December 24.
The day before Christmas in 2021 was an extraordinary day for the entire semiconductor industry.
Like an early gift from Santa Claus, a dedicated research and development fund worth a staggering one hundred billion landed in the semiconductor sector.
Not only that, but the long-rumored Fifth-Largest Semiconductor Industrial Cluster had finally been confirmed.
According to the latest documents issued by the relevant authorities, the Fifth-Largest Semiconductor Industrial Cluster would officially be established in the central region!
Centered on Jiangcheng and Star City, five semiconductor industrial bases were marked out on the map, and dozens of semiconductor companies with market capitalizations exceeding ten billion, along with related companies in the electronics supply chain, moved in.
Unlike previous projects, of the five semiconductor industrial bases within the Fifth-Largest Semiconductor Industrial Cluster, the Semiconductor Industrial Base in Hubei Province admitted only a handful of leading companies, including Huawei HiSilicon, Tsinghua Unigroup, and Changdian Technology. It also operated under paramilitary management and direct central government jurisdiction, while restricting foreign investment.
By past standards, this was highly unusual.
Especially when it came to semiconductor giants such as Samsung, Intel, and SK Hynix. Far from shutting them out, local officials would have gladly sent delegations overseas to conduct studies and invite them to set up operations.
The arrival of a semiconductor giant meant not only a vast number of jobs, but also the benefits of industrial clustering and economies of scale for related local industries.
This time, however, things were different.
Residents nearby saw only a six-lane highway rising from the wasteland at an unbelievable speed. Then, escorted by military vehicles, trucks bearing the logos of major companies passed through a checkpoint at the junction and entered the industrial base behind its towering walls.
It was as though everything had been arranged in advance.