratories and into commercial applications. China and the US are almost at the same starting line," Sheng added.

The world's first AI mobile chip product developed by Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is shown at the PT Expo China 2017 in Beijing. A QING/FOR CHINA DAILY

In December 2017, the government set the goal of mass-producing chips that run artificial neural networks by 2020, a vital form of software propelling global tech giants' AI ambitions. The policy is a key part of China's ambition to become the world's leader in AI by 2030.

The global AI chip market is forecast to hit $10.8 billion by 2023, with the industry growing at a compound average annual growth rate of 54 percent, according to data from market research company ReportLinker.

Sensing huge opportunities, at least 14 AI chipmakers have emerged in China within the past two years, data from Tencent Research Institute show. They are joining the efforts made by Chinese tech heavyweights including Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to make chips that can add AI to any gadget.

"In the past 10 years, we have never seen so many companies emerge at the same time for a single segment in China," said Xiang Ligang, a chip expert and CEO of telecoms industry website Cctime.

In April, Beijing's Horizon Robotics, founded by veterans of internet search company Baidu Inc, said it was closing a new round of financing that would hit $100 million, after unveiling two tailor-made AI processors to assist self-driving vehicles last year.

ThinkForce, which attracted 450 million yuan ($70 million) from investors in 2017, is working on AI chips that can be embedded in devices such as smartphones, watches and home robots.

Huawei is collaborating with Cambricon on AI chips for phones and other devices.

"AI processor startups are the latest darlings among investors in China. This was definitely impossible several years ago, as the semiconductor business is so cash-intensive and demands long-term investment to see any results," said Liu Weiwei, general manager of the AI department at Galaxy Internet. The Beijing-based incubator helps startups secure capital and other resources.

According to Liu, venture capitalists today see an opportunity for Chinese startups to establish a presence in the market, as demand for tailor-made AI chips grows exponentially and it becomes less complicated to design such processors.

Existing chips that run AI software, such as Nvidia's graphics chips, are expensive and hard to deploy into devices.

That's why companies like DeePhi are marching into the sector. The Beijing-based startup is running against the clock to produce AI chips that can help self-driving automobiles recognize pedestrians in a cost-effective way.

"The complexity involved in designing AI chips is about one-tenth of that in designing central processing units. But companies that only make chips will not be able to win in future. The key is to build a system by combining chips with software," said Yao Song, CEO of DeePhi.

The startup raised $40 million from investors including Samsung and Alibaba's Ant Financial last year. It has already unveiled a slate of software products, and its chips are designed to provide in-house solutions to help its products to achieve better performance and lower production costs.

"It is difficult for a single Chinese company to take on Nvidia given our currently limited chip talent pool and manufacturing techniques. A more likely picture is that about 10 Chinese companies compete with the US chip giant in 10 specific niches," Yao said.

According to him, AI chips are a golden opportunity for China to surpass the US in high-tech, and 2018 will be a critical year.

"This year will see whether we are really as good as we have promised and can come up with competitive, commercially mature products," he said.

 

[qwerrty]

i think orbbec is one of the two chinese startups that apple says they are adding to supply 3d-sensing modules for their face ID... sunny optical, o-film and orbbec are the only chinese companies that making 3d-sensing for smartphones. sunny is working with huawei that mean orbbec and o-film are the new suppliers.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

medium.com
3D Sensor Unicorn Orbbec Closes Over $200 Million Series D
Synced
2-3 minutes

AI startup Orbbec (奥比中光) today closed an over US$200 million Series D funding round led by Ant Finance. Other investors include Saif Partners, Green Pine Capital, Telstra Ventures, and Renzhi Capital.

Founded in 2013, Orbbec produces 3D sensor solutions, and is known for its 3D cameras AstraPro, AstraMini, Astra, AstraS, AstraMiniS, and AstraP, which bring advanced environment detection capability and enable 3D facial recognition and 3D scanning for smartphones, TVs, robotics, VR/AR, smart home systems, smart security and autonomous driving. More than 2,000 companies globally use Orbbec tech.

3D sensors are a complicated but promising technology that has attracted increasing attention since last September’s iPhone X release. The phone’s 3D sensor measures the “depth” of a user’s face to provide an extra layer of security.

AR/VR devices use 3D solutions to accurately detect users’ real world actions and reflect them in a virtual environment. In self-driving applications, 3D sensors enable a vehicle to better identify obstacles and measure distances. It is believed that most AI systems which currently use cameras and 2D sensors will require 3D sensors in the future.

Orbbec CEO Yuanhao Huang believes the increased deployment of 3D sensors will play accelerate the development of sensor technology in AI and IoT, and says the company plans to focus on smartphone solutions in 2018. Orbbec is headquartered in Shenzhen and has offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, and the United States.

 

[cirr]

Nation in big semiconductor push

2018-05-23 09:38:05 China Daily

Technicians check chips at a technology company in Guigang, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (Photo by Tan Kaixing/for China Daily)

At least 46 big-budget semiconductor projects are scheduled to be built in China within two to three years, as part of the nation's broader push to reduce reliance on foreign chip manufacturing and design techniques, according to data compiled from local governments' key 2018 project plans.

The move comes as China is expediting its research and development of core chip technologies, narrowing the gap between its integrated circuit industry and those of the world's leading nations in this field.

To realize the goal, a number of provinces and municipalities are seeking to attract semiconductor companies to build factories and R&D centers.

In Guangdong province, two semiconductor projects are under construction and will be completed by 2020, with a combined investment of 18.6 billion yuan ($2.92 billion). Another two projects are scheduled to break ground this year, with their total investment reaching 4.6 billion yuan, according to the province's 2018 key project plans.

Meanwhile, 15 chip-related projects are either under construction or will be built in Jiangsu province, including plants that make chips for cameras and automobiles, as well as factories producing semiconductor equipment.

Companies such as Tsinghu Unigroup and SK Hynix are participating in these projects.

In Anhui province, two semiconductor projects will be constructed, with combined investment of 3 billion yuan, according to the province's key project plans for this year.

The intensified push comes as China attaches growing importance to chips－which lie inside a wide range of products and power mobile phones, computers, automobiles and other equipment. In recent years, China has spent more than $200 billion on imported chips annually, more than it spends on crude oil imports.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it would ramp up resources to help build a string of semiconductor innovation platforms that can integrate talents and capital to speed up development.

Also, a national innovation center for smart sensors will be built to overcome crucial technological bottlenecks, the electronics information department of the ministry said in its 2018 working plan.

Li Guojie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the research and development of chips mirrors China's overall technological level.

"Though it will take time for us to catch up with leading foreign countries, consistent input of resources and R&D will help accelerate the process."

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2018-05-23/detail-ifyuqkxh5543109.shtml

 

[JSCh]

TCL Aims to Tap Large Screen Market With USD6.7 Billion Display Plant
TANG SHIHUA
DATE: WED, 05/23/2018 - 14:13 / SOURCE:YICAI

TCL Aims to Tap Large Screen Market With USD6.7 Billion Display Plant​

(Yicai Global) May 23 -- China’s leading television maker TCL Corp. will invest CNY42.7 billion (USD6.7 billion) in a new plant located the country’s southern city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for the production of large-screens and 8k resolution displays.

The facility will boast monthly production capacity of 90,000 glass substrate panels mainly for use in 65, 70 and 75-inch 8k ultra-high resolution displays as well as 65 and 75-inch OLED displays, the firm said in a press briefing.

Once completed, the project will turn Shenzhen into the world’s largest semiconductor display industry base, helping the city attract supporting businesses and thus create the most complete semiconductor display industry chain in the country, the firm said.

TCL expects to be ready for trial operations in December 2020 before achieving mass production in March the following year.

The company has reached an agreement with the Major Industries Development Fund Co., an affiliate of the Shenzhen State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission so that it will contribute CNY20.3 billion to the project.

China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., and China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co. (CSOT), a unit of TCL, will carry out the project. Specifically, CSOT and its controlled affiliates will chip in CNY13.3 billion, and its shareholding will rise from 53 percent to 59 percent after the deal. The investment fund’s share will drop from 37.2 percent to 35.9 percent, with a capital contribution of CNY7 billion. As Samsung Display Co. has decided not to contribute to the project, its stake in the project company will fall from the current 9.7 percent to 5 percent.

 

[Yingluck]

As long as China cannot recreate ASML, her IC industries will be strangled.

This is a matter of technological embargo of precision instrument in fabrication.

 

[TaiShang]

Nation in big semiconductor push

2018-05-23 09:38:05 China Daily

Technicians check chips at a technology company in Guigang, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (Photo by Tan Kaixing/for China Daily)

At least 46 big-budget semiconductor projects are scheduled to be built in China within two to three years, as part of the nation's broader push to reduce reliance on foreign chip manufacturing and design techniques, according to data compiled from local governments' key 2018 project plans.

The move comes as China is expediting its research and development of core chip technologies, narrowing the gap between its integrated circuit industry and those of the world's leading nations in this field.

To realize the goal, a number of provinces and municipalities are seeking to attract semiconductor companies to build factories and R&D centers.

In Guangdong province, two semiconductor projects are under construction and will be completed by 2020, with a combined investment of 18.6 billion yuan ($2.92 billion). Another two projects are scheduled to break ground this year, with their total investment reaching 4.6 billion yuan, according to the province's 2018 key project plans.

Meanwhile, 15 chip-related projects are either under construction or will be built in Jiangsu province, including plants that make chips for cameras and automobiles, as well as factories producing semiconductor equipment.

Companies such as Tsinghu Unigroup and SK Hynix are participating in these projects.

In Anhui province, two semiconductor projects will be constructed, with combined investment of 3 billion yuan, according to the province's key project plans for this year.

The intensified push comes as China attaches growing importance to chips－which lie inside a wide range of products and power mobile phones, computers, automobiles and other equipment. In recent years, China has spent more than $200 billion on imported chips annually, more than it spends on crude oil imports.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it would ramp up resources to help build a string of semiconductor innovation platforms that can integrate talents and capital to speed up development.

Also, a national innovation center for smart sensors will be built to overcome crucial technological bottlenecks, the electronics information department of the ministry said in its 2018 working plan.

Li Guojie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the research and development of chips mirrors China's overall technological level.

"Though it will take time for us to catch up with leading foreign countries, consistent input of resources and R&D will help accelerate the process."

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2018-05-23/detail-ifyuqkxh5543109.shtml

In the near future, many people will be grateful for the big (twitter) mouth of the US regime.

 

[qwerrty]

successful development of 70 million gate-level FPGAs

--
国内FPGA技术获得突破，7000万门级FPGA研发成功
Published by luna on 2018年5月17日
据消息称中国电科下属单位公开宣布成功研发7000万门级FPGA。

虽然与国外差距仍然很大，但从FPGA性能上看，已经比现有的国产FPGA强的多，对于一些方面的技术应用来说，已经可以解决部分有无的问题。

FPGA是一种非常重要的芯片
FPGA是现场可编程门阵列，简单的说就是一个可以在其上编程的芯片，用户可以在FPGA上编程实现一个特殊的硬件加速算法。

目前，这种芯片主要有三个应用方向。

一是用在各自军用装备上，二是用在通信设备，三是芯片设计公司用来仿真。

目前FPGA价格非常贵，像国内IC设计公司从赛灵思采购的FPGA，高端产品要40多万元人民币一片，而英特尔普通的CPU，也要几百、几千上万元人民币。国内FPGA技术突破对于降低FPGA价格和突破国外技术封锁有重要意义。

如今FPGA在医疗，物联网、汽车电子、机器人、无人驾驶等领域应用越加广泛，FPGA技术进步无疑是一支增强国力的强心针。

http://www.nonoraya.com/354/

 

[TaiShang]

Domestic chips to get a big boost
China Daily, May 24, 2018

A technician demonstrates a domestically developed chip in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]
China is including domestic processors in its government procurement plans as the nation steps up its effort to promote the application of homegrown chips in government agencies and State-owned enterprises.

The move is likely to put pressure on U.S. tech giant Intel Corp whose chips are now widely used in China's server market , experts said on Wednesday.

According to a proposal published on the official website of the Central Government Procurement Center, servers powered by domestic central processing units including Loongson, ShenWei and Phytium are included in China's government procurement plan for 2018-19.

This is the first time that homegrown chip-driven servers have been included in such a proposal, underlying China's determination to promote the application of domestic processors which are making steady progress in performance. State-owned enterprises and government agencies are important buyers of information technology equipment in China.

Loongson is the brand name for China's first self-developed general-purpose microprocessor. ShenWei is a homegrown CPU that powers Sunway TaihuLight, the world's fastest supercomputer. Phytium CPUs are developed by the National University of Defense Technology, a top military academy in China.

Nicknamed the "brain" of electronic products, chips lie inside a wide range of products and power mobile phones, computers, automobiles and other equipment. In recent years, China has spent more than $200 billion on imported chips annually, more than the amount spent on crude oil imports, according to official data.

Hu Weiwu, president of Loongson Technology Corp, said the move is a "milestone" for homegrown chips, "highlighting the strong support the government gives us".

So far, most servers included in government purchase plans come with Intel processors. But as domestic chips make progress, they are good enough to support certain application scenarios, Hu said.

"More efforts are needed to cultivate a computer ecosystem, including software, to support the use of China-developed chips. The wider the use of these chips, the better they will become. It will take time, but we are confident about the process," Hu added.

According to a roadmap released by the National Manufacturing Strategy Advisory Committee, China's integrated circuit industry will narrow its technological gap with those of the world's leading countries by 2020, with annual sales growing at over 20 percent on average.

Liu Jiepeng, deputy general manager of the marketing department at Tsinghua Tongfang, a major server maker in China, said in an interview with Global Times that there is a strong demand for domestic chip-driven servers from government agencies amid growing concern about national security.

The intensified push to develop the homegrown semiconductor industry comes amid widespread concern that heavy reliance on foreign chips will threaten the foundation of the nation's electronics industry. Such concerns have intensified since the recent U.S. decision to ban the sale of key U.S. components, including chips, to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2018-05/24/content_51510547.htm

***

Thank you, Mr. Trump and his regime, for making it a legitimate concern for China to support its own chip industry.

@qwerrty , @cirr , @Beast , @Cybernetics , @terranMarine , @Chinese-Dragon , @AndrewJin

 

[cirr]

Xiongan to become global IC leader

2018-05-24 08:32:05 China Daily Editor : Mo Hong'e

Xiongan New Area in North China's Hebei province is going to be built into a global innovation leader in the integrated circuit industry, Sina Finance reported on Tuesday.

A batch of national-level integrated circuit innovation platforms, such as national laboratories, state key laboratories and engineering research centers, will be built in Xiongan New Area, the report said, citing a notice on speeding up development of the integrated circuit industry in Hebei province.

The annual average growth rate of main businesses in the IC industry in the province is expected to reach 30 percent by 2020, the report said.

Five to 10 upstream and downstream enterprises in the IC industry will be introduced to the province, three to five integrated circuit design and service companies and special material companies at national leading level will be cultivated, three to five provincial-level key laboratories and technology centers for enterprises will also be established by that time.

The aggregation project will be implemented by building an industrial chain of design, manufacture, packaging and testing for application-specific integrated circuits.

Technological transformation of basic materials will be accelerated, and the level of technology and quality of products will be upgraded to build up a sound foundation in Xiongan.

Current chip design levels will be upgraded and high-end, miniaturized, long-lasting and low power consumption chip production will be promoted, according to the report.

Chip designing companies will be encouraged to cooperate with companies in automobile, robot, internet of things and fifth-generation mobile communication companies to realize scaled application of independent chips.

Leading companies in integrated circuit packaging and testing at home or abroad will also be introduced to Xiongan, to accelerate the construction of chip testing, detecting and packaging production lines.

Technological innovation capabilities of integrated circuits will be improved by encouraging Chinese companies to cooperate with world-leading research institutes and enterprises and establish a market-oriented technological innovation system.

Established in April last year, Xiongan New Area, spanning three counties in Hebei province about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, will develop into a modern city that is green, intelligent and livable, with relatively strong competitiveness and harmonious human-environment interaction, by 2035.

http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/2018-05-24/detail-ifyuqkxh5544915.shtml

 

[qwerrty]

According to a proposal published on the official website of the Central Government Procurement Center, servers powered by domestic central processing units including Loongson, ShenWei and Phytium are included in China's government procurement plan for 2018-19.

shenwei is the only one capable among those. loongson is just hype, they haven't produce anything new for years. phytium is quiet too. shenwei chips are proven, the chips are powering the fastest hpc on earth and have commercial version ready. the team is also very active developing new version for exascale hpc

 

[Beast]

shenwei is the only one capable among those. loongson is just hype, they haven't produce anything new for years. phytium is quiet too. shenwei chips are proven, the chips are powering the fastest hpc on earth and have commercial version ready. the team is also very active developing new version for exascale hpc

Loongson chip are quietly filling up order of domestic products like military communication system, radar and weapon like missile. They do not need to advertise themselves to public nor report to anybody beside the CPC. That is why you heard very little of them or even their chips progress. That source of order alone is enough to make loongson rich.

 

[TaiShang]

shenwei is the only one capable among those. loongson is just hype, they haven't produce anything new for years. phytium is quiet too. shenwei chips are proven, the chips are powering the fastest hpc on earth and have commercial version ready. the team is also very active developing new version for exascale hpc

If they receive more government support, perhaps, they speed up development and marketization . Perhaps so far most of them lacked scale to apply their products. Now with government stepping in, things may change.

 

[JSCh]

China's Hi-Target Launches Three Global Positioning Products With Centimeter-Range Accuracy
TANG SHIHUA
DATE: THU, 05/24/2018 - 17:10 / SOURCE:YICAI

China's Hi-Target Launches Three Global Positioning Products With Centimeter-Range Accuracy​

(Yicai Global) May 24 -- Chinese navigational solutions provider Hi-Target Surveying Instrument Co. has introduced three new navigation products capable of providing positional accuracy of up to two-centimeters in range worldwide, which would be tens of times sharper than the current standard in China.

The Guangzhou-based firm launched mobile chip Fixed Star I, a Global Navigation Satellite Systems antenna, and high-precision global positioning system HI-RTP, at the Ninth China Satellite Navigation Conference held in northern China's Harbin from May 23-25.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s logistics arm Cianiao has already started using the GNSS antenna to ensure precise operations of its driverless vehicles, a representative of Hi-Target said at the conference, adding that the antenna will ensure faster and more accurate navigation for other unmanned vehicles in future.

The firm will put the HI-RTP system into pilot operation in the Asia-Pacific region this year and will extend its coverage to reach a global scale by 2020. It currently uses 100 reference stations for positioning, which will be more than doubled to 220 over the next two years, ensuring 2-centimeter-range accuracy.

The Fixed Star I microchip will help Chinese equipment makers to reduce their dependency on overseas supplies, while also lowering the costs for such products. The chip will go on sale next year and ensures global coverage because it is applicable to all major satellite systems including China's Beidou Navigation System, the EU's Galileo network, Russia's Glonass, as well as America's GPS.

​

A worker shows radio frequency chip Hengxing-1 at the ninth China Satellite Navigation Conference in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, May 24, 2018. The chip, which could be used for receiving and sending signals from Beidou-3 satellites, is developed by Guangzhou-based company Hi-Target Surveying Instrument. This chip, of which the Hi-Target company has independent intellectual property rights, adopts a highly integrated design and is available for use in the current four navigation systems from the US, Russia, Europe and China. It's estimated that Hengxing-1 will be put into production in the second half of 2018 and largely replace imported chips by the end of this year, according to the company. (Photo: China News Service/ Sunnn Zifa)

 

[JSCh]

Three China foundries gearing up for transition to sub-10nm process technology
Cindy Yu, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES
Thursday 24 May 2018

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) and Huali Microelectronics, and memory foundry specialist Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) are all gearing up for transition to sub-10nm process technology with respective deployments kicking off this year.

SMIC has reportedly ordered a set of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) production equipment from ASML for nearly US$120 million. The largest China-based pure-play foundry is looking to enter risk production of chips built using 14nm FinFET process in the first half of 2019, and will move forward with its plan to incorporate the EUV technology into its 7nm process, according to company sources.

SMIC is expected to receive its first EUV production tools in early 2020 enabling the foundry to step up deployments in the sub-10nm processes, the sources said.

SMIC has revised upward its capex target for 2018 to US$2.3 billion from US$1.9 billion. Capex this year will be used for advanced process R&D, equipment purchases and capacity expansions, the company disclosed previously.

SMIC co-CEO Liang Mong-song will play a key role in assisting the company to accelerate the development of advanced process technology. Liang said at the company's most recent investors meeting that SMIC will kick off risk production of its 14nm FinFET process and venture into the AI (artificial intelligence) chip sector in the first half of 2019 after entering volume production of 28nm HKC+ process in the second half 2018.

Fellow 12-inch foundry Huali has installed ASML's TWINSCAN NXT:1980Di immersion lithography system at its FAB6, where the company will be fabricating 14nm FinFET chips, according to company sources. Huali will be investing a total of CNY38.7 billion (US$6.06 billion) in the construction of FAB6, which is designed for production capacity of 40,000 12-inch wafers monthly.

Huali expects to begin pilot operations at FAB6 by the end of 2018, and have the new fab ready for commercial production by the end of 2022. The fab will focus on the fabrication of logic ICs built using 28nm, 14nm and more advanced process technologies.

Memory-IC foundry YMTC under China's state-owned Tsinghua Unigroup has its first 193nm immersion lithography system delivered recently, according to company sources. The equipment priced at US$72 million will be used for the production of 20nm and 14nm chips.

As YMTC is gearing up for volume production of its in-house developed flash memory chips, the company will be engaged in equipment installations at its factory site in Wuhan over the next several months, the sources said. YMTC plans to build a total of three 3D NAND flash fabs for US$24 billion.

YMTC recently held a ceremony to mark equipment move-in at its first 12-inch fab designed for 300,000 wafers in monthly capacity. Construction of the fab was completed in September 2017, and the fab is ready for volume production later in 2018, the sources indicated.

YMTC has obtained its first orders for commercial production of over 10,000 32-layer 3D NAND flash chips, Charles Kau, acting chairman of YMTC and executive VP of Tsinghua Unigroup, was quoted in previous reports. The company is looking to be capable of producing 64-layer 128Gb 3D NAND products in 2019 to narrow its technological gap with industry leaders within two years.


https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20180523PD209.html

 

[qwerrty]

Loongson chip are quietly filling up order of domestic products like military communication system, radar and weapon like missile. They do not need to advertise themselves to public nor report to anybody beside the CPC. That is why you heard very little of them or even their chips progress. That source of order alone is enough to make loongson rich.

actually, the head researcher always come to hot chips conference every year to talk about his team latest development and their most advanced chip is still the godson-3b that's been around since 2010. in military, this is ok. in commercial IT world, things are evolving very fast. it's no good. maybe this procurement list will give them incentive to move faster