Inside China Tech: Shake-ups and shakedowns

Under the cloud of US sanctions, analysts say that SMIC’s pursuit of a leading edge strategy is not going to work

China’s tighter regime comes amid wider reviews of big tech in the US and Europe

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SMIC, which has received significant amounts of state funding, is seen as China’s best shot to catch up with its global peers like TSMC. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:00am, 19 Dec 2020Updated: 9:00am, 19 Dec 2020

Here is a round-up of our top stories in the world of China technology this past week. They include a boardroom battle inside China’s biggest chip maker, tighter antitrust regulations on Chinese tech giants, and AI being used to improve the efficiency of thermal power plants.

Boardroom battle

A boardroom shake-up at China’s leading wafer foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) could be an attempt to bring stability to a national chip champion trying to reduce the country’s reliance on core US semiconductor technology.

Chiang Shangyi, who spent nine years as head of R&D at Taiwan foundry giant TSMC before retiring in 2006, was appointed executive director and vice-chairman of SMIC and a member of its strategic committee.

“SMIC needs stable management right now,” said Stewart Randall, head of electronics and embedded software at Intralink, a Shanghai-based consultancy.

Liang Mong Song, co-CEO of SMIC, is said to have resigned over the appointment of Chiang, according to Liang’s resignation letter seen by several Chinese media outlets.

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