With a total investment of 4 billion yuan, the 8-inch and 12-inch epitaxial wafer projects of Zhongxin Wafer have been established in Zhejiang.

Recently, Hangzhou Zhongxin Wafer Semiconductor Co., Ltd., a leading domestic manufacturer of high-end chip wafers, held a project signing ceremony with the Lishui Economic and Technological Development Zone to launch the construction of an epitaxial wafer project featuring both 8-inch (200mm) and 12-inch (300mm) wafers. The total investment for this project amounts to 4 billion yuan, and once fully operational, the annual output value is expected to reach approximately 5 billion yuan.

According to the head of Zhongxin Wafer, the Lishui Zhongxin project currently has a designed production capacity of 100,000 8-inch wafers and 200,000 12-inch wafers per month. In the future, the company will expand its capacity based on market changes and strive to establish Lishui as the “Capital of Epitaxy.”

In recent years, Lishui has designated the development of a complete semiconductor industry chain as a key strategic initiative for building a modern ecological system. It is planning and constructing a “1,000-mu Chip Industry Park,” with a primary focus on cutting-edge third-generation power semiconductors and optoelectronics. The park will precisely attract industrial-chain projects covering chip design, materials, manufacturing, packaging, testing, equipment, and applications.

According to the “Lishui Economic Development Zone,” Lishui has currently attracted 11 projects, including those from the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangfeng Electronics, Jingrui Electronics, JueXin Microelectronics, and Yixin Semiconductor, with a total investment reaching 17.9 billion yuan. Moreover, the zone has successively established contacts and collaborations with leading domestic semiconductor companies—such as Zhongxin Wafer, Silan Microelectronics, Liangwei, and Zhengfan Technology—companies that are industry leaders, chain masters, and benchmark enterprises—in an effort to facilitate the implementation of these projects.

Currently, demand for 8-inch and 12-inch large silicon wafers is experiencing a sharp surge, yet the supply largely relies on imports. The shortage of 12-inch large silicon wafers is expected to persist for several more years. As one of the largest semiconductor wafer manufacturers in China, Zhongxin Wafer is also the country's leading company capable of independently handling the entire process—from the growth and polishing of 12-inch single-crystal silicon to epitaxial layer development and production. With the launch of the Zhongxin project in Lishui, Lishui has now joined the global race to secure a dominant position in the 12-inch semiconductor silicon wafer market.

Chen Lei, Deputy Director of the Management Committee in charge of investment promotion at the Lishui Economic Development Zone, stated that the Lishui Economic Development Zone has initially taken shape as an industrial cluster covering the entire semiconductor value chain. With the completion and full production of projects such as Zhongxin Wafer and Jingrui Electronics, Lishui will become one of China’s major production bases for large-size epitaxial wafers and is poised to develop into a national hub for the R&D and manufacturing of epitaxial wafers in the future.

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