In 2024, China's semiconductor industry will be surging, and technological upgrading and industrial chain integration will become keywords. In this wave of change, Shenzhen HICHIPS has blazed a differentiated development path in the subdivision field by virtue of its unique technical path and market positioning. Recently, Chen Lu, editor-in-chief of China Exportsemi, and Ana Hu, editor-in-chief, had the honor to interview Mr. Wu Dongsheng, general manager of Shenzhen HICHIPS Co., Ltd., who shared with us in detail the technical layout, market strategy and future planning of HICHIPS, showing the thinking and practice of how an innovative enterprise can continue to break through in the fierce competition.
(On February 27, 2025, the Registration Open for the 2025 International New Energy Industry Marketing Summit and the launch of the "2025 White Paper on the Core Competitiveness of China's New Energy Industry Chain" will be held at the Guangming Yungu International Conference Center in Shenzhen.) At that time, Mr. Wu Dongsheng will come to the scene in person and welcome readers and friends to communicate on the spot. ）
From Start-up to Transformation: The Path to Technology-Driven Growth
In 2017, the business focus of HICHIPS in the start-up stage was to quantify outdoor phone projects. However, Wu Dongsheng recalled: "At that time, the market demand was not rigid, and the social value of the project was limited. Recognizing this, the company quickly adjusted its strategy to focus on areas of technology that had the potential for broader applications.
In this context, the company has successfully developed DC dimming technology, which is used as a starting point to start with high-end boutique lighting products and gradually expand to the field of indoor lighting. Today, HICHIPS has formed a product line with constant current drive and power drive technology as the core, which is widely used in multiple scenarios such as IoT smart home, industrial fields and automotive applications.
"The introduction of DC dimming technology was our first major breakthrough. It lays the foundation for subsequent entry into more high-tech barrier fields. Wu Dongsheng said.
Picture: Wu Dongsheng, general manager of Shenzhen HICHIPS
Core products and market positioning: differentiation to respond to competition
Product line layout: focus on the field of high technical barriers
HICHIPS's current core product line covers high-power power supply and constant current drive, of which high-power power supply (such as more than 120W) is the company's current main direction. Wu Dongsheng believes: “Market competition is mainly concentrated in low-end products, while high-power products are relatively small due to higher technical difficulty. We want to build a moat in this area through continuous technological investment.”
In addition, HICHIPS is also actively exploring automotive applications. The company's current in-vehicle products are mainly focused on the back-end, such as ambient lighting and multimedia central control screen driver modules. In the future, the company plans to further expand into the front-end field of in-vehicle systems to meet the rapid growth of automotive intelligent demand.
Market Strategy: Differentiation and Technology Iteration
Talking about how to deal with the fierce competition in the domestic semiconductor market, Wu Dongsheng emphasized: “We focus on the market trend in the next 2 to 3 years, rather than the hot products in the short term. Through differentiated technology and rapid iteration, we can effectively avoid the attrition of price wars.”
In the home appliance market, HICHIPS chooses to serve high-end customers and provide high-power application solutions with excellent performance. This strategy has allowed the company to successfully avoid the "involution" competition in the low-end market and gain a firm foothold in the field of mid-to-high-end home appliances.
Energy storage and robotics market: rational layout of future demand
Energy storage market: rational trade-offs
In recent years, the energy storage market has expanded rapidly due to the demand for new energy, but HICHIPS has not entered this field on a large scale. "The actual demand for chips in the energy storage market is low, and the application scenarios are relatively scattered. We prefer to focus on areas with higher technical barriers. Wu Dongsheng said frankly.
Robotics and drones: Advance the layout of emerging markets
Wu Dongsheng revealed that HICHIPS has started planning for the robot market. "With the popularization of AI technology, the robotics market will usher in rapid growth in the next three to five years," he said. “We hope to lay out this field in advance and seize the technological opportunity.”
In the drone market, the company is also developing gimbals and other related products. Although this field is currently highly concentrated by leading companies, HICHIPS believes that there are still opportunities to enter this market through subdivided technological innovation.
International Perspective & Team Expansion: Towards Globalization
Overseas market: Focus on mid-to-high-end applications
At present, HICHIPS's main customers are still mainly domestic high-end finished product manufacturers, but the company is gradually expanding the international market, especially the high-end application fields in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia. “While the low-end market is easier to access, our focus is always on the mid-to-high-end market. This is not only to maintain a technological edge, but also to ensure the sustainable development of the company.”
Team expansion and localization strategy
In terms of team building, HICHIPS plans to recruit at least 5 employees in 2025, focusing on strengthening the business and quality management team. At the same time, the company plans to expand the scale of its Shenzhen office and further enhance the execution of the team by cultivating local talents.
Industry Observation: Technology Upgrading and Elimination Accelerate
Characteristics and challenges of the IC industry
Talking about the characteristics of the IC industry, Wu Dongsheng pointed out: “The development cycle of semiconductor products is long, and it usually takes three years to complete the whole process of development, promotion and customer acceptance. This requires companies to be forward-looking for future market needs.”
Wu Dongsheng also emphasized that with the rapid upgrading of technology, the elimination of the industry is also accelerating. Leading enterprises occupy a larger market share by virtue of their capital and technological advantages, while small and medium-sized enterprises need to rely on innovation and differentiated positioning in subdivided fields to break through.
Modularity and automation trends
Modular design and solution integration are becoming one of the industry trends. Some domestic enterprises are making rapid progress in this direction, but it still takes time for the overall industrial upgrading. "Driven by the trend of modularization and automation, the collaboration efficiency of the industrial chain will be further improved." Wu Dongsheng added.
Summary: Shaping the future with technological innovation
Through this interview, Wu Dongsheng took us to have an in-depth understanding of HICHIPS's technical layout, market strategy and future development direction. From the early business transformation to the current focus on high-tech barriers, the company has gradually built its own competitive advantage with a steady attitude.
In the future, HICHIPS will continue to focus on technological innovation, seize the technological highland of emerging markets such as robots and drones, and at the same time respond to the fierce competition in domestic and foreign markets with differentiated positioning and technology iteration. As Wu Dongsheng said, "Our goal is not only to follow the market, but also to lead the demand."
The story of HICHIPS is not only a microcosm of the continuous evolution of an enterprise in the competition, but also a vivid picture of the rapid growth of China's semiconductor industry.
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