After years of exploration, the National Xinhuo Platform for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, located in the Xiamen Area of the China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone, has embarked on its own path for development.
Xiong Yanliang, executive deputy director of the area's administrative committee, introduced the project's progress at an online interview on May 17, organized by the Xiamen municipal government.
After construction approval in November 2019, the platform has built China's first whole integrated circuit design industry chain. It covers design, wafer testing, failure analysis, product testing and certification, talent training, and bonded trade.
The platform is home to 217 IC enterprises, including two nationally recognized "little giant" firms, and 19 national high-tech enterprises. In 2022, these companies generated an output value of 2.08 billion yuan ($294.9 million), up 22.4 percent year on year.
Thanks to the Xiamen FTZ's bonded supervision policy, a group of leading IC companies in the zone have reported that their annual operating revenue exceeded 100 million yuan.
The Xiamen FTZ has also been improving the functions of its public service platform for IC design and has established a whole-process service mode for players in the sector. In 2022, the platform logged 1,685 hours of service and packaged 1.27 million chips.
In addition, the administrative committee recently upgraded its favorable policies regarding rent, subsidies, and talents to better support the platform’s development.