The semiconductor storage industry encompasses a vast supply chain, connecting semiconductor wafer manufacturers, controller producers, chip/module manufacturers, packaging and testing firms, equipment and material suppliers, SoC platform providers, and ultimately, terminal brand manufacturers, creating a tightly interwoven ecosystem.
To further consolidate the advantages of the industry chain and collectively build a thriving industrial ecosystem, from September 21st to 22nd, 2023, the Global Memory Industry Innovation Forum 2023 (GMIF 2023), hosted by the China Semiconductor Investment Alliance and organized by Shenzhen Automotive Electronics Industry Association, with the cooperation of Guangdong Integrated Circuit Industry Association and the Shenzhen Semiconductor Industry Association, and managed by JW Insights Consulting (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., was held in the Renaissance Shenzhen Bay Hotel in Shenzhen.
On September 22nd, during the GMIF 2023 Innovation Forum’s main session, executives from a constellation of enterprises including Silicon Motion, BIWIN Storage Technology, Huawei Technologies, Phytium Information Technology, Loongson Technology, Tongfang, and Automation Equipment, delved deep into subjects ranging from the contemporary standing and future trajectories of the storage sector to dialogues about crafting the industry’s ecological framework. In a striking demonstration of their respective organizations’ prowess, they unveiled the most current advancements in products and technology, compelling rapt attention from industry peers.
As the conference commenced, Song Bing, the Honorary Chairman of the Shenzhen Memory Industry Association, took the stage to deliver his opening remarks. He emphasized, “The Memory Industry Association, serving as a vital link connecting various facets of the industry, will continue to play a pivotal role. The association is committed to actively promoting collaborative efforts among different segments, propelling the industry’s coordinated development, and better addressing both internal and external challenges. GMIF 2023 Global Memory Industry Innovation Forum promises to provide us with an opportunity for in-depth exchanges within the industry and across disciplines, with the potential to ignite fresh innovative thinking and cooperation.”
Song Bing, the Honorary Chairman of the Shenzhen Memory Industry Association
Alex, a seasoned analyst from JW Insights Consulting, pointed out that the memory market has been sluggish this year. Although smartphones have brought some incremental growth, it is still insufficient to reverse the overall market situation. However, from the perspective of the semiconductor trend, the current year of 2023 is at a crucial juncture of dawn. In the long run, Artificial Intelligence, Graphics, and Computing (AIGC) will be a new opportunity for the development of the memory industry. The AIGC industry includes four major elements: data, computing power, algorithms, and frameworks. Each element will drive the rapid development of the overall memory industry.
In the eloquent words of Mr. Guo Jia Zhang, the General Manager of Silicon Motion, he observed that the Chinese semiconductor industry is facing significant challenges due to factors such as inventory reduction, weak market demand, and sluggish global economic recovery. However, the launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro has brought a breath of fresh air, infusing excitement, and vitality into the industry. This development holds great importance for China’s industrial chain, technology sector, and semiconductor domain. Mr. Guo expressed his anticipation for ambitious and truly capable companies to focus more on taking concrete actions rather than mere words. He emphasized the significance of delivering tangible results, which would make a genuine contribution to China’s semiconductor landscape.
Gou Jia Zhang, the General Manager of Silicon Motion, Inc.
Subsequently, Mr. Guo Jia Zhang delved into an analysis of how advancements in technologies such as electric vehicles, public and private cloud platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI) are conducive to the development of the storage industry. He also shared Silicon Motion’s achievements in controller technology innovation and discussed how technological collaborations can be leveraged to propel the growth of China’s storage industry.
Sun Chengsi, Chairman of BIWIN Storage, emphasized that BIWIN Storage was a pioneer in proposing and implementing the “integrated R&D and packaging testing” business model in the storage industry. BIWIN Storage, through its capabilities in storage media research, firmware algorithm development, product software and hardware development, and advanced storage packaging testing, has transformed standardized storage wafers into versatile storage products, achieving a “Win-Win” development in collaborative synergy with wafer manufacturers, SoC platform companies, and terminal customers within the industry chain.
Sun Chengsi, Chairman of BIWIN Storage Technology Company Co., Ltd.
Mr. Sun Chengsi elaborated on the company’s ongoing implementation of the “Research and Development and Packaging and Testing Integration” 2.0 version. This involves a deep focus on the development of testing equipment and advanced packaging and testing at the wafer level, in addition to upstream investments in IC design capabilities. These strategic moves are aimed at better supporting the needs of the industry and end customers.
Mr. Ren Xianggui, Industry Solution Director for OceanStor at Huawei Technologies, asserts that the digital economy has emerged as a potent driver of economic expansion. Within this context, the development of the semiconductor industry assumes paramount significance as it plays a pivotal role in propelling the growth of the digital economy. A critical facet of this endeavor involves the cultivation of high-caliber storage capacity, with a particular emphasis on the advancement of flash storage technology. This emphasis becomes even more pronounced considering the prevailing trend characterized by the shift from magnetic storage to silicon-based solutions. Consequently, there exists a pressing need to actively champion the comprehensive adoption of flash-based storage solutions across various operational scenarios, thereby facilitating the broader development and integration of flash memory storage within the industry.
Ren Xianggui, Industry Solution Director for OceanStor at Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
“In this process, Huawei has achieved full-scale self-reliance in end-to-end architecture, spanning from front-end transmission chips, computing chips, to back-end chips. Furthermore, Huawei has undertaken extensive optimization efforts tailored to address industry pain points in areas such as EDA simulation scenarios and semiconductor manufacturing.” According to Ren Xianggui, Huawei has demonstrated industry-leading performance, reliability, and scalability in the realm of all-flash storage. This achievement not only imparts fresh momentum and possibilities to the global information industry but also stands to enhance China’s position and influence in the global technology arena.
Mr. Guo Yufeng, Vice General Manager of Phytium Information Technology, pointed out that the convergence of industry digitization and the information and innovation industry is an overarching trend. The information and innovation industry provides autonomous, secure, and controllable computing power for digitization, along with ecological integration. Digitization, on the other hand, drives the demand growth for information and innovation industry products through the business end and enhances innovation capabilities.
Guo Yufeng, Vice General Manager of Phytium Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Currently, the demands of the information and innovation industry and digitalization are pressing, and the pace is rapid. It requires CPUs with the capability to support the rapid implementation of user applications. Phytium focuses on core capabilities such as product performance, application solutions, and industrial ecological systems. It has provided nearly a thousand national information system overall solutions, establishing the most complete and extensive end-to-cloud information construction full-stack ecological system in China. This system ensures supply chain security in the new situation. The hardware ecosystem includes SSD, memory, peripheral networks, graphics cards, real-time clock chip and more. The storage ecosystem has the highest number of partners and continues to grow.
Mr. Xie Wangping, Vice General Manager of the Terminal Products Division at Tongfang Co., Ltd., believes that in the era of Innovation 2.0, application dominance is crucial. Compatibility, reliability, and stability are of utmost importance, both for CPU and components like DRAM and NAND Flash, which need to enhance performance and user experience. On the other hand, security is paramount to ensure the safe development of the industry chain.
Xie Wangping, Vice General Manager of the Terminal Products Division at Tongfang Co., Ltd.
Mr. Xie further stated that "Tsinghua Tongfang" is a domestic integrated computer manufacturer with a complete technology roadmap and product portfolio, fully meeting the commercial computing needs of government, military, education, and corporate entities. As a local company, with over 95% of its market presence in China, Tongfang can collaborate closely with the domestic supply chain, thereby establishing an advantage in the Innovation industry and contributing to the growth of China’s IC manufacturing sector.
Mr. Jiang Shan, General Manager of the Guangdong subsidiary of Loongson Technology, stated that the company is committed to independent innovation and has full control over core computer technologies such as CPU instruction sets, processor IP cores, and operating systems. It aims to establish an independent and open ecosystem of both hardware and software, contributing to the national strategic needs with self-reliant, secure, and reliable processors. Additionally, the company provides high-performance, cost-effective processors, as well as fundamental software and hardware solutions, to support the innovative development of the information industry.
Jiang Shan, General Manager of the Guangdong subsidiary of Loongson Technology Co., Ltd.
Mr. Jiang further emphasized, "The company is building an independent ecosystem, which will enhance the autonomy and controllability of the industry chain. Currently, the overall ecosystem is quite diverse, encompassing servers, storage, and more, with hundreds of enterprises launching Loongson-based servers."
Mr. Ye Changlong, General Manager of Automation Equipment Co., Ltd., shared that the construction of intelligent factories involves several stages. First, automation must be achieved. On the foundation of automation, informatization is realized, which provides the necessary data. Data aggregation leads to digitization, and digitization involves the collection, extraction, and analysis of big data, ultimately leading to the creation of intelligent factories.
Ye Changlong, General Manager of Automation Equipment Co., Ltd.
Mr. Ye highlighted that presently, the majority of customers find their packaging workshops characterized by chaos, overcrowding of personnel, and haphazard placement of materials and racks. Collecting production data and information under such circumstances proves to be a formidable challenge. However, Automation Equipment’s machinery offers a solution, enabling comprehensive automation in both the packaging segment and the workshop itself, thus effectively addressing the final mile of automation implementation within the packaging and testing facility. Having already been adopted by over 30 customers, the company intends to continue bolstering its research and development efforts, concentrating on creating fully automated packaging lines tailored for memory modules, solid-state drives, and other related products.
With the continuous progress of technology and evolving market demands, the storage industry is poised to face both challenges and opportunities. Looking ahead, the outcomes of the GMIF 2023 Innovation Forum discussions will undoubtedly bring fresh insights and opportunities to the entire storage industry chain. We firmly believe that, as storage technology advances and the era of digitalization unfolds, outstanding enterprises within the storage industry chain will, through close exchanges, transcend industry cycles, and discover expansive opportunities for collaborative success.