Lin-gang Special Area is becoming a hub for the integrated circuit industry. [Photo provided to en.lgxc.gov.cn]

Shanghai's IC industry, one of the strongest in China, generated 170.6 billion yuan ($25.4 billion) in 2019, accounting for 20 percent of the national IC industry.

Shanghai is now building centers for the IC, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine industries in order to deal with core technology problems.

Oriental IC Port is a comprehensive IC industrial base located in the Lin-gang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. It was established on Oct 27 and will help Lin-gang become a new growth pole for Shanghai, after Zhangjiang and Jiading.

An agreement to build China's first 12-inch vehicle regulation level power semiconductor automatic wafer manufacturing center in Lin-gang was officially signed in August of this year. The project is expected to cost 12 billion yuan, and its annual production capacity is expected to be 360,000 pieces.

Since the establishment of the Lin-gang Special Area in August 2019, its IC industry has seen explosive growth. GTA Semiconductor, ZINGSEMI, and other influential IC firms have set up operations Lin-gang and brought in over 100 billion yuan in investment.

Several projects in the area have made major breakthroughs, and GTA Semiconductor's special technology production line in the Lin-gang Special Area started operating on June 30, receiving 35.9 billion yuan in investment.

With an increasing number of enterprises, a local chip industry is gradually taking shape. Lin-gang is home to two companies – ZINGSEMI and GTA Semiconductor – the first of which produces silicon wafers and the second of which produces analog circuits and power devices.

According to Wu Xiaohua, deputy director of the Lin-gang Special Area Administration, Lin-gang is focusing on the construction of Oriental IC Port, Life Science Blue Bay, Large Aircraft Industrial Park, the "Information Flying Fish" global digital economy innovation island, and other industrial parks.

In order to pursue industrial development, Lin-gang is contributing over 100 billion yuan to 11 funds, including the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Fund, Shanghai Integrated Circuit Phase II Fund, and Shanghai Integrated Circuit Equipment and Materials Industry Fund.