Are you looking for a job in the digital IC design industry? Do you know how to find companies that design ICs in China? If you’re an engineer, designer, entrepreneur or investor in the semiconductor industry, this post will interest you.
What is digital IC design?
A proper digital IC design begins with a specification of the desired function. The specification can come from an outside source, or the manufacturer can provide it. Then the specification is translated into a Verilog or VHDL netlist, then verified against the specifications. Finally, there is synthesis of the netlist to produce a physical layout. Gate layouts are usually available from the IC manufacturer’s libraries.
Those working on the design process translate the specifications into digital blocks and logic circuits. The process is procedural, but many constraints associate with this type of IC. The design process is a combination of technological constraints and foundry processes. These factors result in several possible designs.
Why is digital IC design is important?
Creating a digital Integrated Circuit (IC) involves translating a set of determinations into computerized blocks assembled into basic circuits. The development of advanced IC plans, including the design of a foundry cycle, involves the advancement of frameworks and cycles. Creating a digital IC is not as simple as creating a conventional one; it requires extensive education and specialized training.
Digital designers can use libraries provided by IC manufacturers, which contain information on gate delay and layout.
Current Status of IC Industry in China
In February 2021, prediction aligned China’s IC industry to meet 70% of the domestic demand. Homegrown silicon was integral in meeting the demand, but in February, US sanctions began to bite. Meanwhile, China’s production remained below global standards and faced an increasing capacity gap.
In terms of volume, semiconductor demand in China was USD155 billion, with about 38% coming from non-Chinese companies. The largest demand came from four major Chinese smartphone companies and a non-China ICT company. Overall, China’s IC industry generated USD23.7 billion in local manufacturing, which was only 23.7 percent of the global demand. In contrast, China’s local IC manufactured industry produced only USD23.7 billion the previous year.
Vimicro Corporation
The Vimicro Corporation is a technology company founded in Beijing, China, in 1999. Its founders, who came from Silicon Valley, received support from the Ministry of Information Industry in establishing the company. Vimicro is dedicated to developing advanced mixed-signal multimedia chips and has several products currently available for domestic and international markets. Vimicro’s products target several fast-growing application fields.
Vimicro Corporation is a leading fabless chip company based in Beijing. Vimicro develops mixed signal multimedia chips, including video processors and networked video applications. It is the first Chinese chip design company with proprietary technology listed on Nasdaq. As one of the most influential and innovative chip companies in China, Vimicro has a strong market presence in the region and already incorporated into several Chinese companies.
Its patent portfolio spans over 2094 patents worldwide, belonging to 15 unique patent families. Of these, 687 are active and have received 73 citations. The company’s recent AI processor is for low power consumption and super-fast processing. It was also recently teamed up with the Ministry of Public Security to draft part of a national standard on video surveillance, which can help crack crimes. China has one of the world’s largest video surveillance networks and will be able to benefit from this development.
Its business
While a company’s performance does not necessarily reflect the future, many factors could affect its growth in China. These factors include the company’s ability to attract and retain employees. The company also faces several risks related to its business, including currency fluctuations. While investors should monitor the risks associated with investing in the company, these factors do not necessarily indicate that Vimicro is not likely to grow. While this situation is somewhat unlikely, management expects that its business in China will continue to grow in the coming years.
The Vimicro Corporation products target the rapidly growing markets of video surveillance, broadcast TV, gaming, and digital signage. With two decades of history, Vimicro is a company to watch in China.
Jingjia Micro
Jingjia Micro’s latest GPU is called the JM7200. The new chip is a 28nm version of the company’s previous GPU, which was robust enough for military aircraft displays. It is compatible with OpenCL 2.0 and OpenGL 4.5 APIs. It will not compete directly with the best-selling AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, but it will be able to take on both companies in the data center and cloud computing segment.
Jingjia Micro, a military-civilian integrated company focusing on graphics processing, made the latest GPU. The company developed China’s first homegrown GPU, the JM5400, and is now promoting it outside the military sector. Its latest chip is about the same speed as the GeForce GTX 1080, so it is capable of boosting gaming performance.
Jingjia Micro’s upcoming GPU could match AMD’s Radeon RX 560 or GeForce GTX 1080
Jingjia Micro has been waiting for the right moment to release its first marketable GPU for years. The company recently dropped its first domestically produced GPU, the JM9231. The company’s upcoming GPU is comparable to the GeForce GTX 1080 or Radeon RX 560 in terms of performance and power consumption. Jingjia Micro’s upcoming GPU contains a TDP of only 150W, similar to GeForce GTX 1080 or Radeon RX 560.
Besides, the company’s upcoming GPU could match the prices of GeForce GTX 1080 and Radeon RX 560. Besides, the upcoming GPU from Jingjia Micro could match the price tag of AMD’s Radeon RX 560. Although Lao Huang’s claims may seem overly optimistic, it’s a good sign. The company is planning to launch two graphics cards. The entry-level JM9231 will be competitive with AMD Radeon RX 560 or GeForce GTX 1080. The JM9271 is more powerful and could even match GeForce GTX 1080 or GeForce GTX Vega 64.
Jingjia Micro’s non-public offering of stocks
The company plans to use the funds raised from the stock sale to invest in consumer electronics, high-performance graphics processor chips, and general-purpose chips. The fundraising effort aims to further strategic planning in IC design for the consumer electronics sector. Sino IC Capital Management will manage the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund. The raising of the funds will happen through the Hunan High-Tech Venture Capital Investment Group, a government-backed investment platform that aims to foster strategic emerging industries.
Goke Microelectronics
The Goke Microelectronics Company is a Chinese IC design firm. This company provides professional services and develops chips for satellite, digital cable, wireless communication, and DTMB. Its product line includes a H.265 HD video chip, modern solid storage controlling chip, Wi-Fi, and an NDS advanced security decoding chip.
Integrated circuit design enterprise
Founded in 2008, Goke Microelectronics Co., Ltd. is a leading provider of multimedia chip solutions in China. Its core technologies include intelligent 4K decoding chip, H.264/H.265 HD security chip, high-end solid-state memory master control chip, and Beidou navigation and positioning chip, which has independent intellectual property rights.
Government subsidies received
GOKE MICROELECTRONICS, a semiconductor manufacturer, received nearly $100 million in government subsidies in 2018 and another $24 million in 2017. These amounts are the total government subsidy amounts the firm received during the calendar year. You calculate the amount of subsidies received using the year-average exchange rate of the Chinese Yuan. GOKE may have also received other types of state aid.
Risk of being included in the Entity List
Currently, the Chinese company is part of the Entity List for Semiconductors, Chips, and Advanced Electronics. Its main product lines include microprocessors, flash memory, and integrated circuits for artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Goke has headquarters in Changsha, central Hunan province. One of its subsidiaries, New H3C, is an independent semiconductor, information technology, and financial company.
Giantec Semiconductor Company
The primary focus of Giantec Semiconductor Corporation is providing integrated circuit products and services to customers worldwide. The company offers products for diverse industries including electronics, telecommunication, smart energy meters, medical and transportation. All its products meet or exceed the international standards and are marketed to customers worldwide.
A semiconductor company headquartered in Shanghai, Giantec Semiconductor is one of the largest suppliers of EEPROM chips. These chips are useful in storing configuration parameters in smart devices, personal computers, and other tools of the digital age. The company accounted for over 80% of its operating income in the first half of 2019.
The company is part of a larger industry and has an impressive customer base in Asia. Its automotive business has helped it establish a strong presence in China, a major EEPROM market. Its products include two-wire serial EEPROMs, application-specific ICs, and smart cards. It also manufactures signal chain-operation amplifiers, automotive parts, and VCN drivers.
Gross profit margin
Founded just a decade ago, the Shanghai-based semiconductor giant Giantec Semiconductor Corporation (GSIC) is a leading supplier of EEPROM chips. In the first half of 2019, EEPROM chips accounted for 88.4% of the firm’s operating income. However, this profit-generating company faces several challenges.
The company’s prospectus indicates that the gross profit margin for EEPROM production has been around 50% since 2016. Meanwhile, the gross profit margin for smart card chips has hovered between 24% and 28%. It is hard to ignore the potential of this kind of relationship. For this reason, Giantec is one of the most profitable companies in the semiconductor industry. Despite its small size, it has managed to earn a huge profit.
Product lines
Based in Shanghai, Giantec Semiconductor Company in the country has four distinct product lines. It specializes in EEPROM chips. It has received ISO9001 and ISO14001 certifications and is one of the qualified suppliers of the Ministry of Housing. The company’s products are in a wide range of consumer electronics, industrial, and medical products.
The company offers its entire EEPROM and MCU smart card solutions to customers worldwide. The company’s specialized technology allows it to meet clients’ needs across various industries. For example, it can provide epitaxial, 4-inch, 6-inch, or eight-inch silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. The company has a full range of product lines for various applications, including medical devices, and is developing a Power Management line.
Major supply chain upstream
On November 26, Giantec received a green light from China’s financial regulator to list its shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Sci-Tech Innovation Board, otherwise known as the Star Market. The company’s operating income accounted for 88.4% of its revenue in the first half of 2019.
The major supply chain upstream for Giantec Semi-Conductor Company has headquarters in Shenzhen, China. This region is home to several companies that manufacture electronic components. The company has a significant presence in the world market and operates in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Dosilicon Company
Dosilicon Co., Ltd. is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in designing and manufacturing small and medium general-purpose memory chips. It has headquarters in Shanghai City. The company’s products range from DRAM memory to NOR flash memory and MCP, but it’s also one of the few domestic semiconductor companies with multiple design processes. This information service combines company, industry, and country data to give investors an overall picture of the industry.
Its product portfolio includes various types of memory chips, semiconductors and electronic components. The company has significantly improved its main products by continuously investing in R&D capabilities and technology accumulation. With its multi-product line layout, it is achieving significant returns in the market. It has also established a stable supply chain system. The company’s products are widely useful in smart watches, optical cats and 5G communication. While the semiconductor industry is booming, Dongxin Semiconductor Co., Ltd. is still a relatively new player.
Founded in 2014, Dosilicon Co., Ltd. designs, manufactures, and sells memory chips worldwide. The company offers NAND flash, NOR flash, dynamic random-access memory chips, and multiple chip packages. Its products are useful in many sectors, including mobile phones, industrial control, communication networks, and security. As a result, Dosilicon is a highly competitive semiconductor company. The company is expanding its operations in China and overseas to keep up with the demand for flash memory.
NAND Flash /NOR Flash /DRAM
Dosilicon focuses on NAND flash, NOR and DRAM memory chips for multiple industries. These semiconductors can be useful in various applications including computer memory, mobile phones, and storage devices. The company also offers a variety of design processes, such as DRAM, NOR flash, and MCP (Memory Core Processors).
NOR flash is a memory type with higher read and write performance than NAND storage. The former is better for low-volume storage and high-speed reads. It is also faster than the latter and is primarily useful in consumer electronics. However, it is limited in storage capacity. Neither memory is ideal for all applications, and each has its own disadvantages.
Innosilicon Technology Ltd
Innosilicon started as an ASIC maker, but expanded into crypto mining in the early 2010s. Today, the company offers a variety of IP solutions and has invested heavily in advanced production nodes at China’s SMIC foundries. The company has also teamed up with GPU developer Xiandong to develop a high-performance server GPU called the Fenghua 1. This GPU rivals the latest models from Nvidia and AMD.
Innosilicon is a leading IP design company
Innosilicon is a one-stop-shop for high-speed mixed-signal IPs. They support a wide range of processes from 130nm to 5nm, and have built a 5nm process library, which is unrivaled worldwide. Moreover, they offer design-to-tapeout services. Their IPs cover the whole DDR process life cycle from prototyping to manufacturing.
Founded in 1998, Innosilicon is one of the world’s leading IP vendors. With over 16 years of experience, they have licensed over six billion high-performance Socs to leading manufacturers. They are official partners of TSMC and SAMSUNG, and have delivered a broad range of 5nm IP. Moreover, their IP has a great price-performance ratio.
Its GPUs are compatible with Linux, Android and Windows
Innosilicon has unveiled a new 4K high-definition desktop graphics card, the Fantasy One. It supports Windows, Linux, Android, and the OpenGL and Vulkan graphics APIs. The company plans to use this GPU in data centers and for VR and AR applications. The GPU is also compatible with the mainstream graphics frameworks such as DirectX.
Innosilicon manufactures standalone graphics cards, which use GDDR6X memory and are compatible with Linux, Android and Windows. The company has already launched its CPUs and is now developing a GPU for the market. The Fenghua No.1 GPU is intended for servers and can support DirectX and OpenGL graphics.
Its GPUs coming soon
Innosilicon is currently prepping its next-generation Fantasy One series. These GPUs will support up to 32 users for cloud-based services, and ship with 16GB of GDDR6X memory. They will support DX11 and DX12 and run up to 64 1080p/60 FPS games simultaneously.
The new GPUs will offer more than 1 trillion transistors and aim at cloud computing, virtual reality, and enterprise applications. Innosilicon will introduce the Fantasy 2 series in 2022, and the company says that this version will be faster and more powerful than the previous generation’s Fantasy One design. However, the company has not yet released any reviews of the new graphics cards, so there are no details on their price and availability.
Phytium Technology Ltd
Whether in the technology industry or not, you’ve probably heard of the Phytium Technology Company in China. You’ll also get an insider’s look at what they’ve been up to. Here, you’ll get to know what makes them unique and their latest technology.
The Phytium Technology Company in Tianjin, a city 70 miles from Beijing, has made news in recent months, when President Xi Jinping visited the company’s headquarters. Phytium is a leading Chinese microprocessor supplier and claims to have the largest market share for these chips. The company has won the support of the Chinese military and has been a shareholder for several years. Founded in August 2014, the company is a joint venture between the Tianjin municipal government and the China Electronics Corp. (CEC).
Phytium is making its chips for personal computers and commercial servers using mature 28 nanometer TSMC processes. Unlike the newest 16 nanometer FinFET processes, designing the company’s chips aims to increase transistor density and shrink die sizes. The company focuses on improving yields and achieving volume production of its Earth and Mars chips. The company is looking for other partners and potential acquisitions.
Phytium’s chips
Phytium Technology Ltd. is a company cited in a Washington Post investigation as a supplier of semiconductor chips for a Chinese supercomputer. These chips would have been useful in the supercomputers used by the Chinese military to test hypersonic vehicles. Despite the company’s ostensible civilian nature, it has ties to the PRC military, including the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center.
Phytium’s supercomputer
The Chinese military has been building a supercomputer to test hypersonic aircraft, and one of the companies that makes those chips is Phytium. While it is not clear how the military plans to use the new computer, US officials worried that China would keep up with its growing national security and modern weapons capabilities. Phytium is a semiconductor company building supercomputers for military applications for decades. The Chinese government has been a key customer of companies like Cadence and Synopsys.
Chengdu Shenwei Technology Company
Chengdu Shenwei is the second fastest supercomputer in the world. It uses a mix of chips from Intel and Sunway BlueLight, and employs an alpha 64 bit RSIC architecture. The company also claims it has the lowest total cost of ownership of any supercomputer globally. It is also located in a highly innovative part of the city, and is currently testing a variety of hi-tech industries.
Shenwei is the world’s second fastest supercomputer
Chinese researchers and companies developed the second fastest supercomputer in the world. This supercomputer, developed by the Chengdu Shenwei Technology Company, runs on a chip that was first developed by the company 15 years ago. The chip, known as the Sunway TaihuLight, can run at 93 petaflops on sustained workloads and up to 125.4 petaflops on peak workloads.
It uses Sunway BlueLight MPP as its main processor
The new supercomputer installed at China’s National Supercomputer Center in Jinan, which is about three times the size of the previous world record, has a power of 1,000 trillion calculations per second. It will probably rank among the top twenty fastest computers in the world. You can note 8,700 ShenWei SW1600 microprocessors, each designed and produced by a computer institute in Shanghai.
It uses alpha 64 bit RSIC architecture
Alpha is a 64-bit RISC microprocessor. Its development arose from an earlier, failed RISC project. Digital had been planning to replace their VAX line with PRISM, but executives did not see the need to replace it because it was incompatible with the older VMS operating system. Besides, the company would have to wait a long time to release a full software suite before introducing a new processor. Meanwhile, other RISC architectures offered better price/performance ratios.
It uses 260 cores
The Shenwei sw26010 processor has 260 cores and runs at a frequency of 1.45 gigahertz. The processor consists of four computing, management, and memory controller units. Its silicon features three teraflops of performance, which puts it on par with Intel’s “Knights Landing” processor. The Sunway Taihu Light, which costs over 1.8 billion dollars to build, is one of the largest supercomputers in the world.
Shanghai Anlu
Before deciding whether to invest in Shanghai Anlu Information Technology Co. Ltd in China, you should first learn about the company’s founders, products, gross profit margin, and competitors. Then, you can evaluate its overall value based on these factors. After reading the information in this article, you can determine whether it is a good investment. We will also discuss how the company’s management team has performed and whether it is profitable or not.
Founded in 2011, Shanghai Anlu Information Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in producing programmable logic devices and system-on-chips. In addition to providing FPGA products, the company also provides dedicated EDA software for design engineers. Its products aim at industries such as display, communication, industrial control, and artificial intelligence. Their products are useful in various electronic devices and applications, including mobile devices. They’ve been in business for 11 years, and they’ve developed a great number of successful products.
The company has experienced explosive growth in its products in the last few years, especially FPGA chips. The company’s products are currently useful in mobile phones, smart home systems, and other industries. These chips help it enter the supply chain of benchmark enterprises, including Intel, Qualcomm, and Samsung.
Gross profit margin
While its revenue and profit has grown, the gross-profit margin of Shanghai Anlu Information Technology Co-Ltd has remained at the bottom of its peer group for the past three years. In 2018, it fell short of its peer group average by about 20 percentage points. Its blood loss exceeded 80 million yuan. Despite the positive impact of its growth, the company faces numerous challenges in maintaining its profitability.
It is important to note that gross profit margin is an overestimation of revenue. Listed companies have to consider in-price tax and bad-debt loss as important components of revenue, which can greatly affect gross profit margin. We use the “return model” to calculate the profit margin of Shanghai Anlu Information Technology Co. Ltd in China. While it is possible to calculate the gross profit margin of this company using the existing theory, its resulting figure becomes significantly overstated.
Gowin Semiconductor Corporation
GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., founded in January 2014, has grown rapidly since launching its first products. In addition to its products, Gowin also provides software and reference designs for developing FPGAs. The company has headquarters in Guangzhou, China. The company also serves customers worldwide, including in India.
A Chinese FPGA chip developer, Gowin Semiconductor Corp, has completed a heavy B+ financing round to accelerate its localization strategy. The firm primarily provides field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), reprogrammable after manufacturing. This type of technology is perfect for a variety of industries. It also targets the Indian market, which may reach $63 billion by 2026.
The National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund led the financing round, the Xiaomi Industry Investment Fund, and the China Merchants Telecom Fund. Other investors included Wentai Technology and Chuanyin Holdings, two private equity firms in China. The company also plans to pay more attention to providing comprehensive and daily information. Many of its shareholders are large domestic semiconductor manufacturers, which may lead to further development of their products.
Company has begun mass production of its low- and mid-density FPGA chips
The Chinese semiconductor company Gowin Semiconductor Corporation has begun the mass production of its low and mid-dense FPGA chips in China. Its chips, designed for embedded use in mobile devices, compete with existing low and mid-density FPGA chips. The company has full intellectual property rights over its chips, configuration can happen after manufacturing. Gowin’s FPGA chips can be useful in various industries, including automotive, telecommunications, and defence. The company is currently concentrating on the mainland Chinese market, where it has received its first order for 10 chips.
Company has filed 22 patents
GOWIN Semiconductor Corporation has announced the release of an mSoC FPGA with an integrated Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy radio. GOWIN is a global leader in designing and manufacturing semiconductor devices for diverse markets. The company has offices in several countries and R&D centers worldwide. With a strong focus on advancing the semiconductor industry, GOWIN has established itself as a top tier semiconductor partner.
The company’s IP portfolio includes general-purpose SPDIF receiver controllers, BMC encoding solutions, and USB 2.0 interfacing solutions. You can apply the company’s IP to all FPGA products regardless of manufacturer. In addition, Gowin SPDIF receiver IP includes functions such as BMC decode, SPDIF phase detect, and IDDR modules. The IP also allows for flexibility in product development, allowing a wide range of users to take advantage of its IP.
Since the recent ban on foreign semiconductors, Gowin has gained increased attention from investors and clients domestically. China’s Made in China 2025 industrial master plan aims to decrease the reliance on foreign tech companies.
