Chinese-made high-performance automobile chips catch much limelight at expo

Chinese-made high-performance automobile chips garnered much limelight at the 21st China International Semiconductor Expo, which concluded in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the latest development of China's chip industry.

As the world's largest automobile and new energy vehicle (NEV) producer and seller, China's annual NEV production exceeded 10 million units last year. According to estimation, gas-powered cars require 500 to 600 chips, NEVs around 1,000, and intelligent and self-driving cars, 3,000 to 5,000 ones.

To meet the rapidly expanding market, Chinese tech companies and automakers have accelerated the development of domestically produced automotive chips. The DF30 Micro-Controller Units (MCU) chip released by China's Dongfeng Motor stands out as a milestone.

"The DF30 is an advanced Micro-Controller Units (MCU) chip made by Chinese automakers, customized based on our own understanding of the application scenario, and with a focus on differentiation and core competitiveness, which involves the whole process of chip development. By doing so, we've realized independent innovation on the model of automotive-grade chip development in China," Chen Tao, director of Dongfeng Motor Research and Development Institute engineering research center, said in an interview with China Central Television on the sidelines of the expo.

The development of automobile chips also has a positive influence over China's chip industry as a whole, said Zhou Feng, director of the Integrated Circuits Institute of China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID) under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"As the level of intelligent driving keeps improving, the quantity and value of automotive-grade chips installed in individual vehicles are expected to grow. The increasing demand for automotive-grade chips will also drive the comprehensive development of all segments within China's chip industry chain," Zhou said.

Chinese-made high-performance automobile chips catch much limelight at expo

Chinese-made high-performance automobile chips catch much limelight at expo

A mainland delegation of 40 students and teachers, including table tennis superstar Ma Long, received a warm welcome at Taiwan University on Tuesday during their nine-day visit to the island.

Fans of Ma gathered at the university gate early in the morning to wait for the delegation's arrival. They erupted in cheers when Ma appeared, chanting, "Captain Long, we love you." Six-time Olympic champion Ma Long has served as the captain of the Chinese national table tennis men's team since 2014.

"I am very excited. I thought I was going to be late, and my heart was racing with anxiety," said a fan who skipped work to welcome Ma.

After the excitement of Ma's arrival, teachers and students from both sides of the Taiwan Strait held a symposium, with President of the Taiwan University Chen Wen-chang and Head of the mainland delegation Qiu Yong delivering speeches and exchanging gifts.

Invited by the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, the delegation, consisting of 40 mainland students and teachers, arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Nov 27.

The mainland students and teachers are from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhejiang University, Fujian Normal University and Beijing Sport University.

Olympic shooting gold medalist Yang Qian from Tsinghua University is also in the delegation.

This is the second such visit planned by the foundation. In 2023, faculty members and students from five mainland universities were warmly received across Taiwan, positively impacting cross-Strait relations.

In 2023 and 2024, Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, also led youth groups from Taiwan on visits to the mainland.

China's table tennis icon Ma Long welcomed by excited crowds in Taiwan