ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the evolution of the Chinese semiconductor industry and its major business enterprises from their incubation in the 1950s to present days. We examine the Chinese state’s major push into advanced semiconductor technology and how leading Chinese semiconductor firms organized production and innovation in response to government policies and global industrial changes. We show how the emergence of returnee start-ups backed by the Chinese state has enabled rapid catch-up and why the transition to innovation is still an unfinished mission at major Chinese semiconductor firms.
