Shanghai chip startup Yuanjiwei, a Fudan University spinout, has launched what it claims is the world’s first 8-inch pilot production line for two-dimensional semiconductors, marking China’s latest push to bypass traditional lithography constraints.
Chairman Bao Wenzhong said the company aims to establish a manufacturing process comparable to a 90nm silicon node by the end of 2026, before advancing to a fully domestic process equivalent to 5nm chips by 2029 without using extreme ultraviolet lithography. The company has released version 0.1 of its 500nm process design kit and launched foundry tape-out services on the new line.
Two-dimensional semiconductor materials offer atomic-scale thickness that enables further transistor scaling without relying on increasingly complex transistor architectures. Their ultra-low leakage characteristics could significantly reduce chip power consumption, while integration with 3D stacking may increase memory density.
Yuanjiwei also plans to advance heterogeneous integration by combining 2D and silicon-based chips, targeting 2.5D and quasi-3D IC platforms.
