Recently, Ou Yingyang, the Director of the Intelligent Fast Charging Product Line at Shenzhen Hynetek Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., stated in an interview with our website, "The USB-C interface has gradually unified the market, and the related USB-C interface management chips are experiencing a surge in demand. The disruptive features and user loyalty have created a new round of dividends."
Since its release, the USB Type-C interface has gained popularity in markets such as smartphones and laptops due to its smaller size, higher speed, reversible plug design, and the ability to achieve bidirectional charging. Particularly, when the USB-C interface was introduced to laptops, it brought about a revolutionary "grand unification," consolidating power interfaces, USB-A interfaces, DP interfaces, Ethernet ports, HDMI interfaces, and VGA interfaces into a single USB-C port, making it slimmer.
However, in the fast-charge market, the proliferation of complex charger and charging cable categories has caused inconvenience for users and significantly reduced their fast-charge experience. Moreover, the excessive number of charging products has resulted in a significant amount of waste. According to estimates, if portable smart devices such as smartphones and tablets all adopt the USB Type-C charging interface, it could reduce electronic waste by 11,000 tons per year, contributing to energy conservation and aligning with environmental principles.
In the semiconductor industry, chemical pollution and metal pollution cannot be ignored during the chip manufacturing process. Today, under the goals of carbon neutrality and peaking carbon emissions, China strategically advocates for green, environmentally friendly, and low-carbon approaches. Third-generation semiconductors possess characteristics such as high temperature resistance, high voltage resistance, high frequency, and high power, which greatly enhance energy conversion efficiency and contribute to achieving dual carbon goals.
Shenzhen Hynetek Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. is a company focused on intelligent energy control technology, primarily in the fields of intelligent fast charging and digital energy. The company provides high-performance analog and mixed-signal chip products. Hynetek Semiconductor shoulders the mission of "Core Intelligence, Core Energy, build a green future" and aspires to become a leading supplier of intelligent energy control technology in the industry.
Figure1 ：Company front desk
The company's intelligent fast charging product line started with the implementation of USB PD fast charging and gradually expanded its coverage from chargers and charging cables to device-side solutions. HUSB268 is the first Type-C full-featured chip for the laptop and monitor fields. In addition to supporting USB PD fast charging and battery management, it also supports various high-speed data communications such as Thunderbolt and DP, as well as audio and video transmission.
In addition, Hynetek is also conducting in-depth research in the field of signal adapters such as dongles and hubs. In the power domain, DCDC converters and battery chargers remain core products in the development of the USB Type-C ecosystem, and the company has made corresponding strategic arrangements.
At the same time, Hynetek has established a brand-new digital energy product line and is actively entering the industrial digital power chip market. Several projects are currently in full swing and these products will be fully launched into the market in 2023. The digital energy products will also ride on the fast track of third-generation semiconductors and be fully promoted in the market. Breakthroughs will be made in seven major areas: communication, data centers, electric vehicles, new energy, industry, black appliances, and fast charging.
Currently, Hynetek focuses on the development of products in two main areas: intelligent fast charging and green energy. In the intelligent fast charging segment, the company will expand from PD protocol to include Buck chargers, Buck-boost chargers, load switches, and DC-DC converters, among others. In the green energy segment, the company will target industrial applications such as ICT (communication servers), data centers, photovoltaic inverters, and energy storage, and develop digital power control chips, high-voltage driver chips, power conversion chips, and modules.
In the field of intelligent fast charging, the company has already captured a major market share in both domestic and international markets, especially with its eMarker products, which hold a global market share of 60%. The goal of the company's digital energy product line is to break the monopoly of foreign brands in this field and have its products compete in the international market, completing the transition from domestic substitution to international first-class products.
According to the information provided by Mr. Ou, Hynetek’s current market strategy includes continuously expanding its leading position in USB PD, deepening cooperation with major customers in the USB PD field, building an ecosystem centered around USB Type-C on the device side, and developing our green energy product line focusing on intelligent control of green energy management.
In recent years, the company has achieved several successful application cases. For example, Samsung launched a 45W Gallium Nitride fast charging kit using Hyneteck E-Marker chip, and Lenovo's 65W original PD fast charger adapter was aided in mass production by Hynetek HUSB350 protocol chip. Hynetek’s best-selling products in overseas markets are mainly HUSB238, HUSB350, and HUSB311.
Among them, HUSB238 is a highly integrated USB PD sink controller that has obtained USB-IF certification (TID3666). It supports a rated power transmission of up to 100W and is compatible with PD 3.0 V1.3 and Type-C V1.4. It can also support BC1.2 DCP, CDP, SDP, and Apple 5V2.4A charging protocols. It can be used in electronic devices with traditional barrel connectors or USB micro-B power connectors, such as IoT devices, wireless chargers, drones, smart speakers, power tools, and other devices.
Figure2：HUSB238
HUSB239 is an upgraded version of HUSB238 and is also a fully independent USB Type-C and USB PD DRP controller. It complies with the latest PD 3.1 standard and Type-C V2.1. As a Sink, it supports 48V5A, and it also supports 5V as a Source. It is suitable for applications such as power tools, terminals, wireless speakers, and headphones.
HUSB251 is a USB PD DRP product with an integrated MCU. It is suitable for various original adapters, PD 3.1 high-power supplies with 28V/5A 140W, and flexible multi-port power designs. It can also be used to design various high-power bidirectional charging and discharging devices with up to 140W, such as outdoor energy storage, power tools, super power banks, and more.
HUSB251 complies with the latest PD 3.1 standard and supports 28V EPR FPDO and EPR AVS (PPS). It also supports the first domestic fast charging technology standard, UFCS protocol. HUSB251 includes multiple GPIOs and supports I²C master/slave, making it suitable for various flexible design scenarios. It implements a programmable DPDM PHY, where both the D+ and D- pins can be configured to support multiple proprietary protocols, including QC2.0, QC3+, AFC, FCP, SCP, and more, providing excellent compatibility with traditional devices. HUSB251 supports voltage and current programming. It embeds a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller with 8kB of RAM, 32kB of program memory, and supports multiple-time programmable (MTP), allowing users to customize and extend instructions for greater flexibility.
HUSB332C supports PD 3.1 EPR 240W power transmission (TID 8655). It also supports USB4 V2.0 80Gbps data transfer, Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4 data communication. It integrates Hynetek’s patented over-temperature protection (OTP) function, ensuring excellent performance and effectively protecting USB-C cables. It is suitable for high-power USB-C to USB-C cables with a power rating of up to 240W and fully compatible with "one-line dual-core" cable applications.
HUSB332C, an upgraded and iterative version of HUSB332A, enhances the over-temperature protection function and supports the latest PD 3.1 standard. The original cable of the 45W travel charger in the new Samsung Galaxy S22 series adopts the "one-line dual-core" scheme, with HUSB332A eMarker products from Hynetek Semiconductor installed on the USB-C interfaces at both ends of the cable. HUSB332A has been extensively validated by well-known brands and markets for its high performance and reliability.
When discussing the growth opportunities in various international and domestic industries, Mr. Ou (presumably the CEO of Hynetek Semiconductor) mentioned that MCUs have wide applications, and the required functionalities vary across different fields. In response to industry needs, there have been specialized MCUs paired with power management, wireless communication, sensors, and custom communication protocols.
The integration of MCUs with other chips is in line with industry demands. The Power + MCU product form facilitates customer development and reduces BOM costs, becoming a new market trend. It is worth mentioning that Power + MCU is also one of the few areas where domestic semiconductor companies can compete positively with international giants.
Furthermore, based on data, the output value of third-generation power semiconductors is expected to grow from $980 million in 2021 to $4.71 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 48%. This indicates significant development potential for China's third-generation semiconductor industry. Since the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, China has explicitly included the promotion of the semiconductor industry in its plans. In the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the release of a series of supportive policies focused on new-generation semiconductors and materials such as silicon carbide indicates that the silicon carbide industry will become one of the country's strategic industries in the future.
According to Mr. Ou's introduction, Hynetek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. has been developed with a global market orientation since its establishment. The company's product performance and quality are on par with international standards. It collaborates with globally renowned enterprises such as Samsung and Lenovo, and its customers are mainly distributed in Europe, America, and Asia. The company has established research and development centers overseas and is also setting up technical support service points abroad.
Figure3: company certificates
From a technical support perspective, the company's key members come from leading international semiconductor companies. Additionally, the company has global market-oriented cooperative agents such as WPI, MORNSUN, and SUNLORD, enabling it to serve customers worldwide. Furthermore, the company has established an official website targeting overseas markets, providing various English materials related to its products.
Here is the translation of the provided paragraph:
"The company was established in 2015. In 2018, it released its first USB eMarker chip and USB PD chip. In 2019, it entered the supply chain of Lenovo, with chip shipments exceeding tens of millions and completed Pre-A financing. In 2020, the company completed Series A financing and was recognized as a national high-tech enterprise. In 2021, it entered the supply chains of Samsung, Xiaomi, HP, and participated as the only chip manufacturer from mainland China in the formulation of the USB PD 3.1 standard. It also completed Series A+ financing. In 2022, chip shipments exceeded one hundred million, and the company completed Series B and B+ financing.
Hynetek Semiconductor shoulders the mission of "Intelligence of chip, Energy of chip, and Building a Green Future," aspiring to become a leading provider of intelligent energy control technology in the industry."
