[News] China-Based Gree and Analogix Announced Senior Management Changes

Recently, Chinese semiconductor industry saw executive reshuffles in two companies Gree Electric and Chipone.

Dong Mingzhu Steps Down as Legal Representative and Executive Director of Gree Electronic Components

According to information from Tianyancha, Dong Mingzhu has stepped down as legal representative and executive director of Zhuhai Gree Electronic Components, with Fang Xiangjian assuming the role of legal representative and serving as the director responsible for the company’s operations.

Fang holds a master’s degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and is a senior engineer. From July 2004 to December 2016, he held multiple positions at Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai, including assistant plant manager, deputy plant manager, plant manager of the Screening Plant, and head of the Quality Control Department. In December 2016, he was promoted to Assistant President, and in November 2021 he officially became Vice President of Gree Electric.

Founded in 2022, Gree Electronic Components is fully responsible for third-generation semiconductor silicon carbide (SiC) wafer manufacturing, power device packaging and testing, as well as semiconductor inspection services. In December of the same year, the company launched construction of its SiC chip fabrication facility. At present, it has established external partnerships with more than 20 chip design companies. Its business model focuses primarily on wafer foundry services, supplemented by packaging and testing, serving customers across sectors including new energy vehicles, photovoltaic energy storage, industrial control, and home appliances—promoting the domestic substitution of SiC chips in multiple application scenarios.

Gree’s SiC chips have already been deployed in more than 2 million air conditioners shipped, delivering lower operating temperatures and improved energy efficiency. In January this year, Feng Yin, Assistant to the President of Gree Electric and General Manager of Gree Electronic Components, revealed that following the mass production of SiC chips for home appliances, SiC chips for photovoltaic energy storage and logistics vehicles are also set to enter mass production this year.

Chipone’s Founder Zhang Jinfang Takes Control of Analogix

Recently, Suzhou-based Analogix announced a change in its legal representative, with the position shifting from Li Xudong to Zhang Jinfang.

Meanwhile, Beijing Changhou Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.—an investment platform under Zhang—has become the new largest shareholder of Analogix. Another investment entity chaired by Zhang, Guangzhou Greater Bay Area Semiconductor Industry Group, has become the second-largest shareholder, holding a 13.86% stake.

As per media reports citing sources close to the company, Zhang has now become the de facto controller of Analogix, bringing an end to the company’s status of having no actual controlling shareholder over the past several years.

Zhang, born in 1985, holds a PhD in Circuit and Systems from Beijing Jiaotong University and hails from Shuozhou, Shanxi Province. In 2008, he founded Chipone in Beijing, which has since grown into an internationally leading display chip design company, focusing on the R&D, design, and sales of display chips.

Founded in March 2002 in Silicon Valley, Analogix was acquired in 2016 by China’s National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund together with other domestic capital investors. The company specializes in high-performance mixed-signal chips, with businesses covering the R&D and sales of integrated circuits—primarily display controller chips and high-speed intelligent interconnect chips—as well as IP licensing and chip design services.

(Photo credit: GREE)