Financing in the field of automotive chips is in full swing. On the one hand, new entrants are emerging, and on the other hand, traditional chip manufacturers are also increasing their production capacity.

Experts believe that the influx of capital does not mean that investors can "lie down and win". After all, it is difficult for chip products to get rid of the price cycle. For the domestic market, the current stable shipments and large-scale leading companies are under the background of domestic substitution. or will have better prospects.

　　On December 8, a reporter from Beijing Business Daily learned that the self-driving chip company "Huixi Smart", co-founded by former Weilai Auto executive Zhang Jianyong, has recently completed an angel + round of financing of more than 50 million US dollars, with a project valuation of 200 million US dollar, led by Xiaomi Strategy, China Automobile Investment, Kaihui Fund, Qiji Chuangtan, GSR Venture Capital and other institutions also followed up the investment.

　　Not long ago, Xinwang micro sprinted for IPO. It is reported that the company's car-grade 32-bit MCU products have achieved large-scale mass production this year, and reached agreements with many large domestic automakers and first-tier suppliers of international automakers. Strategic cooperation, and at the same time entered the supply chain system of overseas automakers such as South Korea's Hyundai and Germany's Volkswagen.

　　According to incomplete statistics, in the past two months, a total of 18 financings have been disclosed on the autonomous driving track. On-board chips, mass-produced ADAS, and integrated autonomous driving solution providers for closed or semi-closed scenarios are still capital concerns. the key of.

　　Behind the rapid growth of capital is the "chip shortage" in the automotive field that has lasted for more than three years. Although it has eased so far, chips have not yet reached the point where they are at your fingertips.

According to data from Auto Forecast Solutions, as of the end of October, due to the shortage of chips, the global auto market has cut production by about 3.905 million vehicles this year.

According to forecasts, by the end of this year, the cumulative output reduction in the global auto market will climb to 4,278,500 units, an increase of about 16,200 units from the previous estimate.

　　Regarding the reason for the lack of cores, Zhang Xiaorong, president of Deepin Technology Research Institute, said that the overly long chip industry chain and the interference of external factors that have accompanied us in recent years have become the crux of the problem. Large factories shut down their production lines, and when the demand climbed, they found that the production capacity could not keep up. In addition, geopolitical turmoil also restricted logistics, and the process of chips from fabs to OEMs will face more uncertainties.

　　From the perspective of demand, Zhang Xiaorong pointed out that the MCU chip is one of the cores of the car control system. A car has dozens or even hundreds of MCUs, which form the neural network of the car electronic system. Not only new energy cars need chips, but traditional cars also need chips. The need for MCU chips, all these factors have intensified the intensity of the "core battle".

　　Although the financing of automotive chips continues, in the opinion of industry experts, investors will not be able to "lie down and win" after getting involved in this field.

　　Industry observer Hong Shibin pointed out that, first of all, from the perspective of chip types, compared with advanced chips, mature chips are what car companies urgently need. Affected Ford's production of 40,000 vehicles.

　　The production of mature chips is obviously the advantage of traditional large manufacturers. What each company is fighting for is not the unique secret technology of semiconductor technology, but the control of the supply chain and the guarantee of stable shipments.

Compared with newcomers, traditional manufacturers such as Infineon and STMicroelectronics are more dependent on people.

　　The data also supports this point. From January to March this year, Infineon's backlog of orders increased by 19.4% month-on-month to 37 billion euros, more than three times the company's 2021 revenue.

STMicroelectronics, another major power semiconductor manufacturer, has also sold out its production capacity in 2022, and the visibility of the backlog of orders is about 18 months.

　　Secondly, Hong Shibin said that from the perspective of the companies involved, many MCU chip companies had to turn to the automotive field to find other opportunities due to the decline in shipments of 3C electronic products, adding fuel to the production of automotive chips.

　　Experts reminded that if the production capacity of automotive chips is released in a centralized manner in the future, it may usher in a situation where upstream orders will be cut and chip prices will fall. As a product with a price cycle, investors still need to maintain a high degree of sensitivity and vigilance to the market.

　　Beijing Business Daily reporter Jin Chaoli Wang Zhuli