{
  "id": 665865,
  "title": "Fund backed by China memory giant YMTC invests in push for alternative chipmaking route",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/fund-backed-by-china-memory-giant-ymtc-invests-in-push-for-665865",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-12T13:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SCMP Tech",
    "slug": "scmp-tech",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3363797/fund-backed-china-memory-giant-ymtc-invests-push-alternative-chipmaking-route"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A venture capital firm, heavily backed by China's leading NAND flash memory producer Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), has recently invested in SOI Micro, a domestic semiconductor manufacturer. This move adds significant weight to China's efforts to develop an alternative chipmaking ecosystem. SOI Micro specializes in fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology, a low-power chipmaking process that offers a different route to mainstream manufacturing methods. The Shanghai-based company was recently upgraded to a 2.53 billion yuan (US$375 million) registered capital from its previous 2.39 billion yuan, with the Wuhan-based Changcun Industry Investment Fund as the new investor. The size and exact stake of this investment were not disclosed. The Changcun Industry Investment Fund, established in 2023, is a joint venture between YMTC and the Hubei Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, a state-backed entity in Wuhan. While the fund has primarily focused on memory-chip supply-chain players, this investment in SOI Micro broadens its scope into specialized logic manufacturing. Soi Micro, founded in Guangzhou in 2022, is led by Ye Tianchun, a renowned semiconductor specialist who previously headed China's Institute of Microelectronics within the Chinese Academy of Sciences and served as chief technologist for a prominent state project aimed at advancing domestic chipmaking technologies. SOI Micro's primary focus is on a FD-SOI manufacturing platform for 28-nanometre-class logic processes. The technology uses a thin layer of silicon over an insulating layer to reduce leakage and power consumption, serving as a complementary approach to FinFET, a 3D chip design meant to prevent power leaks. Major players like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics use FinFET technology across their process nodes, while Guangzhou has promoted FD-SOI to foster a unique semiconductor industry in the region. Ye Tianchun has described FD-SOI as a \"second track\" for the Greater Bay Area's chip sector. The company is also deeply connected to Guangzhou's broader FD-SOI initiatives, with the Guangdong Greater Bay Area Institute of Integrated Circuit and System Application, established in 2019 and directed by Ye, focusing on FD-SOI processes, devices, and materials. Public updates on this institute's progress remain scarce. SDIC Venture Capital, which lists SOI Micro among its portfolio, revealed that the company has developed a process design kit and is collaborating with Wuhan-based foundry XMC on a production line. The investment firm stated that SOI Micro aims for small-volume production in 2025 and has secured contracts with several chip-design companies, though they did not confirm whether these production targets were met.",
  "summary": "A venture capital fund backed by Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), China’s top producer of NAND flash memory, has taken a stake in domestic semiconductor manufacturer SOI Micro, adding a high-profile investor to the country’s push for an alternative chipmaking ecosystem. Led by a prominent figure in China’s semiconductor industry, SOI Micro is focused on developing fully depleted…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Fund backed by China memory giant YMTC invests in push for alternative chipmaking route",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/fund-backed-by-china-memory-giant-ymtc-invests-in-push-for",
        "published": "2026-08-12T13:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}