Fund backed by China memory giant YMTC invests in push for alternative chipmaking route

A venture capital fund backed by YMTC, China's leading NAND flash memory producer, has invested in domestic semiconductor manufacturer SOI Micro. This investment, announced on Thursday, adds a significant backer to China's efforts to build an alternative chipmaking ecosystem. SOI Micro, led by a prominent figure in the Chinese semiconductor industry, is developing fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology, a low-power chipmaking approach that complements mainstream processes. The investment was made through the Wuhan-based Changcun Industry Investment Fund, which became a new shareholder, increasing SOI Micro's registered capital to 2.53 billion yuan (US$375 million).