China's supercomputing industry has made impressive strides, with the "Light of Shenwei Taihu" taking the world championship title multiple times thanks to its domestically produced chips. (Profile pic)
By Zhang Baoshu, People's Daily Overseas Edition (Issue 08, August 19, 2017)
The operating speed of these carbon nano-transistors developed by Professor Peng Lianhu's team at Peking University is three times faster than Intel's most advanced 14nm commercial silicon transistors, yet consumes only a quarter of the energy. This is a remarkable feat that suggests Chinese scientists may soon develop commercial carbon-based chips using such transistors. It is anticipated that this technology could help China catch up with global competitors in chip development.
The creation of carbon nano-transistors marks a significant victory for Chinese scientists in their pursuit to reach world-leading levels. It represents another milestone in China's information technology advancements. Since the early 2000s, particularly since 2008, China has been dedicated to building its own high-end chip industry chain. Through relentless efforts, China’s chip R&D not only achieved阶段性æˆæžœ but also made notable progress in developing carbon nano-transistors, placing it at the forefront of international chip innovation and laying a solid foundation for future global leadership.
The Backbone of Modern Information Society
The term "chip" is one of the most familiar buzzwords in modern information technology. But what exactly is it? To answer that, let's first understand "integrated circuits." An "integrated circuit" is a miniature electronic device or component where transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and other elements are interconnected using specific processes and placed on small semiconductor wafers or dielectric substrates. Packaged together, these form a micro-structure with desired circuit functions, enabling electronic components to become more miniaturized, energy-efficient, intelligent, and reliable. A "chip" generally refers to the carrier of an integrated circuit and is the outcome of designing, fabricating, packaging, and testing the integrated circuit. While the terms "integrated circuits" and "chips" essentially refer to the same thing, they differ in focus—circuits vs. integration. Thus, the development history and level of Chinese chips reflect the progress and status of China’s integrated circuits.
"A strong chip leads to a strong industry, and a thriving chip industry ensures economic prosperity. Without high-end chips, there can be no true industrial or national security." This is the clear insight and succinct summary from Ye Tianchun, Director of the Institute of Microelectronics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He emphasized that in today’s information age, integrated circuit technology is the most crucial foundational technology, often referred to as the cornerstone of the digital era. Whether it’s computers, smartphones, household appliances, cars, high-speed trains, power grids, medical devices, robotics, or industrial controls, the core components and intellectual property of these products are all based on integrated circuits. Without the support of the IC industry, the information society would lose its foundation. This is why integrated circuits are often called the "food" of modern industry.
Independent Innovation, Self-reliance
Recognizing the strategic importance of chip and integrated circuit technology in the modern information revolution, China has embarked on a self-reliance journey driven by independent innovation to break through Western technological blockades and achieve breakthroughs in chip development. Ye Tianchun noted that for a long time, Western developed nations have imposed strict restrictions on us in the development of integrated circuits.
To overcome these challenges and achieve independent innovation in the IT industry, in 2000, the State Council issued policies encouraging the development of the software and integrated circuit industries, marking the true beginning of China's integrated circuit sector. Under the "National Medium and Long-term Science and Technology Development Plan (2006-2020)," in 2008, China initiated major national scientific and technological projects including "Nuclear High Base" (core electronic devices, high-end general-purpose chips, basic software products) and "Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Equipment and Complete Set of Technology," which began implementation. In 2014, the "Outline for the Development of the Integrated Circuit Industry" was published, along with the establishment of a national integrated circuit industry investment fund worth 120 billion yuan. These measures aim to leverage the advantages of the socialist system in pooling resources for major tasks and the role of market mechanisms to achieve strategic breakthroughs. After years of hard work, "China Core" has achieved numerous remarkable accomplishments, moving toward greater self-reliance.
In the latest rankings of international supercomputers released this year, China’s “Light of Shenwei·Taihu Lake†reclaimed the championship title, showcasing the authentic "Chinese core" in action. This small plate integrates 260 operational centers and billions of transistors. Its single-chip computing power equals three sets of the world’s top 2000 supercomputers. Besides Shenwei, China also boasts renowned chip companies like Godson, Hass, and Spreadtrum, each offering excellent products. These achievements owe much to the significant advancements in our integrated circuit technology. Ye Tianchun concluded that by implementing relevant special projects, high-end equipment and materials for integrated circuits have been developed from scratch, filling gaps in the industrial chain and fostering a healthy industry ecosystem. Manufacturing and packaging processes have grown stronger, achieving leapfrog technological advancements and enhancing international competitiveness. Smartphones, communication equipment, and smart cards now dominate markets worldwide. Innovative breakthroughs have continued to emerge, establishing an independent intellectual property system.
Focusing on the Frontiers
According to customs statistics, in 2016, China’s IC imports exceeded $342.5 billion, surpassing crude oil imports by nearly double, while IC exports totaled around $61.4 billion, leaving a substantial trade deficit. This shows that despite meeting some domestic demand and participating in international market competition, China still lacks high-end chip products.
As Ye Tianchun pointed out, even though China stands at a new starting point, the "China Core" remains in a challenging "climbing" phase. On one hand, there is still a significant gap between China’s IC technology and industry compared to developed countries. The overall industry scale is still relatively small, and innovation capabilities need further enhancement. On the other hand, foreign countries have intensified their technological blockades and erected more barriers. In 2015, the U.S. cited superchip export audits to impose a de facto ban on exports to China. In 2016, under the pretext of "national security," the U.S. disregarded free trade principles, blocking Tsinghua Unisplendour’s acquisition of U.S. magnesium and halting the Chinese investment fund’s bid for German chip companies.
China will remain the most dynamic economy globally, and its market will continue to be the largest for the world’s information industry. These factors will undoubtedly fuel the "China Core" and integrated circuit technology and industries. In the implementation of major national science and technology projects, experience has been gained in collaborative development of "innovation chains, industrial chains, and financial chains," and evaluation mechanisms have been developed for "downstream assessing upstream, complete machines evaluating components, applications assessing technology, and markets assessing products." These efforts lay a solid foundation for further growth.
As the chief engineer of the national science and technology major project for "Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Equipment and Complete Sets of Technology," Ye Tianchun revealed that systematic deployments have been made for 14nm equipment, processes, packaging, and materials, with expectations of entering the industrialization phase by 2018. During the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, special projects will focus on supporting research and development of large-scale strategic products such as 7-5nm technology and three-dimensional memory, aligning with international advanced technologies.
According to related plans, China’s IC industry chain will reach international advanced levels by 2030, with several companies entering the global top tier to achieve a final leap. Integrated circuit manufacturing technology represents the pinnacle of micro-manufacturing in the world today, a testament to humanity’s super-precision processing capabilities. With the efforts of researchers and the information industry, China is poised to advance further in the field of integrated circuit ultra-fine processing, and the robust "China Core" will hopefully benefit the world.
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