China to launch new US$40 billion state fund to boost chip industry, sources say

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HONG KONG/BEIJING: China is set to launch a new state-backed investment fund that aims to raise about US$40 billion for its semiconductor sector, two people familiar with the matter said, as the country ramps up efforts to catch up with the US and other rivals. It is likely to be the biggest of three funds

In October, the US rolled out a sweeping sanctions package that cut China's access to advanced chipmaking equipment and US allies Japan and the Netherlands have taken similar steps.China's finance ministry is planning to contribute 60 billion yuan, said one person. Other contributors could not be immediately learned.

Backers of the Big Fund's previous two funds include the finance ministry and deep-pocketed state-owned entities such as China Development Bank Capital, China National Tobacco Corporation and China Telecom.Over the years, the Big Fund has provided financing to China's two biggest chip foundries, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation and Hua Hong Semiconductor, as well as to Yangtze Memory Technologies, a maker of flash memory and a number of smaller companies and funds.

Despite those investments, China's chip industry has struggled to play a leading role in the global supply chain, especially for advanced chips.The Big Fund is considering hiring at least two institutions to invest the new fund's capital, said the three people. Several senior officials and former officials at SINO-IC Capital, the sole manager for the Big Fund's first two funds, have been under investigation by China's anti-graft authority since 2021.

Even so, SINO-IC Capital is expected to remain one of the managers for the third fund, said two of the people.Chinese officials have also reached out to China Aerospace Investment, the investment arm of state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, to discuss being one of the managers, said two of the people.

 

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