Investors eye chip investment after US imposes sanctions on ZTE

The chip sector has become the hottest investment target in China after the US imposed sanctions against ZTE, Shanghai Daily learned during an investment forum held in the city today.

The integration between chip and artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing also have become hot spots, investors told the three-day Chinaventure Investment Conference Annual Summit in Shanghai, which ends tomorrow.

"The ZTE case is a catalyst to push up chip investment. It may be the best time and opportunity for Chinese chip firms," Wu Yenan, a partner at Rising Investments, told the forum.

Chinese funds can still find unique opportunities in automotive electronics and related software, said Hao Dan, chairman of HTHS Capital, a Shenzhen-based fund managing 20 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion) of assets.

The US action against China's leading telecom equipment maker ZTE has raised wide-range concerns. The Chinese government and industry officials have called for urgent action to develop China's own chip technologies.

On Friday, Alibaba said it would acquire Hangzhou C-SKY Microsystems Co, an integrated circuit design house, to increase its own chip-making capability.

Rising Investments, a fund focusing on chip investment, said it will expand its investment portfolio to new segments like RF (radio frequency) chip this year.