Richard Chang, founder of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, addresses the China Semiconductor Materials Innovation & Development Conference which opened in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on Sept 10. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The China Semiconductor Materials Innovation & Development Conference opened in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on Sept 10, local media reported.

The conference gathered a number of business leaders from tech giants such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation and Hubei Siengine Science and Technology Co to share their insights into the development of the semiconductor industry.

The semiconductor sector is gaining ground in Ningbo. Official data show that the industrial output of industries in the city related to semiconductor manufacturing reached 12.35 billion yuan ($1.84 billion) in the first half of this year, representing an uptick of 14.3 percent.

Wang Kai, chief executive officer of Hubei Siengine Science and Technology Co, pointed out that semiconductors are widely employed in automotive electronics systems.

The sales of automotive electronics systems reached $152 billion globally in 2018 and is projected to reach $170 billion yuan this year.

Wang suggested that Ningbo ramp up efforts to design and manufacture chipsets for vehicles.

Richard Chang, founder of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, called for more efforts to be made to foster talents and develop independent mass production capacity of core equipment and semiconductor materials and components.

He also stressed that a coordinated system for innovation should be put in place and funds should be allocated in a more reasonable manner.