A key industry forum spotlighting the future of semiconductor intellectual property (IP) unfolded recently at the Grand Halls in Hongkou’s North Bund, bringing together global leaders in the chip design ecosystem to discuss breakthroughs and strategic cooperation in an era dominated by artificial intelligence.
The “2025 Semiconductor IP Industry Summit,” co-hosted by China Economic Information Service (Shanghai), the Institute of Integrated Circuits at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, and chip design firm Akrostar Technology Co., convened top executives, researchers, and investors across the semiconductor IP value chain. The event centered on the theme “At the Peak of Computing Power: A New Chapter of Interconnection,” exploring innovation in chip IP design and development driven by AI demands.
The summit drew a high-profile roster of attendees. Ren Weidong, deputy editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency, and Zhuang Mudi, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal Government, delivered remarks.
Key Hongkou District officials—including Party Secretary Li Qian and District Director Lu Ming—participated in the opening ceremony.
During the summit, the “China Semiconductor IP Industry Insight Report” was officially released, offering a detailed forecast of market trends between 2025 and 2029.
The report anticipates that the global semiconductor IP market will reach US$14.35 billion by 2029, with an average annual compound growth rate of 7.19 percent.
Interface IPs are expected to account for more than 40 percent of this total. China’s domestic market is forecast to exceed 33.53 billion yuan by that year, underscoring its growing global competitiveness.
Industry leaders emphasized the centrality of IP in the semiconductor value chain. According to data from market research firm IPnest, the global semiconductor IP market is estimated to reach US$8.49 billion in 2024, with an annual compound growth rate of 16.78 percent over the past five years—significantly outpacing the broader semiconductor industry growth rate of 9.06 percent.
Shanghai is at the forefront of China’s integrated circuit (IC) industry, particularly in the design sector. The city’s IC design output value stands at 140 billion yuan, securing its top position nationwide for consecutive years.
Xinhua’s industry insight system reveals that 33.3 percent of China’s semiconductor IP enterprises are based in Shanghai.
By the end of 2024, these companies had collectively filed 11,962 patent applications, with Shanghai accounting for 21.41 percent of the national total—more than any other province.
In his address, Zhuang Mudi noted that Shanghai's IC industry exceeded 390 billion yuan in 2024, ranking first in China.
The city leads the country across the entire semiconductor supply chain—from electronic design automation (EDA) and chip design to manufacturing, packaging, testing, equipment, and materials.
It has fostered top-tier firms, achieved key technology breakthroughs, and introduced a range of innovative products.
Hongkou District is actively cultivating IP and EDA design sectors, alongside emerging areas such as optoelectronic chips. Government-enterprise partnerships have led to the creation of specialized hubs like Ruihong Tiandi’s chip design building.
The district is also nurturing companies, while accelerating the growth of industry leaders like Akrostar Technology.
Financial investment is a major driver of Hongkou’s strategy. More than 2,100 domestic and international VC and PE firms have been attracted to the area, fostering a robust equity investment ecosystem focused on early-stage, small-scale, long-term, and deep-tech startups. The district is rapidly becoming a capital center for hard tech innovation.
At the summit, several major investment and strategic cooperation agreements were signed. Mao Junfa, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Shenzhen University, emphasized the importance of technological self-reliance rooted in integrated circuits and driven by AI.
Wu Hanming, dean of the College of Integrated Circuits at Zhejiang University, called for deeper collaboration between industry, academia, and research institutions to foster mutual reinforcement between AI and IC technologies.
A roundtable discussion featuring representatives from leading high tech firms examined the evolving dynamics of the IP industry in the AI era.
Zeng Keqiang of Akrostar highlighted that interface IPs are becoming the “highways” of AI computing chips, determining performance and system integration.
He emphasized his company’s goal of becoming a leading, independently controlled IP provider, playing a key role in strengthening and securing China’s semiconductor supply chain through full-stack, domestically developed interface IP solutions.
The event underscored North Bund’s growing prominence as a nexus for advanced technology discourse and international collaboration, further solidifying Hongkou’s role in Shanghai’s strategy to lead in next-generation tech innovation.