The total revenue of integrated circuit (IC) enterprises in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin reached 1.97 billion RMB in the first three quarters of 2022, an increase of 43.4% year-on-year, according to statistics provided by the zone.

So far, 23 new IC enterprises have registered, since the cooperation zone put forward 12 specific measures centering on enterprises, talent, platforms, and Guangdong-Macao collaboration to boost the industry's development this July.

At present, the cooperation zone has formed an industrial cluster with many leading IC design enterprises, such as Wisewave and Geehy Semiconductor. The Guangdong-Macao Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Industrial Park has been put into use, with an occupancy rate of nearly 40%. 

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The park is expected to introduce a total of 100 enterprises by 2026, with an annual output value of 10 billion RMB.

Joint laboratories, joint talent cultivation and collaborative research as well as other projects are under way between the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI of the University of Macao and six IC enterprises in the zone including Akrostar Technology Co., Ltd. and Amicro Semiconductor Co., Ltd. 

The zone will further guide enterprises to strengthen the industry-academia-research cooperation with Macao's innovation entities in the future, and provide broad space for the development of Macao's IC industry in the aspects of collaborative innovation, achievement application and industrialization, so as to further integrate Hengqin and Macao, said the Economic Development Bureau of the zone.

In terms of scientific and technological research, the zone has built 26 state-level and provincial-level technology innovation platforms including science and technology business incubators, and new research and development institutions. 

It has brought in 8 academicians, 121 talented people enlisted in major national talent programs, 12 provincial and municipal innovation and entrepreneurship teams, 31 post-doctoral workstations, and 105 post-doctoral researchers.

By the end of this September, the number of valid inventions in the zone had reached 2,289, an increase of 18.5% year on year.

In addition, the zone is making efforts to promote the development of metaverse-related industries. To provide metaverse enterprises with an entire life cycle from the ground up to growth and development, ten tax measures have been jointly issued in November by several departments of the cooperation zone in November.

According to the Economic Development Bureau of the zone, it would make full use of Macao's high-quality university resources to cultivate a steady source of talent for the development of metaverse industries in Hengqin and Macao.