Editing by Li Panpan

Shanghai-based FPGA producer Anlogic is a company on the list of “Little Giants” designated by the Chinese government for its solid R&D input and rich experiences in FPGA, and continued rise of revenue.  

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) initiated, in early 2019, the “Little Giants” designation program for companies that focus on a market niche and mastering key technologies with a strong innovation capacity and significant market share. 

These “Little Giants” companies are playing vital roles in breaking through crucial core technologies and improving the stability and competitiveness of the industry and supply chain. 

So far 4,762 companies have been designated as “Little Giants”, with half of them having invested more than RMB10 million ($1.58 million) in R&D. Among them are close to 170 IC companies, accounting for less than 3.5%, and Anlogic is one of them.

The designation typically comes with incentives from the central government or provincial authorities, including tax cuts, generous loans, and favorable talent acquisition policies.

Established in 2011, Anlogic has been developing FPGA chips for ten years. It went public and became a “Little Giants” in 2021. Its co-founder & general manager Chen Liguang said that R&D innovation is in the company’s genes. Its R&D expenses increased from RMB34 million ($5.39 million) in 2018 to RMB126 million ($19.96 million) in 2020, accounting for more than 30% of operating income in 2021. 

Its R&D workforce includes 150 master’s degree holders in Shanghai, Chengdu, Jinan, Beijing, and other places. Benefited from steady downstream market demand, it has achieved a significant year-on-year increase in operating income in 2021, from 134.85% last year to 145.53%

FPGA can realize algorithm iteration at a low cost and the prototype verification function of new scenarios because of its high flexibility and scalability. 

Anlogic has built a product matrix composed of FPGA chips such as ELF, EAGLE, PHOENIX, and EDA software Tang Dynasty, which can be widely used in industrial control, network communication, consumer electronics, data centers, and other fields. 

According to Chen Liguang, Anlogic will increase R&D investment in chip architecture, system integration, manufacturing process, and dedicated EDA software and actively explore emerging markets such as data centers, artificial intelligence, and autonomous driving in the next three years.

In 2022, Anlogic will increase production capacity significantly to meet the total market demand, Chen added.