[News] Shanghai Launched New Plan, Highlighting the Development of IC, Key Equipment and Photoresists

Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Government issued the Three-Year Action Plan for Supporting the Transformation and Upgrading of Advanced Manufacturing in Shanghai (2026–2028), in which the integrated circuit (IC) industry is highlighted multiple times.

According to the Plan, by 2028, Shanghai aims to add 100 manufacturing enterprises each with annual output value exceeding CNY 1 billion, bringing the cumulative total to over 600. The plan also targets the addition of 500 above-designated-size industrial enterprises across the industrial chain, alongside a marked increase in R&D expenditure as a proportion of revenue among above-designated-size manufacturing firms.

Looking ahead, Shanghai will accelerate the strategic leadership of its leading industries. The city will support IC companies in focusing on semiconductor equipment, advanced processes, photoresist materials, and 3D packaging, striving for breakthroughs across the entire industry chain and fostering a group of globally competitive leading enterprises. Meanwhile, Shanghai will deepen full-stack innovation and speed up the development of high-performance intelligent computing chips.

In addition, Shanghai will step up efforts to tackle key and core technologies. Enterprises will be encouraged to conduct basic research in frontier areas such as laser manufacturing, quantum technologies, photonics, novel functional materials, and new energy. With a focus on key industrial chains and critical links—including integrated circuits, large aircraft, high-end equipment, instrumentation, and industrial software—the city will also support enterprises in advancing core and critical technologies.

As one of China’s major hubs for IC development, Shanghai is deepening the construction of its “Five Centers” and accelerating the growth of three leading industries: IC, biomedicine, and AI. To date, the city has established five specialized industrial parks, including the IC Design Industrial Park and the Oriental Chip Harbor, underpinning the construction of industry ecosystem.

According to the latest data from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, from January to November 2025, the city’s IC industry generated revenue of CNY 391.2 billion, up 23.72% year on year. Full-year revenue is expected to exceed CNY 460 billion, representing growth of around 24%.

Notably, the “Shanghai IC Equipment Innovation Park” and the “Jiading Chip Design Park” were officially inaugurated in the past few days.

“Shanghai Jiading” reports show that the Shanghai IC Equipment Innovation Park will prioritize R&D and manufacturing of core materials such as photoresists and photomasks, as well as key equipment including coating and developing, thin-film deposition, and metrology and inspection tools, with the goal of achieving domestic substitution.

Meanwhile, the Jiading Chip Design Park will target the chip design sector, leveraging key process production lines to achieve breakthroughs in the domestic design and industrialization of advanced logic chips, high-precision analog chips, and highly reliable automotive-grade chips.

(Photo credit: FREEPIK)