In the golden autumn, the trail outside the Beijing National Convention Center is already covered with golden ginkgo leaves. Inside the venue, the 21st China International Semiconductor Expo (IC China 2024) is being held in full swing. From precision wafer manufacturing equipment to advanced packaging equipment, to chips made of sand, these "heavy objects" that are usually hidden deep in factories and precision laboratories have now been moved to the site by manufacturers one by one. Slogans such as "breaking through barriers," "independent localization," "smart IoT," and "high-performance computing" light up the exhibition area. The intelligent computing industry, large model chips, wide bandgap semiconductors, advanced storage, advanced packaging, and investment and financing were hot topics discussed at the conference. The global semiconductor market is gradually emerging from a downturn and entering a new stage of rapid development. The Chinese semiconductor industry chain is accelerating the convergence of various forces, solving problems, creating a supporting platform for the entire industry chain, strengthening international cooperation, and seizing new opportunities for localization and artificial intelligence development Chen Nanxiang, Chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, stated in an interview with reporters. The acceleration of localization process "More than 550 enterprises from industries such as semiconductor materials, equipment, design, equipment, packaging and testing, and downstream applications participated in this exhibition, and the exhibition area was expanded to 30000 square meters, the largest scale in history." The relevant person in charge of the organizer told reporters that from the scale, internationalization level, and landing effect of the participating enterprises in this exhibition, we can glimpse the new atmosphere of strong recovery and vigorous development of the semiconductor industry. In the exhibition center area, crystal clear wafers and chips under the spotlight showcase the power of small parts. China Resources Microelectronics brought 12 inch wafers, while Tongfu Microelectronics showcased the main chips used in big data servers. Several manufacturers, including Shanghai Microelectronics, Xinmi Semiconductor, and Dijing Semiconductor, also brought their most advanced upstream and downstream technologies in chip design, manufacturing, and packaging testing to the site. Basic materials are known as "blood" in semiconductor manufacturing and are also one of the "protagonists" of this exhibition. Wafer is the most critical raw material in semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing. The relevant person in charge of China Resources Microelectronics told reporters, "Currently, Chinese manufacturers are constantly breaking through in the field of wafer manufacturing. The company is accelerating the layout of third-generation semiconductors, especially in the power semiconductor device field of gallium nitride and other materials, and the localization process is accelerating." "Localization is a key factor driving the sustained growth of China's semiconductor material market in the next few years. The company's current capacity utilization rate is good, and through related fundraising projects, it continues to improve bottleneck process procedures and enhance intelligent production line capabilities to cope with the large-scale development of the market." Wang Qingsong, Deputy General Manager of Jiangfeng Electronics, told reporters that the company brought advanced materials and components such as ultra-high purity metal target materials to the entire semiconductor industry chain at this exhibition, and Jiangfeng Electronics filled the gap in this field, Promote China to no longer rely on imports for ultra-high purity metal materials and sputtering targets. Not only Jiangfeng Electronics has filled the gap, but also significant progress has been made in wet electronic chemicals, one of the key basic chemical materials in the electronic information industry. Yao Yu, General Manager of Shenzhen Chuangzhi Xinlian Technology Co., Ltd., told reporters that the company is currently deeply engaged in the field of functional wet electronic chemical coating materials and technologies used in semiconductor wafer level and board level packaging, filling the gap in localization in the key industry node of metalized interconnect coating technology for electronic packaging. From the current situation of domestic development in the entire semiconductor materials industry, China has gradually achieved independent supply of materials in sub sectors such as large silicon wafers, third-generation semiconductors, high-purity electronic chemicals, and grinding fluids. The power devices made of new silicon carbide materials are also particularly eye-catching. A representative of an exhibitor introduced to reporters: "Silicon carbide has higher temperature resistance, stronger conductivity, and smaller volume, which makes it have broad application prospects in fields such as electric vehicles and high-speed railways. In addition, semiconductor manufacturers such as Changjiang Storage, New Ziguang, Huawei, and Beifang Huachuang have also made strategic layouts in the upstream and downstream of semiconductors. The 'big guy' has also attracted attention, and multiple 12 inch/8-inch fully automatic dual axis wafer cutting machines have been moved to the exhibition site by manufacturers. This device achieves 12 inch wafer cutting with a cutting accuracy of less than 3 microns. It has the characteristics of strong stability, high cost-effectiveness, and short delivery cycle, meeting the needs of traditional packaging and advanced packaging processes. "Pointing to a shiny device, Wang Fuguo, General Manager of Guangdong Kezhuo Semiconductor Equipment Co., Ltd., introduced it to reporters. He said, "Currently, the localization rate of the entire packaging equipment field is relatively low. The localization rate of the industry where this equipment is located is about 3%, and 97% relies on imports. After seven or eight years of research and iteration by the company, the various technical indicators of the equipment have reached the level of international advanced peers, and have the conditions for large-scale commercialization, which can accelerate the localization process of China's semiconductor industry." In addition, as Moore's Law gradually approaches its limit, advanced packaging technology has become the focus of the industry. From 3D stacking to fanout packaging, and then to microsystem integration technology. These innovative technologies not only break through the physical limitations of traditional packaging, but also provide possibilities for achieving higher performance electronic devices. At present, China's integrated circuit industry is gradually forming a complete industrial chain from materials, design, manufacturing to packaging and testing, with independent and controllable implementation and accelerated localization process Chen Nanxiang stated. With the explosive development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and computing power, the application of semiconductors in aerospace, oil exploration, broadband communication, automotive manufacturing, smart grid and other fields has become increasingly important and widespread, bringing new development opportunities to the industrial chain. Currently, various semiconductor manufacturers are making large-scale layouts in the fields of energy storage, intelligent vehicles, etc., changing their routes, improving production capacity, and conducting forward-looking research and development deployments around industries such as humanoid robots, future manufacturing, and quantum computing. They are also conducting industry finance integration to promote accelerated aggregation of innovation chains, industry chains, and capital chains. Zeng Yaoqing, Senior Market Product Director of Yutai Microelectronics Co., Ltd., told reporters that the company currently focuses on developing mature process chips with a diameter of 28 nanometers or more, achieving independent and controllable capabilities. The company will make forward-looking layouts in the fields of automotive chips and network communication in the future. In terms of in car chips, the company will launch gigabit Ethernet physical layer chips and in car switch chips. In terms of network communication, the company will upgrade its products from 2.5G to 10G and expand overseas markets, with significant growth in overseas revenue expected next year. Wu Hongying, General Manager of Xinsiyuan Microelectronics Co., Ltd., revealed to reporters: "The company continues to develop interface IPs and other IPs for the 40/28/22 nanometer process, and the related products it carries have achieved large-scale production. In the future, the company will continue to develop digital controller IPs, and also layout in the fields of new energy and big health, developing system level chips suitable for new energy storage and continuous blood glucose monitoring products." With enterprises accelerating their layout, the scale of China's integrated circuit industry is steadily increasing, and the prospects are broad. Wang Shijiang, Deputy Director of the Electronic Information Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated that in 2024, the development of the integrated circuit industry will continue to improve. In the first three quarters, the industry's sales revenue will increase by about 18% year-on-year, and the output will increase by about 26% year-on-year. The product supply capacity will be significantly improved, and the competitiveness of enterprises will be significantly enhanced. The industry has overcome difficulties and jointly built the "chip" semiconductor industry in China. While the industry is rapidly developing, it also faces multiple barriers that need to be broken down. From multiple surveys, it can be seen that many industries have an increasingly strong demand for high-performance integrated circuits, and semiconductor manufacturers need to quickly meet the booming demand of the AI market with innovative technologies. At the same time, the cost reduction and performance improvement advantages brought by miniaturization technology are gradually weakening, and manufacturers urgently need to find alternative technologies. The mass production threshold and import difficulty of semiconductor core materials are high, requiring collaborative research and development between upstream and downstream of the industry chain. In addition, there is currently a shortage of high-end and composite technical talents in the global semiconductor market, and the unstable factors in the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain that countries jointly participate in still exist. Currently, the semiconductor industry chain is actively seeking ways to respond and overcome difficulties. Ni Guangnan, an academician of the CAE Member, believes that open source has expanded from software to hardware in the new generation of information technology. The domestic industrial chain should promote the open source RISC-V architecture, especially in the fields of AI, intelligent networking, etc., and improve and strengthen the entire integrated circuit industry chain. Ji Junna, Director of Tianjin Jingshang Integrated Circuit Industry Development Center, stated in an interview with reporters that innovation such as software defined on chip systems can open up new ways of intelligent integration between chips and systems, provide a new path for the independent and high-quality development of China's chip industry, and integrate new industries such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and brain computer interfaces, comprehensively improving the autonomy and competitiveness of the industrial chain. In the view of Li Keyi, Chief Expert of Yuanhe Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., domestic semiconductor manufacturers should establish joint research and development centers, focus on AI and low function chip design, and quickly establish independent controllable regional semiconductor supply chains to cope with risks. In terms of integrated innovation, Wang Shijiang suggests fully leveraging the advantages of China's super large market, taking the demand for applications such as artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles, and digital transformation as the driving force, strengthening cooperation with the global integrated circuit industry, and promoting innovative development in all links of the industry chain. (New Society)