Three-day Semicon China attracted huge crowds wearing masks in Shanghai

Semicon China - the premier expo for the semiconductor manufacturing and material industry in China - opened in Shanghai on March 17-19, with an estimated 11000 mask-wearing attendants over three days.  It filled nine halls with 4,000 booths from 1,100 exhibiting companies, including FPD China.

Lung Chu, President of Semi China and the expo organizer - told the Grand Opening that: "China's semiconductor market performance exceeded twice of the global market last year and the semiconductor equipment market grew 39% versus a global increase rate of 18.9%, becoming the largest in the world." Demands came from more working from home, online education, gaming, AI, 5G & big data, and other intelligent applications, Chu said. China has just released its 14th Five Year Plan, and the semiconductor industry, as one of its top priorities, is set for fast growth in this 1st year.

SEMI, celebrating a 51-year history, now has 620 members from China - the largest group under the U.S.- headquartered global trade organization. More and more local Chinese companies exhibit at Semicon China now.  

Though top-tier international industry organizations and exhibitors like SIA, Applied Materials, Lam Research, ASML, and TEL could not send their head office staff to the show, their top executives spoke to the Grand Opening through online video. They are Ajit Manocha, President of SEMI;  Bertrand Loy, CEO of Entegris; Gary Dickerson, President of Applied Materials; Tim Archer, President of Lam Research; Rick Wallace, CEO of KLA; Peter Wennink, President of ASML;  and Tony Kawai, President of TEL.

Two China-based German executives - Thomas Manfred Müller, VP of Volkswagen China, and Allan Gabor, President of Merck China - were able to address the Grand Opening in person on future mobility and use of electronics materials, respectively. 

This year's 33rd edition of Semicon China was held against the backdrop of an unprecedented semiconductor shortage hurting many industries in the country and continued U.S.-China technology conflict. They were repeatedly referred to in the 20 seminars and conferences during the expo.

In his speech at the SEMI Innovation and Investment Forum, Shen Weiguo, Chairman of Shanghai IC Investment Funds, called for efforts to build up "double circulation" in China's semiconductor industry - a self-reliant domestic supply chain as well as engaging in international markets. "Our objective should be to achieve an autonomous and controllable supply chain along with a highly coordinated innovation chain," he said. 

Many speakers talked about finding domestic substitutes to avoid risks in geopolitical changes and emphasized the semiconductor industry's globalized nature, calling for more international cooperation and partnership at the same time. Despite unfavorable overseas conditions for China now, Zhuo Houming, co-chairman of Shanghai International Equity Investment Funds Association, said, "To seek overseas merger and acquisitions, and engage in international cooperation is the only way out for us to achieve progress in the semiconductor industry."

Apart from primarily professional attendants from vertical industry sectors, Semicon China also attracts visitors from various city government officials and industry planners. This year it greeted a high-ranking delegation from Anhui Province in eastern China. The Provincial Government Wang Qingxian spoke at the grand opening and organized onsite discussions with his delegates on deploying more semiconductor industry projects in his province. He said: "We will adopt more open-minded thinking and initiate projects and measures that can push us forward in the industry and connect us to more global resources." Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, is already on track as a fast-growing IC city in China.

As part of its efforts in furthering the workforce development program for China's semiconductor industry, SEMI announced appointing five exert steering advisors at the Semicon China VIP Gala. They are Wei Shaojun, head of Microelectronics Institute of Tsinghua University; Yan Xiaolang, Professor of Zhejiang University;  Ye Tianchun, Deputy Secretary-General of China Semiconductor Industry Association;  Wu Hanming, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering; and Huang Ru, Academician of China Academy of Science.