An employee showcases a semiconductor integrated circuit at an industry expo. Photo: VCG

An integrated circuit (IC) section will be added to the Intelligent Industry and Information of Technology area at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE), announced the first promotional event of the expo held in Shanghai on Wednesday as preparation work of the expo starts. 

As the core of information technology industry, IC industry is a strategic, fundamental, and leading industry that supports the development of China's economy and society, which serves an indispensable part of the CIIE, said Liu Fuxue, Deputy Director General of CIIE at the event, adding that China has become the world's largest and fastest growing IC market. 

Statistics released at the second China Internet Infrastructure Resources Conference held in Beijing last month show that China's integrated chip industry increased 14 times in the past 15 years and China accounts for about 40 percent of the world's integrated chip design industry, becoming the second-largest home to designers after the US. 

According to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the scale of Shanghai's IC industry accounts for 22 percent of the country's national scale. 

The industry achieved growth against the market's downward trend even under the negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. Between January and October, the output value of Shanghai's IC industry reached 152 billion yuan ($23.24 billion), increasing by 45.8 percent compared to last year. 

According to Tian Ye, who is in charge of the CIIE's Intelligent Industry and Information of Technology area, transactions involving IC accounted for 25 percent of the total transactions of the area of Intelligent Industry and Information of Technology during the 3rd CIIE — making it the category with the largest amount of transactions. 

IC demands for epidemic monitoring and contactless social networking under the Internet of Things stimulates great development opportunities for the industry; thus, adding the IC section to the expo will further help improve the level and quality of the 4th CIIE, Liu said.