The investment community has learned that Weiyuan Photonics (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. has recently undergone industrial and commercial changes, adding Shenzhen Hubble Technology Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), an affiliate of Huawei, as a shareholder. Previously, Xiaomi affiliated company had invested in the company, holding 6.48%.
Behind the optical chip is the hope that China Semiconductor will change lanes and overtake. After careful combing, it is found that Huawei has invested in the entire industrial chain of optical chips so far-from upstream, midstream to downstream, and invested in corresponding enterprises respectively. With the pace of Huawei, VC/PE is also assembled here.
Huawei's low-key shot:
I just voted for a Ph.D. from Peking University.
Let's start with a doctor from Peking University.
Zhu, the founder of Weiyuan Optoelectronics, graduated from eecs with a bachelor's degree and obtained a double bachelor's degree in economics from National Development Research Institute. In the master's stage, I chose to continue my studies in Yanyuan, where I studied under Professor Chen, director of the State Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Communication Network and New Optical Communication System in Peking University, majoring in laser field.
In the early years, when domestic communication was still in the era of 2G and 3G, Zhu specialized in one technology-narrow linewidth laser. Laser is one of the important components of lidar, even called "the eye of lidar". Narrow-line laser means better performance.
In the long-term scientific research process, Zhu keenly felt a trend: the communication world is moving from the electric age to the optical age in an all-round way. In order to break through the bottleneck of electric limit, it is necessary to use optical communication technology to alleviate a large number of computing power requirements. This gave him the idea of starting a business. On 20/811year, Zhu formally established Weiyuan Optoelectronic (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd.
Weiyuan Optoelectronic team has a strong Peking University gene-except Zhu, many core members of the team are from Peking University, and the chief scientist of the company is Professor Chen himself. Combined with the Industry-University-Research achievements of Peking University Institute of Electronics, Micro-source Photonics focuses on the research and development and production of miniaturized narrow linewidth lasers, low-noise millimeter-wave sources and supporting photoelectric modules, and many core technologies have independent intellectual property rights.
The data show that the photoelectric solution of micro-source photon can be widely used in laser measurement (lidar, ranging mapping, three-dimensional scanning), high-speed optical communication, chip-level atomic clock, millimeter-wave communication, cutting-edge scientific research and education and many other fields. Whether it is autonomous driving, high-precision maps or communication, it must be applied to photoelectric solutions, and the related downstream market scale can reach 100 billion. Especially with the outbreak of autonomous driving, micro-source photons began to enter the investor's field of vision.
Previously, Weiyuan Photon maintained a one-year financing rhythm. In August, 2020, the company obtained the angel round investment from Qianhai Furong Investment, and in March, 20021,it obtained the A round financing from Tongwei Capital. Through equity penetration, we can also find that A-share listed companies century huatong, Huaxi and Zhejiang Dongfang also indirectly hold Weiyuan Photonics.
At the beginning of this year, Weiyuan Photonics ushered in a heavyweight industrial capital-Xiaomi. Sky-Eye Survey shows that Weiyuan Photon added several shareholders on June 5438+1October 2 1 day, including Xiaomi affiliated company Hainan Jim Venture Capital Co., Ltd., among which Jim Venture Capital holds 6.4828%. The circle believes that this investment is an important measure for Xiaomi to lay out photoelectric chips and accelerate the competition for the industrial chain. Just last week, Shunwei Capital also appeared in Weiyuan Photonic Equity Chain.
At the same time, Hubble Investment, a subsidiary of Huawei, has also added an overseas investment case for micro-source photons. After this capital injection, Hubble also holds a 6.4828% stake in Weiyuan Photonics. Micro-source photon has many patents on the core device of photoelectric sensor, such as "narrow linewidth laser used in coherent laser radar", and this investment is also regarded as another important investment of Huawei in photoelectric chip layout.
Huawei invested in an industrial chain.
This frontier track is approaching.
Through Huawei's latest lens, we see a secret track-optical chip.
What is an optical chip? According to the classification, CPU, GPU and other chips commonly used in mobile phones, computers and automobiles belong to integrated circuit chips, which are called electronic chips because they use electrons to generate, process and transmit information. But unlike optical chips, optical chips mainly use photons to generate, process, transmit and display information, so they are superior in transmission speed, data parallelism, bandwidth and delay rate.
In the mid-1990s, due to the limitation of semiconductor process conditions and the early demand of the whole industry, silicon photonic technology has not yet developed, and the chips with electrons as carriers are firmly in the leading position.
But nowadays, optical chips have become a battleground for global communication manufacturers and play an irreplaceable role in the development of 5G and even 6G communication. Tang Xiaojun, chief technical planner of Huawei's optical product line, once said that optical communication will be more important in the next decade with its excellent genes of large bandwidth and low delay.
Huawei has long recognized the forward-looking nature of this technology and quietly laid out optical chips.
In 20 12, Huawei acquired CIP Technologies, a British integrated photonics research center, and started its exploration in the field of optical chips. The following year, Huawei acquired Caliopa, a Belgian silicon optical technology developer, to supplement its own technical gap in the field of optical chips.
20 19 is an important turning point. From the second half of 20 19, Huawei concentrated on investing in optical chips, which once set off a domestic investment boom in optical chips.
Yuan Jie Semiconductor is a typical case. In September, 2020, Huawei Hubble announced its investment in Yuan Jie Semiconductor, which was born in Shaanxi Province and mainly engaged in the research, development, production and sales of semiconductor chips for high-speed communication. Since its establishment, it has been in a little-known state for a long time.
According to an investor familiar with the situation in Beijing, it usually takes Hubble more than three months to conduct research, but at that time, the investment in Yuan Jie Semiconductor was reduced to one month, and the original approval process of two to three weeks only took a few days. At that time, all VC/PEs came to see the house, and the share competition was particularly fierce.
Finally, Hubble Investment, CDB Science and Technology Innovation, CDB Finance, Meritorious Management and National Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading Fund jointly completed the D round of investment in Yuan Jie Semiconductor. According to the latest news, Yuan Jie Semiconductor has started the listing procedure, which will impact the IPO in science and technology innovation board.
In March of this year, Huawei also invested in Huizong Guangxin, another photoelectric chip company. Many VC/PE and industrial capitals such as DJI Innovation, Kaixuyuan Capital, Qianhai Zhonghui Fund, Yicun Capital, Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Fund, Wu Yuefeng Capital, BYD, Gao Rong Capital and Yaotu Capital participated in this round of financing.
According to the data, Huizong Guangxin mainly develops and produces VCSEL chips, devices and modules. The founding team of the company is mainly from Stanford University. Co-founder Chen Xiaochi studied under James Harris, an academician of the American Academy of Engineering, and has been deeply involved in the R&D and manufacturing of optoelectronic chips for a long time. As early as June 2020, Hubble Investment exclusively invested in the C round of financing of Huizong Guangxin.
According to incomplete statistics of the investment community, up to now, Huawei Hubble has incorporated 10 companies related to optical chips, including Kunyou Optoelectronics, a wafer-level optical chip manufacturer, Core Vision, a silicon optical integrated circuit research and development enterprise, Lixin Software, an EDA tool developer, poly-core microelectronics, an analog and mixed-signal chip design enterprise, Tian Yue Advanced, a silicon carbide material manufacturer, and Zhongke Fei, a packaging and testing equipment provider.
Furthermore, these enterprises cover many links in the upstream, middle and downstream of the industrial chain. It can be said that Huawei has invested in an entire industrial chain.
After Huawei invested, VC/PE came.
Opportunities for China semiconductor to catch up.
Once upon a time, the optical chip was a very deserted track.
It was not until Huawei entered in a big way that these once-neglected optical chip companies quickly became popular.
For example, Kunyou Optoelectronics. Lin Tao, the company's helmsman, graduated from Zhu Kezhen College of Optoelectronic Department of Zhejiang University. Under the guidance of Ian, an authoritative figure in the field of optoelectronics, he was fully funded by Intel scholars to go to Cambridge University for further study. Academician White, and received a doctorate in optoelectronics. In 20 16, Lin Tao returned to China to establish Kunyou Optoelectronics, and plunged into this semiconductor "no man's land", focusing on the research and development and application of wafer-level optical chips.
Since then, the financing amount of Kunyou Optoelectronics has directly doubled. In 2020, Kunyou Optoelectronics announced a new round of RMB 200 million Series B financing, in which Joy Capital, CMB International Capital, Yuan and Chen Kun participated, and Kunzhong Capital, Lingang Zhao Zhi, Walden International, Zhongke Chuangxing, Yuan Jing Capital and Chen Hui Chuangtou all joined. On 20021,Kunyou Optoelectronics completed nearly 400 million rounds of financing, followed by more than a dozen investment institutions such as CITIC Yezheng Xinye Industrial Fund, Yunfeng Fund, Pudong Kechuang Group Wanghai Capital, Jianxin Investment, Shi Ming Capital, Source Capital and Yingrui Capital, the core alliance enterprise of Country Garden.
"Huawei has formed a unique advantage in the semiconductor supply chain, and its brand influence has nothing to say. Many follow-up institutions believe in Huawei's strategic vision. " A VC partner in Shanghai who focuses on hard technology said. In his view, Huawei's investment layout is stable and accurate, knowing technology and knowing where the market is. Its hand in the semiconductor field has become a weather vane.
Not long ago, optical chips gave birth to a more interesting financing. In April this year, Lingming Photonics completed several hundred million yuan of Series C financing, which was led by Meituan Longzhu, and the old shareholders Kunzhong Capital and Gaoyao Capital continued to raise funds. In 2065438+2008, Lingming Photon was founded by four famous overseas Chinese doctors and devoted to the research of single photon detector (SPAD) technology.
In addition, Xizhi Technology, Changguang Huaxin, and Yun Xin Optoelectronic Intensive Company announced financing of over 100 million yuan, and many well-known investment institutions and industrial capitals such as IDG Capital, Gao Rong Capital, Puhua Capital, Guangsu China, Kunzhong Capital, Lenovo Star, CPE Yuanfeng and Zhenge Fund also gathered here.
This is a market that few people can refuse. Huawei Strategic Research Institute believes that the development prospect of photonic industry is huge, and the market value of photonic core devices is not less than 320 billion US dollars (about 20 trillion yuan), which will incite the industry to create 2.6 trillion US dollars (about 16 trillion yuan) in the future.
There is also the knowledge of the investment circle: in contrast, China is the easiest to achieve lane change overtaking in the field of optical chips. In the words of science and technology star Miller, "In the field of photonic chips, the gap between us and foreign countries is the smallest, and the competitive pressure is also the smallest. In the future, whether it is the Internet, the Internet of Things, the infrastructure of 5G, artificial intelligence, and the metauniverse, photonic technology will be inseparable, and photonic chips will become the key cornerstone of the intelligent era. "
More importantly, once optical chips are mass-produced and put into use, mask aligner may become history. Now mask is still the most bottleneck technology of domestic chips. Even without high-end mask aligner, it may be difficult for domestic chips to go high-end. Optical chips can partially replace high-end computing chips, thus reducing the dependence on cutting-edge mask aligner and accelerating the process of chip localization.
In short, the strong rise of domestic optical chips is a strategic opportunity for us to catch up. Today, American chip manufacturers account for half of the country, and they are super giants such as Intel, Qualcomm and NVIDIA. However, the emergence of optical chips is expected to end the last era and open the next.
As investors feel, if we seize the opportunity of optical chips, then China is also expected to have its own chip giant.
This article comes from the investment community.