Recently, YSEMI, ahigh-tech enterprise focusing on the R&D of chips for high-performance cloud computing Central Processing Unit (CPU), received joint investments byGuangkai Xinquan Fund, which was initiated by Guangzhou Development Zone Industrial Fund Investment Group, Mr. Chen Datong, former co-founder of Spreadtrum, and Sinovation Ventures.
In Octoberlast year, YSEMI raised an angel round of more than a hundred million primarily
from Sinovation Ventures.
Nero Zhenxiang, Executive Director of Sinovation Ventures, said, “High-performance CPUs are revolutionizing the world, as the market is demanding more for computing power in the era of Cloud Native and cloud computing, coupled with the overall upgrading of global server architectures. Chinese companies are expected to make significant breakthroughs in this light. Its domestic market has been waiting for competitive server CPUs for a long time. The YSEMI team is not only competent but also experienced in advanced processes, core development, and successful mass production of large chip products. Besides, its R&D shows consistent quality. We look forward to seeing YSEMI continue to make breakthroughs in R&D and commercialization and lead China's next generation
of server CPUs.”
Since the strategy of "buildingthe whole industry chain of semiconductor and integrated circuit, and building the industry cluster of semiconductor and integrated circuit with international
influence" in the Greater Bay Area was put forward, rapid progress regarding the construction of integrated circuit industry has been made. Several industrial plans and supportive policies for the integrated circuit industry have been issued, including the “Action Plan of Guangdong Province to Cultivate StrategicEmerging Industry Cluster of Semiconductor and Integrated Circuit (2021-2025)”, the “14th Five-year Plan for the High-Quality Development of ManufacturingIndustry in Guangdong Province”, the “Action Plan of Shenzhen Municipality to Cultivate Industry Cluster of Semiconductor and Integrated Circuit”. Thesedocuments made clear the major development goals of "focusing on the design of high-end general chips such as CPU, GPU, DSP and FPGA, and the development of special chips such as artificial intelligence chips and edge computing chips". After that, several integrated circuit industry funds, which were later established successively, began to invest large sums in excellent IC enterprises in the Greater Bay Area.
YSEMI wasjointly established by experts with more than 20 years of experience in chip R&D from Intel, ARM, and domestic top chip enterprises. They have led the end-to-end development and mass production of more than ten world's top high-performance CPU products. Thecompany, focusing on the development of high-performance server CPUs for cloud computing scenarios, has set up R&D centers in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Xi'an. The first generation of its products is on par with the world's advanced level.
YE Tianchun, Secretary General of the China Integrated Circuit Innovation Alliance, said, "With the support ofmajor national science and technology projects, national industrial funds, and relevant policies, technological innovation systems, and an industrial system is being established in the field of the integrated circuit. YSEMI, an innovative integrated circuit enterprise on par with the world's advanced level, aims at the R&D and commercial application of next-generation general-purpose processors with advanced architecture. Its team is extremely experienced in the
development and delivery of large CPU chips."
CHEN Datong, the co-founder of Spreadtrum and a senior investor in the chip industry, said, "Thanks to the strong supportfrom the government and the development of this industry, China has made significant progress in the R&D of high-performance chips in recent years, and meanwhile, a large amount of capital was attracted. But now, the market needs to remain rational and return to its commercial nature. The market needs more companies like YSEMI, companies that take customer demand as the core and mass production and application the goal, companies whose main body was composed of experts of this industry, and companies that do solid research and development."
DU Haifeng, Chairman of Guangzhou Development Zone Industrial Fund Investment Group, said, "The CPU performance of ARM architecture has equalized or even surpassed that of X86 CPU. Meanwhile, it has the advantage of low cost and low energy consumption. China-made server CPUs are increasingly recognized. Specifically, the localization and the demand of China's cloud computing manufacturers will inevitably bring out some companies in subdivision markets. Our investment in YSEMI, a domestic enterprise of ARM architecture server CPU with the first-mover
advantage, will play a significant role in making the Guangzhou Development Zone ready for the construction of a tertiary national strategic integrated circuit. Meanwhile, as a first-level state-owned investment and financing platform under the Management Committee of Guangzhou Development Zone, we will empower enterprises and help them ascend to a new level with the industrial chain of the development zone and the support from the Greater Bay Area and the Management Committee of Guangzhou Development Zone."
Dr. LuoYong, Founder, and CEO of YSEMI, said, "Cloud computing CPU is undoubtedly a pearlin the field of large chips. To do a good chip, we need not only the top team with decades of technical experience, but also rich enough mass production cases and continuous efforts. YSEMI is very grateful for the recognition of industry leaders, as well as the preference from many partners! We will dedicate our efforts to conquer core technologies and build first-class high-performance CPU products to provide solid computing power for new infrastructures and to channel more computing demand of the country's eastern regions to western regions."