Chongqing -  Li Jie, CEO of IKAS Industries (IKAS), highlighted that the robust scientific research and industrial ecosystem offers an ideal platform for outward-facing technology R&D companies like IKAS, during an interview on November 29 at the 2024 Liangjiang New Area Science and Technology Innovation Conference.

IKAS specializes in intelligent manufacturing systems for integrated circuit makers. Using its proprietary modeling technology and algorithms, IKAS helps optimize semiconductor production, improving efficiency in both production and scheduling.

Liangjiang Mingyue Lake is home to 50 universities and research and development (R&D) institutes. (Photo/Tian Lan)

IKAS's products, including the Real Time Dispatcher (RTD), are competitive in global markets. RTD can schedule production for hundreds of wafer pods and thousands of wafers in just one to two seconds, handling complex calculations with impressive speed.

Li noted that after years of extensive investment in research and development, IKAS has become the only company in China—one of only two globally—that can provide RTD system support for 12-inch wafer mass production lines.

Li emphasized that expanding into international markets is crucial for IKAS's growth. The company has already made early progress in Southeast Asia, particularly with clients in Malaysia and the Philippines.

Looking ahead, IKAS plans to grow its presence in Singapore further and gradually expand into European markets. "More and more European and American companies are reaching out to us for technical collaborations," Li added.

Li highlighted that Liangjiang has attracted several international research institutions, including the NUS (Chongqing) Research Institute. IKAS collaborates closely with these institutions, boosting product development and expanding into global markets.

He added that the concentration of integrated circuits and related industries in Liangjiang offers strong support for IKAS's global expansion.

Liangjiang Mingyue Lake Park incubates 62 startups

Other representatives at the conference also emphasized that the integration between talent, innovation, and industry is crucial for driving the international development of enterprises and other entities such as enterprise incubation organizations.

The Industrial Innovation Park (the Park) in Liangjiang Mingyue Lake has consistently worked to build an end-to-end innovation ecosystem through talent cultivation, system development, industrial incubation, and investment and to foster startups that can achieve global expansion, Zhang Yimeng, the Park's general manager, stated.

Zhang explained that the Park's innovation and education model will enable startups to promote their intelligent products globally to meet the needs of users in various countries.

Some of these products, such as intelligent brands, will also emerge at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the world's largest electronics exhibition, in January 2025.

"By collaborating closely with over ten universities, such as Chongqing University, as partners, we have implemented an innovative talent training model," Zhang noted. The Park encourages talents to engage in interdisciplinary studies, using this approach to refine talent cultivation in science and engineering fields.

"We have built a comprehensive product support system to nurture technology startups that align with current industry demands," Zhang said. The Park supports startups with funding, office space, laboratory facilities, and other entrepreneurial resources.

The base addresses common early-stage challenges for startups, such as insufficient user research and inaccurate demand insights, by hosting competitions, experience-sharing sessions, and training courses.

"From the ground up, the Park has incubated 62 startups, nearly 20 of which have secured recognition from prominent investors such as Sequoia and HKX," Zhang said. "These startups have collectively raised over 150 million yuan (USD 20.67 million) in funding, with a combined valuation exceeding 800 million yuan."