[News] HiSilicon Taps Tech Veteran Gao Ji as Chairman After Eric Xu’s Exit Amid Huawei’s Chip Push

Huawei-backed HiSilicon, which develops the flagship Kirin mobile APs as well as the Ascend AI chips, saw a major leadership change on September 11. According to EE Times China and Sina, Eric Xu stepped down as legal representative and chairman, with Gao Ji taking over. Several other senior executives were also replaced, as per the reports.

As noted by EE Times China, this is not the first time HiSilicon has seen executive reshuffles. In 2020, Huawei carried out a series of subsidiary leadership changes, with veterans like Ren Zhengfei and Sun Yafang (Huawei’s chairwoman for nearly 20 years) stepping down from multiple decision-making roles, as per the report.

In September 2023, HiSilicon also underwent personnel adjustments, when Eric Xu stepped down as general manager and director, with He Tingbo taking over the president position, the report notes.

According to EEWorld, Shenzhen HiSilicon Semiconductor was established in October 2004, originating from the Huawei Integrated Circuit Design Center founded in 1991. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen, with branches in Beijing, Shanghai, and other locations. It has successfully developed over 100 chips with independent intellectual property rights and has filed more than 500 patents, the report adds.

Implications of the Leadership Shift

According to Huawei’s website, Eric Xu, who joined the company in 1993, currently serves as Deputy Chairman and Rotating Chairman of Huawei, with his tenure ending on September 30.

Meanwhile, 163.com highlights that HiSilicon’s leadership change injects fresh management experience to tackle technical challenges and sharpen decision-making.

The report also sheds light on the new leader, Gao Ji, noting his previous roles as Vice Director of Huawei’s 2012 Labs and CEO of Shanghai HiSilicon. Huawei’s 2012 Labs, the report emphasizes, is the company’s central research hub, focused on pioneering technologies for the next 5–10 years and strengthening Huawei’s long-term technical edge.

IT Home, on the other hand, suggests Gao Ji is currently the CEO of HiSilicon, though public information about him is limited. The report describes Gao as a veteran technology manager at Huawei with extensive experience in the semiconductor field, having led the development and commercialization of multiple key HiSilicon chips.

Huawei has been advancing its lineup of self-developed chips. Its upcoming Mate 80 is reportedly set to feature the Kirin 9030, according to MyDrivers. In July, the company also unveiled its CloudMatrix 384 system, which links 384 Ascend NPUs and 192 Kunpeng CPUs via Huawei’s high-speed MatrixLink network—a move aimed at competing with NVIDIA, Star Market Daily reports.

Read more

• [News] China Reportedly to Triple AI Chip Output Next Year With Fabs Serving Huawei, Cutting NVIDIA Reliance
• [News] Huawei’s 5nm Kunpeng 930 Leak Raises Big Question: TSMC or SMIC Behind it?

(Photo credit: Hisilicon)