July 08, 2025

2016 China's corporate semiconductor market will be enhanced

In the article featured on Nikkei Technology Online, Tang Shanglong, director of the Japan Microfabrication Research Institute, was invited to answer three key questions about the electronics industry's 2015 trends and 2016 expectations from a technical consultant and writer perspective. The article was organized by Ito Yuanzhao. Tang Shanglong has extensive experience in the semiconductor field, having worked at companies like Hitachi and Elpida for over 16 years before transitioning into social science research at Doshisha University in Japan. He currently serves as the director of the Microfabrication Research Institute, where he works as a consultant, delivers speeches, and contributes to various publications. His notable works include "The Failure of Japanese Semiconductors" and "The Lessons of the Great Collapse of the Electromechanical and Semiconductor Industry." **Question 1: What events or trends did you find most impactful in 2015?** **Answer:** The aggressive acquisitions by China’s Ziguang Group in the semiconductor sector. In 2015, the semiconductor industry saw a wave of mergers and acquisitions that many described as a “tsunami.” Among these, Ziguang’s aggressive buying spree stood out. The company made several high-profile deals, including a $5.5 billion acquisition of H3C, a subsidiary of HP, and a $23 billion bid for Micron, which was eventually rejected but led to rumors of interest in SK hynix. Ziguang also acquired a 15% stake in Western Digital, becoming its largest shareholder, and later took a 25% stake in Licheng Technology and planned to acquire MediaTek and TSMC. These moves were driven by China’s strategic goal to boost its semiconductor self-sufficiency. In 2014, President Xi Jinping launched the “National IC Industry Development Promotion Outline,” aiming to grow the domestic semiconductor market and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. A fund of approximately 2 trillion yen was established, but the scale of Ziguang’s investments far exceeded this, with reports suggesting up to 15 trillion yen allocated for acquisitions. The motivation behind these investments goes beyond economic growth. It is closely tied to national security and military technology, as China seeks to develop its own missile processors and memory chips without relying on foreign manufacturers. **Question 2: What term will no longer be popular or replaced in 2016?** **Answer:** Toshiba’s “challenge.” The term “challenge” became a buzzword in 2015, but it was associated with a scandal involving false accounting at Toshiba. The company’s culture of setting overly ambitious goals under the guise of “challenge” led to widespread financial misconduct. While the term was widely used in media, it failed to make the list of top buzzwords. However, the author believes it symbolized the pressure and ambition of 2015. In 2016, it is expected to fade away, and Toshiba may finally recover through genuine innovation and reform. **Question 3: What term may cause obvious trends and concerns in 2016?** **Answer:** China’s semiconductor and LCD industries. In 2016, Ziguang is expected to continue its aggressive expansion in the semiconductor sector. Additionally, China is accelerating the construction of new semiconductor and LCD manufacturing facilities. For example, UMC invested $6.2 billion in Xiamen to build a large-scale 300mm fab, while TSMC announced its first mainland factory in Nanjing. BOE also launched a massive 10.5-generation LCD panel plant in Hefei, signaling China’s ambition to dominate global display markets. These developments reflect a broader trend of China investing heavily in advanced manufacturing, aiming to surpass competitors and become a global leader in semiconductors and displays. While not all projects may succeed, their impact on the industry is undeniable, and they are worth close attention.

Variable Frequency AC Power Supplies

The VFP series AC Power Supplies are high precision, high efficiency, low THD adjustable AC power supplies that converts the input mains power through AC→DC→AC conversion, and gives a pure sine wave AC output with adjustable voltage & frequency within a certain range. Also known as Variable Frequency AC Power Source.


3u Ac Power Supply Front Panel600kva Ac Power Supply


Different from Variac, variable frequency speed controllers and ordinary AC voltage regulators, VFP AC power supplies have adjustable output voltage and output frequency, and ensure a stable output voltage and frequency within its full-scale adjustment range with pure sine wave output waveform, which is an ideal AC power supply for testing.

According to the difference in the number of output phases, it can be divided into single-phase and three-phase AC power supplies.
The output power of single-phase adjustable AC power supply ranges from 500VA to 200KVA, the output power of three-phase adjustable AC power supply ranges from 3KVA to 600KVA, the output voltage is divided into 0 ~ 150Vac, 150 ~ 300Vac, and the output frequency is adjustable from 45Hz to 70Hz with 50/60Hz fixed frequency output.

Through the friendly operation panel, you can read the output data such as output voltage, output current, output power, power factor, etc., providing accurate data records for your test, and can add RS485 interfaces as standard, following the MODBUS-RTU international communication protocol, which can realize remote control and operating status monitoring of the power supplies.

This series of adjustable AC Power Supplies have comprehensive protection functions, such as: over voltage, over current, over temperature and short circuit protections, which can protect the AC power supplies and DUT from damages. At present, it is mainly used for Various electrical appliance manufacturers conduct grid simulation tests on electrical appliances according to the voltage/frequency requirements of different countries. Imported electrical appliances are used for the domestic demand for variable voltage and frequency conversion, as well as various AC motors and AC transformers.

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Yangzhou IdealTek Electronics Co., Ltd. , https://www.idealtekpower.com