When talking about the development history of China's semiconductor industry, Professor Zhou Shengming, Vice Dean of the School of Microelectronics at the South University of Science and Technology of China and former Director of the National Integrated Circuit Design Shenzhen Industrial Base, expressed deep regret. He said that as early as more than 30 years ago, China's semiconductor industry had a foothold in both design and manufacturing, and even had some advantages. However, during the most crucial decade (from 1990 to 2000), the industry missed the best opportunity for development. As the saying goes, "Every cloud has a silver lining", China embarked on a unique development path that was more suitable for itself, and Shenzhen emerged as a leader in the field of integrated circuit design.
As a veteran with over 30 years of experience in China's semiconductor industry, Professor Zhou Shengming is both a witness and a participant in the development of China's semiconductor industry. He has also been a spectator to the rise and breakthrough of Shenzhen. His reflections and sharing are of great benefit to the current construction of the semiconductor industry.
According to Professor Zhou Shengming's recollection, as early as the 1980s, China's integrated circuit industry already boasted two trump cards: Beijing 878 Factory (also known as the State-owned Dongguang Electronics Factory) and Wuxi 742 Factory (Huajing). The 878 Factory, where he joined after graduation, had established China's first 2-inch production line in 1978 and the first 3-inch production line in 1980. It adopted an IDM (Integrated Device Manufacturing) model, designing circuits, making masks, processing chips, and even packaging and testing on its own, with even special materials and casings being self-sufficient. The medium-speed TTL circuits and high-speed S-TTL circuits produced by the 878 Factory once met international standards. It was also an early entrant into CMOS circuit research and had produced 8-bit microprocessors, playing a significant role in the initial development of China's electronics industry. When talking about the glorious moments of China's IC industry, Professor Zhou wore a proud expression.
However, in the 1990s, the Chinese IC industry, which was supposed to enter a golden period of development, stagnated instead. Zhou Shengming recalled that due to various reasons such as the prevailing system, inadequate understanding, and insufficient investment, the yield of ICs from the two production lines was low, leading to persistently high costs. At that time, neither the government, the industry, nor the general public had sufficient understanding of integrated circuits. They failed to recognize that the IC industry required long-term investment. Factory 878 had introduced equipment, but did not continuously invest in processes or talent, lacked industrial cooperation, and relied solely on independent research and development. The processes were outdated, the yield was low, and it was difficult to reduce costs.
Such shocks also led many semiconductor professionals to switch careers. "I graduated from the Physics Department of Shandong University. In our department, there were more than 100 students majoring in semiconductors, and over 30 of them. But when we held our class reunion in 2000, only two of us were still working in the semiconductor industry. Many people switched careers because they did not see much potential in the semiconductor industry," he recalled. "However, these two production lines have cultivated a large number of semiconductor talents for China. After 2000, as the government began to attach importance to the semiconductor industry, these talents made great contributions to the development of China's semiconductor industry."
Since the 1990s, the demand for chips in the Chinese market has been increasing day by day. Driven by the huge market demand, China's electronics industry, especially application and complete machine enterprises, has begun to develop. With the tide of reform and opening up and the return of talents, technology has been continuously advancing, greatly promoting domestic chip development and industrial progress. In the new century, due to the government's visionary approach, the vigorous development of integrated circuits has been put on the agenda, and the global division of labor has also brought China the opportunity to change lanes and overtake.
In addition, he also mentioned that with the enhancement of our national strength and the maturity of our industries, many experts and talents have returned to serve in China, providing substantial support for the development of this industry. Therefore, our country's IC industry has entered a new era.
