Nansha, located in the south of Guangdong’s provincial capital, is capitalising on local industrial policies and its proximity to major economic centres to build a world-class semiconductor cluster, with a focus on silicon carbide (SiC) – a critical material for next-generation semiconductors.
One major player in the regional hub is AscenPower Semiconductors, the largest SiC chip manufacturing project in China, which focuses on chips for the car industry.
Xiao, who also leads lighting devices supplier APT Electronics, Nansha’s first semiconductor company, noted the benefits of the bay area concept, as he can attend conferences in Guangzhou and Hong Kong on the same day.
“When I started a business with my mentor from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology two decades ago, I didn’t expect there would be the concept of GBA,” Xiao said at the annual conference, which was held in Nansha for the first time this year. APT Electronics together with three other semiconductor start-ups that Xiao’s team founded have now grown to around 4,000 people with an economic output of 4 billion yuan (US$545.5 million) in 2024, according to the executive.
