The Lingang area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Photo: VCG

Shanghai's Lingang Area, a newly launched section of the Shanghai free trade zone, said on Wednesday that it will build a chip hub targeting the Asia-Pacific region in next five years, aiming to create a chip center for trade circulation and service support.

The proposal lays out that by 2025, the scale of the integrated circuit industry in the area will exceed 100 billion yuan ($15.46 billion), and more than 10 listed companies will be cultivated. It will further strength chip manufacturing and equipment materials and form a large-scale chip design, packaging and testing cluster.

In terms of technological innovation, it aims to make breakthroughs in EDA tools, photoresist, and large silicon wafers, and two or more key equipment will enter the world's leading purchasing system by 2025.

In terms of corporate development, it aims to introduce and cultivate more than five leading chip manufacturing companies by 2025; form five equipment and materials companies with annual revenues of more than $2 billion; cultivate more than 10 listed companies, focusing on 5G, CPU, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and driverless driving.

The area said in April that it will speed up construction of its 5G network from 2020 to 2025, and will set up more than 3,900 5G base stations in the area by 2025.

Global Times