Chinese power IC startup Southchip becomes a hot player amid strong demands in battery management applications

Editing by Greg Gao

Southchip Semiconductor, a Shanghai-based power management chip company, is becoming a hot player, thanks to spiraling demand for power management chips in consumer electronics, industrial, and automobile applications.

Southchip Semiconductor(南芯半导体) was established in 2015 and headquartered in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park. Its founder & CEO Ruan Chenjie told JW Insights in a recent interview, "We are dedicated to power supply and battery management related products, and are one of the few companies that can provide end-to-end solutions for fast charging in China."

The company’s fast-charging products cover the entire power range from 10W to 200W in lithium battery management, charge pump, DC-DC, AC-DC power conversion, fast charging protocols, wireless charging, and lithium battery protection.

According to industry association SEMI’s forecasts, the global power management chip market will reach $56.5 billion in 2026, of which the Chinese mainland will enjoy the strongest growth.

The downstream applications of power and battery management chips are extensive, including consumer electronics, communications, data processing, industry, automobiles. Different application scenarios have various emphasis on product specifications. A complete product line is an important condition for power management chip manufacturers to respond to and grasp the diversified needs of the market, Ruan explained.

As the consumer electronics, industrial, and automobile fields become more intelligent, electronic devices also increase, leading to more demands for power management ICs.

China has long been heavily dependent on multinational suppliers for high-end power management ICs, with domestic players in less favorable positions. The global chip shortage and the geopolitical changes over the last couple of years bring more opportunities to Chinese suppliers like Southchip.

Southchip’s client list with well-known mobile brands has expanded to include Xiaomi, Honor, OPPO, Vivo, Lenovo, Samsung, DJI, and BBK. It has also joined Apple's supplier list.

It has successfully broken into high-end IC markets over the last two years. In 2020, the company started mass-producing its chips for high-power charge pump chargers after passing the strict certification of several large mobile phone companies.  

Last year Southchip launched GaN (gallium nitride) control IC, increasing power flow in mobile phone charging head with ultra-small size. It developed the first domestic fast charging IC for Buck-boost notebook that supports NVDC power path management.

It is expanding to emerging markets. It has cooperated with many car companies and Tier 1 suppliers and provided automotive-grade power management products.