【明報專訊】AS artificial intelligence continues its rapid ascent, the significance of chips is no less than that of oil, and at their core lies semiconductor manufacturing. Supported by close to $3 billion in funding from the SAR government, the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute (MRDI) has been entrusted with advancing research and development into third-generation semiconductors while promoting industrial growth. Hong Kong must seize this moment to capitalise on its research strengths.
Semiconductors—at their essence materials—have evolved through three generations. The first, silicon, is widely used in memory storage of computers and electronic devices; the second, gallium arsenide, plays a pivotal role in radio-frequency communications for mobile devices. The third generation, comprising silicon carbide and gallium nitride, remains in the early stages of development. Yet their capacity to withstand high voltages and temperatures holds the promise of significantly improving energy efficiency. As technology advances and production costs decline, the market potential for applications of these materials is enormous. As China is the world's largest producer of photovoltaic technology and new energy vehicles, Hong Kong's innovation and technology development in this field is of strategic significance to both the country and the city.
Established in September last year, MRDI is now constructing two pilot production lines for third-generation semiconductors at the Microelectronics Centre in Yuen Long. These lines will serve as a vital bridge between upstream university-led research and downstream industrial mass production. While universities focus on developing prototypes without regard for production yields, downstream industrial players tend to prioritise scaling up capacity over early-stage R&D. The pilot lines enable the industrial sector to test and refine new technologies while sharing the costs. In this respect, Belgium's Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec), widely recognised as a global leader in semiconductor research, provides a model MRDI aims to emulate.
Given the significantly higher rental costs in Hong Kong compared with the mainland, focusing on facilitating the productisation of research outcomes is a pragmatic approach. As MRDI Chief Executive Officer Gao Teng noted in an interview with this newspaper, Hong Kong boasts several world-leading universities and a deep pool of microelectronics specialists and researchers. By leveraging its research strengths and international outlook, alongside the Greater Bay Area's comprehensive manufacturing ecosystem and the vast application market on the mainland, Hong Kong has an opportunity to carve out a niche in this field.
That said, Hong Kong's efforts to revive its semiconductor industry remain at an early stage. The escalating Sino-US chip war and rising geopolitical tensions may limit the city's research landscape—developments that warrant close monitoring. Nevertheless, the rapid progress of mainland China's chip industry in recent years, coupled with the rise of DeepSeek, illustrates how the US's suppression is accelerating China's pursuit of technological self-sufficiency. Talent attracts talent, and MRDI's establishment marks an important step towards consolidating Hong Kong's base of semiconductor expertise. This, in turn, may encourage more research specialists and enterprises to establish a presence in the city.
By modelling itself after imec and providing third-generation semiconductor R&D services, MRDI strives to foster partnerships with companies and universities worldwide, which will also help cement Hong Kong's role as an international innovation hub. Rather than focusing narrowly on short-term profitability, stakeholders would be wise to adopt a longer-term view of MRDI's true value.
明報社評 2025.03.11：半導體研發迎機遇 產業發展任重道遠
人工智能發展方興未艾，晶片重要性不亞於石油，而晶片的製造又依賴於半導體。特區政府撥款近30億元成立的香港微電子研發院（MRDI），肩負研發第三代半導體及推動產業發展的重任。香港必須把握機會，發揮科研優勢所在。
半導體是一種材料，第一代是「矽」（硅），多用於電腦及電子產品的記憶體；第二代是「砷化鎵」，多用於流動裝置的射頻通訊等；第三代則是「碳化矽」和「氮化鎵」，目前仍屬發展初階段，其特性是耐高電壓及高溫，可顯著提升能源利用率。隨着技術不斷改進、製造成本不斷降低，其市場應用潛力無可限量。中國是全球最大的光伏及新能源汽車生產國，香港以此作為創科發展着力點，對國家和香港而言都有戰略意義。
MRDI去年9月成立，現正於元朗微電子中心（MEC）建立兩條第三代半導體「中試線」，作為大學實驗室上游研發到工業界下游實現量產之間的橋樑：大學研發出來的原型品，未考慮成品率，不能直接量產，下游生產主要考慮如何擴大產能，難兼顧研發；有了中試線，工業界可藉此研發新技術，成本由多方攤分。比利時微電子研究中心（imec）被譽為國際領先半導體研究機構的成功例子，將是MRDI借鑑對象。
香港租金成本遠高於內地，發展重點放在產業中試轉化，較為務實。正如MRDI行政總裁高騰接受本報專訪所言，香港擁有多間頂尖大學，不乏研究微電子的專家和研究人員。倘能發揮本港科研實力及國際化優勢，配合大灣區完備的製造業產業鏈，以及內地龐大應用市場，並非沒有突圍機會。
當然，本港重振半導體產業，還在起步階段；中美晶片戰愈演愈烈，地緣政治角力會否影響香港研發空間，須密切留意。不過這幾年內地晶片業發展以及DeepSeek的冒起，亦說明美國的打壓，最終只會驅使國家加快科技自主創新。人才物以類聚，MRDI的成立，為本港凝聚半導體專才踏出重要一步，有機會吸引更多相關專才和企業落戶香港。
另外，MRDI以imec為借鑑對象，提供第三代半導體研發服務，爭取與世界各地企業和大學合作，也有利於加強香港作為國際樞紐的角色。比起關注MRDI短期如何營利、何時有錢賺，各方更應放眼長遠。
■/ Glossary 生字 /
capitalise on：to gain a further advantage for yourself from a situation
emulate：to try to do sth as well as sb else because you admire them
boast (sth)：to have sth that is impressive