Wuhan University has become the latest institution to join China’s push for self-reliance in semiconductors by establishing the School of Integrated Circuits, led by a scientist educated at Stanford University.
Liu Sheng, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford in 1992, has been appointed as the inaugural dean of the new school.
At an opening ceremony on Thursday, he said the school’s establishment followed “an in-depth exploration of the strategic needs of the country” and served as “a powerful response to technological chokepoints”, according to a statement posted on the university’s WeChat account.
YMTC is known for its 3D NAND flash memory technology, which stacks transistor dies vertically to increase storage density. The company’s technology has reportedly been used by South Korea’s Samsung Electronics.
YMTC chairman Chen Nanxiang, who attended the event, said the partnership aimed to “explore a new model of integrating industry with education” to “cultivate all-round talent with both theoretical foundations and engineering skills”.
