Exclusive Interview with MEMSIC Global CTO ① | China’s Chip Industry at a Critical Inflection Point

As China’s domestic chip industry shifts from "import substitution" to "global benchmarking", the competitiveness of Chinese enterprises is entering a new phase of advancement. In a recent exclusive interview with Jiwei Network, Stephen, Global CTO of MEMSIC, stated that Chinese chip companies, including MEMSIC, are entering a critical phase of accelerated, all-round improvement in their capabilities and competitiveness.

Stephen believes the industry is currently at a critical inflection point. Domestic manufacturers must not only gain a firm foothold in large-volume local markets, but also continuously optimize cost structures and improve product quality through economies of scale. They need to further extend into high-value, high-performance products, and ultimately participate in broader global market competition.

video link：https://weixin.qq.com/sph/AVOJS4RIQ

Jiwei Network: Localization of the domestic MEMS sensor industry is accelerating amid intensifying market competition. How do you assess the development trends of the global and domestic MEMS sensing industry for 2026–2027?

Stephen: I believe we will see comprehensive and accelerated improvements in the competitiveness and capabilities of Chinese chip companies, MEMSIC included.

We are at a critical inflection point. Today, our product performance, cost and quality are capable of meeting the demands of these high-volume markets.

This will drive sales growth within China. In the initial phase, I expect a substantial rise in the share of domestic supply.

Jiwei Network: As the core competitive moat of the industry evolves beyond price and production capacity, what new dimensions are becoming important?

Stephen: As economies of scale take shape, enterprises can keep optimizing and reducing cost structures, continuously lifting product quality, and securing more resources to develop higher-value, higher-performance products.

Therefore, Chinese chip enterprises can start by establishing a solid position in large-volume domestic markets and seizing available opportunities, before gradually taking part in more global market competition.

Jiwei Network: Domestic MEMS development is transitioning from "import substitution" to "global benchmarking". From the perspective of an industry leader, what are the key shortcomings that China’s MEMS industry needs to overcome in the next five years?

Stephen: I see bottlenecks concentrated in several areas.

First is manufacturing capacity. As companies capture greater market share and shipment volumes, production capacity must expand. Therefore, all highly specialized sensor processes — from fabrication through testing — require scaled expansion.

A second bottleneck lies in engineering resources and R&D capabilities. As the company grows, MEMSIC will aim to develop more products and enter more target markets, which requires more designers and expanded engineering support.

That is the rationale behind MEMSIC’s international design centers. They allow us to expand not only in China, but also to recruit top talent on a global scale.