深圳 “国家队” 新凯来，重磅出手半导体！

On March 26, 2025, the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center hosted a grand event for the global semiconductor industry—SEMICON China 2025.

At this exhibition focused on cutting-edge technology, a previously low-profile Chinese company became the center of attention: Shenzhen Xinkailai Industrial Machinery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Xinkailai").

This company made a high-profile debut by "launching five major products at its first appearance," showcasing not only technological breakthroughs in China's semiconductor equipment sector but also being regarded by the industry as a "national team" milestone in high-end manufacturing due to its strong state-owned background and industrial resources.

"Famous Mountains" Series: Technological Hard Core, Aiming for High-End

At Xinkailai's booth, five products named after famous Chinese mountains became the core highlights: EPI (Epitaxial Deposition) "Emei Mountain," ETCH (Etching) "Wuyi Mountain," CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) "Changbai Mountain," PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) "Putuo Mountain," and ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) "Ali Mountain." Behind these names are crucial technological nodes in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Taking EPI "Emei Mountain" as an example, epitaxial layer technology is a key process for advanced manufacturing and third-generation semiconductors, directly affecting chip performance and reliability. In the international market, EPI equipment has long been monopolized by giants such as Applied Materials (AMAT) and Tokyo Electron (TEL).

Xinkailai's entry marks a substantial step for Chinese companies in this high-barrier field. Similarly, the ALD "Ali Mountain" equipment, aimed at atomic-level thin film deposition, is core equipment for advanced processes below 5 nanometers, currently dominated by ASM and TEL in the global market, with a combined market share exceeding 60%. Xinkailai's technological breakthroughs may change the competitive landscape in this field.

What is even more noteworthy is that the naming strategy of these devices carries profound meaning: through the "Famous Mountains" series, Xinkailai not only showcases local cultural confidence but also implies that its products are on par with international top levels. For instance, PVD "Putuo Mountain" directly targets the global leader in this field, AMAT, which holds 85% of the global PVD equipment market share. This "direct confrontation" stance demonstrates Xinkailai's confidence in its technological breakthroughs.

Low-Key Patent Holder: Accumulating Technology for a Big Breakthrough

Although this is its first public appearance, Xinkailai is by no means a "newcomer" in the semiconductor field.

According to Tianyancha data, Xinkailai Industrial Machinery was established in 2022 with a registered capital of over 1 billion yuan; its parent company, Xinkailai Technology Co., Ltd., was established in 2021 with a registered capital of 1.5 billion yuan and is wholly owned by the Shenzhen Major Industrial Investment Group, which is under the Shenzhen State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

From the equity penetration, it can be seen that this is a typical "state-owned" hard technology enterprise.

Even more noteworthy is its technological reserve. In January 2025, Xinkailai Industrial Machinery applied for a patent titled "Reflective Structure, Thermal Radiation Unit, and Heating Device" (Publication No. CN 119620268 A), which significantly improved the efficiency of semiconductor heating equipment by optimizing the parabolic reflective structure In November 2024, New Kai Lai Technology developed the "Electrostatic Chuck and Process Equipment" (Publication No. CN 119069414 A), addressing the industry's pain point of slow charge release rates in wafer processing.

These patents are not isolated cases—statistics show that New Kai Lai has applied for dozens of core technology patents in recent years, covering key areas such as optics, materials, and process control.

This strategy of "low-key R&D, high-profile implementation" is closely related to its shareholder background. New Kai Lai Technology's chairman, Dai Jun, also serves as a supervisor for the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Phase II (commonly known as "Big Fund Phase II") and as a director of SMIC (Shenzhen), while another executive from Shenzhen Major Industry Investment Group, Huang Xiuzhang, also serves as a supervisor at SMIC (Shenzhen). This means that New Kai Lai's technological route is deeply tied to the process needs of domestic top wafer fabs, with its R&D direction aimed directly at the "bottleneck" areas of domestic substitution.

Industry Chain Collaboration: From "Single Point Breakthrough" to "System Breakthrough"

Taking thin film deposition equipment as an example, Northern Huachuang has achieved full coverage of PVD and EPI processes, while Zhongwei Company has made breakthroughs in ALD metal gate equipment, and Weidao Nano is accelerating its layout in the ALD and CVD fields.

New Kai Lai's "Mingshan" series is a differentiated product matrix born in this context of industrial collaboration.

For instance, the CVD "Changbai Mountain" equipment needs to meet the thin film deposition requirements for different processes from 28 nanometers to 5 nanometers. According to a QYResearch report, the market size of China's CVD equipment is expected to exceed $5 billion by 2030, but the domestic substitution rate is less than 20%.

By collaborating with domestic FABs (wafer manufacturing plants), New Kai Lai can synchronize equipment R&D with process validation, shortening the industrialization cycle. This "R&D - Validation - Iteration" closed-loop model is its unique advantage compared to international manufacturers.

Moreover, New Kai Lai's state-owned background provides it with strategic stability. Shenzhen Major Industry Investment Group has clearly stated in its announcement that New Kai Lai Technology's goal is to "ensure the security of the domestic semiconductor and electronic manufacturing industry supply chain."

This resonates with platforms such as the National Third Generation Semiconductor Technology Innovation Center (Shenzhen)—in November 2024, this comprehensive platform was established, focusing on breakthroughs in third-generation semiconductor materials and equipment such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride.

If New Kai Lai's EPI equipment can achieve mass production in the third-generation semiconductor field, it will directly support China's industrial upgrade in sectors such as new energy vehicles and photovoltaics.

Despite its strong momentum, New Kai Lai still faces severe challenges. The moat of international giants in the semiconductor equipment field lies not only in technology but also in ecology.

For example, AMAT's PVD equipment has formed a complete set of solutions for "equipment - process - materials" and has established decades-long collaborations with leading wafer fabs such as TSMC and Samsung.

If New Kai Lai wants to break through this ecological barrier, it needs to withstand long-term tests in areas such as equipment stability, mass production consistency, and after-sales service On the other hand, the demand window in the domestic market is opening. With companies like SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor expanding production, as well as technology iterations from memory chip manufacturers such as Yangtze Memory Technologies and ChangXin Memory Technologies, domestic equipment is ushering in verification opportunities. If New Kylin can be the first to complete equipment introduction at related wafer fabs like SMIC (Shenzhen), it will create a demonstration effect and accelerate market penetration.

It is noteworthy that New Kylin's "state-owned capital + industry" model may become its differentiated competitive advantage. The National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Phase II has recently focused on investing in the equipment and materials sector, while Shenzhen, as the third pole of China's integrated circuit industry (after Shanghai and Beijing), is building a semiconductor industry cluster through policy support and industrial chain integration.

With this system backing, New Kylin is expected to gain continuous empowerment in terms of funding, talent, and customer resources.

In the context of being constrained by external factors in ultra-advanced fields such as photolithography and EDA, domestic equipment companies are achieving "breakthroughs through detours" in processes like deposition and etching.

Author of this article: 1 ic network, source: 1 ic network, original title: "Shenzhen 'National Team' Makes a Strong Move in Semiconductors"

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