Zhang Yu JeniZhang13@163.com A PROTOTYPE platform for chip design was unveiled by the Nanshan District Government and Arm Technology (China) Co. Ltd. at the 21st China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) in Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on Friday. The prototype platform is the latest development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Integrated Circuit Design and Innovation Public Platform, which was launched at last year’s CHTF in a bid to overcome the bottlenecks in developing integrated circuits (IC). Wu Xiongang, CEO of Arm Technology (China), explained that the platform can shorten the chip development cycle by 70 percent, reduce development costs by 60 percent and increase the success rate by 90 percent. Meanwhile, the platform is dedicated to building a one-stop service platform from SoC (system on chip) architecture evaluation and design services to mass production services, chip testing, system solutions and product applications. Huang Xiangyue, head of the Nanshan District Government, said that the release of the prototype platform will provide strong momentum for design enterprises and inject innovation vitality into the IC industry in Shenzhen. Ai Xuefeng, deputy mayor of Shenzhen, affirmed the role of the prototype platform in shortening the development cycle of chip design and lowering the development costs of integrated circuits. He hopes that Nanshan District will continue to give full play to the advantages of the high-tech industry and use the prototype platform to drive the rapid development of Shenzhen’s IC industry. Two signing ceremonies were also held at the launch conference, with Shenzhen Shenhuitong Investment Holdings Co. Ltd. and Arm Ecological Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. becoming strategic partners on the IC design and innovation public platform. According to statistics, the sales volume of Shenzhen’s IC industry reached 81.16 billion yuan (US$11.58 billion) in 2018, up 21.44 percent year on year. | 