Hua Hong Semiconductor, a Shanghai-based chipmaker specializing in "mature node" semiconductor technology, has announced the appointment of 62-year-old Bai Peng, former global vice president of Intel, as the company's new chairman on a three-year contract.

Mr. Bai will replace Mr. Tang Junjun, who will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Hua Hong Semiconductor.

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China's semiconductor industry is facing major challenges. Photo: SCMP

Mr. Bai Peng has more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and has held numerous leadership positions at chip manufacturing companies, including Intel, where he began his career with roles such as process integration engineer, director of productivity engineering, director of research and development, vice president, and finally global vice president.

Prior to joining Hua Hong Semiconductor, Mr. Bai was CEO at Rong Semiconductor (Ningbo) Co., which manufactures image sensors, power management chips and display drivers with "mature node" technology ranging from 28 nanometers to 180 nanometers.

Mr. Bai graduated from Peking University (China) and received a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Bucharest (Romania) in 1985. He also holds a doctorate in physics from the Rensselaer Institute of Technology, New York, USA.

Mr. Bai's appointment follows a series of significant changes to Hua Hong Semiconductor's leadership, including the appointment of Qin Jian as its new chairman by Hua Hong Group (Hua Hong Semiconductor's parent company), replacing Zhang Suxin, who had held the position since 2016.

This is an important change in the context of China's semiconductor industry facing major challenges. Specifically, the industry is under pressure from the US launching a trade investigation into the production of "legacy" semiconductor chips - one of the key areas of Hua Hong Semiconductor.

According to data from TrendForce, a Taiwanese IC research firm, Hua Hong Semiconductor is currently the sixth largest semiconductor foundry in the world , with a market share of 2.2% in the third quarter of 2024, down slightly from 2.6% in the same period last year. The company mainly receives demand from chip design companies in China.

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