By Gabby Chen
(JW Insights) Jun 12 -- Xiamen University (XMU)'s alumni gathered at the 7th JWSS (JiWei Semiconductor Summit) in Xiamen City of southeastern China's Fujian Province on June 3. They engaged in discussions on industry development, talent cultivation, and university-industry collaboration.
Established in 1921, Xiamen University, a pioneer in China's electronics disciplines, has greatly influenced the country's semiconductor industry. It developed the country's first gallium phosphide (GaP) flat-panel LEDs in red, green, and yellow, as well as the first tablet oscilloscope.
XMU's Alumni Forum serves as a platform for alumni to connect, exchange information, and inspire innovation. This year's gathering included Li Dongjie, director at the National Investment Project Review Center of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Chen Zhong, dean of XMU's School of Electronic Science and Engineering, a national model microelectronics college, Shi Huixia, party secretary of the school, and other distinguished alumni.
Chen Zhong mentioned at the forum that XMU is at the forefront of addressing the talent shortage in the IC industry and has become one of the earliest practitioners of the "industry-education integration" initiative. In May 2019, Xiamen University, along with Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Fudan University, received approval to establish the National Integrated Circuit Industry-Education Integration Innovation Platform.
With an investment of RMB202 million ($28.35 million), the platform focuses on developing key technologies in IC design, advanced packaging and testing, third-generation semiconductors, and displays. It has the capacity to train 1,500 talents annually for universities and IC companies in the southeastern coastal region.
Ke Binglin, chairman of the Xiamen Integrated Circuit Industry Association, gave the latest updates on the city's IC industry with its output value increasing from RMB18.7 billion ($2.62 billion) in 2018 to RMB32.95 billion ($4.62 billion) in 2022, at a compound annual growth rate of 15.2%.
Xiamen City also established an IC design industry cluster area and Xiamen National Xinhuo Platform for Innovation and Entrepreneurship dedicated to cross-strait cooperation with the Taiwan island. These initiatives have fostered an industrial cluster, covering EDA tool development, chip design, advanced manufacturing processes, compound semiconductors, packaging testing, equipment materials, and epitaxial wafers, Ke added.
