Founded in 2016 by former Tokyo Seimitsu (Accretech) engineer Sheng Jinghao, Jian Wen Lu (Zhejiang) Semiconductor was once considered a standout contender in China's push for 5G RF chip independence. Its mission: to bypass foreign patent restrictions and develop high-frequency filters, long viewed as a chokepoint in RF front-end design.
In a surprising change within the smartphone industry, MediaTek, long seen as the second largest chipmaker in the high-end sector, is gaining ground against American semiconductor giant Qualcomm in China's premium smartphone segment.