Zhaochi Semiconductor: The advancement and controversy of smart factories, the road to "China Core"

At a time when traditional manufacturing is facing multiple challenges such as fierce global competition, rising cost pressures, surging demand for personalized products, and increasingly complex production processes, digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing have become key paths for enterprises to break through. Zhaochi Semiconductor, a company that is deeply involved in the field of compound semiconductor optoelectronic devices LED epitaxy and chips, integrating R & D, manufacturing and sales, relies on its efforts to build the world's largest digital smart compound semiconductor optoelectronic device LED chip production base and its active exploration in the practice of the industrial 4.0 concept has won many praises in the industry. Its advanced intelligent manufacturing operation model has enabled it to be rated as an advanced smart factory and has become a typical example of China Core's digital transformation. However, at the same time, controversy over some of its products in the industry has never stopped.

The technological landscape of smart factories: Double breakthroughs in efficiency and scale
Walking into the production workshop of Jiangxi Zhaochi Semiconductor Co., Ltd. located in Nanchang High-tech Zone, a sense of technology comes to your face. The neatly arranged MOCVD epitaxial equipment and fully automated wafer inspection lines operate in an orderly manner, and technicians in dust suits focus on monitoring real-time data on the screen. This production base with a total area of 300,000 square meters, as the world's largest single LED chip production base, is constantly setting new industry records with a production capacity of 1.1 million 4-inch gallium nitride epitaxial chips per month.
在冷蓝色操作光幕的映照下，机械手臂以毫米级精度精准作业;高精密光刻机运转中，微米级的 LED 芯片逐渐成型;数字调动站信息管理平台的数字看板上，工厂运营数据流实时更新、动态调整…… 兆驰半导体以 "5G + 智能制造" 为引擎，打破了传统工业的诸多限制，重塑了生产场景，为企业高质量发展注入了强劲动力。
通过积极应用数字化技术，兆驰半导体在产品设计阶段就能进行虚拟测试，这一举措不仅显著缩短了产品上市时间，还大幅提升了产品质量和整体运营效率。The company has established a complete IT data architecture to achieve data standardization and governance; at the same time, it has continuously expanded the factory's digital talent team, which provides a solid guarantee for technological innovation and application, and also injects continuous impetus into digital transformation. In addition, the factory attaches great importance to the construction of organizational culture during the transformation process, emphasizing employee active participation and skill improvement. This people-oriented strategy ensures the effective implementation of digital technology and also enhances employees 'work enthusiasm and innovation ability.
在迈向 "数据驱动型工厂" 的过程中，兆驰半导体充分利用人工智能和大数据分析等先进技术，实现了业务流程的全面智能化。With the help of cutting-edge technologies such as big data, cloud computing, simulation technology, digital twin technology and artificial intelligence, the factory continues to improve production efficiency, quality and flexibility, and promotes the improvement of overall operating levels. Especially in terms of artificial intelligence control technology, it covers the technical exploration and application of ten functional modules including design, production, quality, and energy consumption, and is at the forefront of the industry.

However, under the aura of intelligent manufacturing, Zhaochi Semiconductor's products are not perfect. The industry's evaluation of its COB products is polarized. Some industry insiders pointed out that Zhaochi Semiconductor's COB products had a large number of problems last year. Although its COB products currently occupy a certain market share due to their price advantage and have become a lower-priced choice in the industry, product stability and some first-line brands still exist. There is a gap.
一位长期从事 LED 封装业务的企业负责人表示："兆驰的 COB 产品价格确实有吸引力，对于一些对成本敏感、对性能要求不高的中小项目来说有一定市场。However, judging from our experience, there is still room for improvement in the consistency and long-term reliability of its products. Last year, several projects were reworked due to product problems, and follow-up cooperation will be more cautious. rdquo; This voice is not unique in the industry. The market share growth brought about by price advantages does not seem to have completely transformed into good brand reputation, which has become a challenge that Zhaochi Semiconductor has to face in its development process.
Regarding Zhaochi Semiconductor's digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing practices, industry analysts believe that its results in scale effect and production efficiency improvement are worthy of recognition.
对于兆驰半导体的数字化转型与智能制造实践，行业分析师认为，其在规模效应和生产效率提升方面的成果值得肯定。& ldquo; The world's largest production base and a million monthly production capacity, behind these data is the subversion of traditional production models by intelligent manufacturing. The application of digital technology has given Zhaochi certain advantages in cost control and rapid response to market demand, which is crucial for a highly competitive industry such as LED chips. rdquo;
But at the same time, there are also views that intelligent manufacturing should not only stay at the automation and dataization of the production process, but should also be reflected in in-depth control of product quality and continuous investment in technological innovation. ldquo; The core value of smart factories is not only the improvement of efficiency, but also the stability and upgrading of product quality. If digital capabilities cannot be effectively transformed into product competitiveness, no matter how large the scale is, it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the high-end market. rdquo;
An investor focusing on the semiconductor industry said:" Zhaochi Semiconductor's development path reflects the transformation status of many China manufacturing companies—— through scale and intelligence to reduce costs and seize the mid-to-low-end market, but there is still a long way to go in terms of high-end technology and brand premium. The controversy over its COB products also reminds companies that while pursuing scale and price advantages, they must pay attention to product quality as a lifeline. rdquo;
The Way Forward: Finding a Breakthrough in Controversy
" From" manufacturing" to" intelligent manufacturing", the core is to make science and technology the first productive force. rdquo; Zhaochi Semiconductor thus positioned itself as a transformation target. In the future, Zhaochi Semiconductor plans to continue to serve as a chain owner, integrate resources, make breakthroughs and innovate, and help China Core shine on the global stage.
然而，要实现这一目标，兆驰半导体需要在保持智能制造优势的同时，正视行业对其产品的争议，加大对产品质量和技术创新的投入。How to balance price and quality, how to deeply integrate digital capabilities into product life cycle management, and how to move from scale leadership to technology leadership in fierce global competition are all issues that Zhaochi Semiconductor must solve in its future development. On the road to the rise of China Core, Zhaochi Semiconductor's exploration and struggle may also become a microcosm of industry transformation.​