GigaDevice Semiconductor – a Shanghai-listed Chinese fabless semiconductor company – has officially opened its global headquarters in Singapore. The strategic move aims at deepening customer engagement, fortifying its supply chain, and strengthening its industry ecosystem.
Founded in 2005, GigaDevice specialises in advanced memory technologies, microcontrollers (MCUs), sensors, and analogue products. The company holds the second-largest global market share in SPI NOR Flash, capturing 20.4%, and ranks seventh worldwide in the 32-bit general-purpose MCU segment, having shipped over 2 billion units to more than 20,000 customers.
Approximately 78% of GigaDevice's annual revenue, totalling 7.356 billion Chinese yuan ($1.3143 billion), is generated from its operations outside mainland China. The company collaborates closely with nearly 20 global electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers, including Flextronics, Jabil, and Sanmina in Southeast Asia which serve mid-sized customers globally. Its extensive client base also includes major PC industry players in Taiwan, leading hard drive, camera, and gaming companies in Japan, and two prominent conglomerates in Korea.
Jennifer Zhao, GigaDevice Global Business CEO, states that the Singapore office will primarily support the company's customers outside of mainland China, covering regions such as the Americas, EMEA, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. A key objective for the new global headquarters is also to "optimise global operations and further develop a flexible, multi-source supply chain to mitigate geopolitical risks."
In the mid- to long-term, GigaDevice plans to house research and development (R&D) activities in its Singapore office. Zhao emphasises exploring collaborations with local universities, research institutes, and start-ups to foster innovation. "Our idea is to have all our global businesses supported out of this international headquarters in Singapore, starting with servicing our customers and later developing it into an R&D hub.”
Singapore was chosen for its pro-innovation environment, robust infrastructure, and diverse talent pool. While the office currently houses 10 employees, Zhao intends to fill the remaining 55 cubicles in the near future. The city-state's conducive environment also facilitates GigaDevice in diversifying its supply chain, addressing customer concerns regarding potential disruptions in the current geopolitical climate.
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While consumer electronics currently account for the majority of GigaDevice's revenue, the company sees significant growth potential in the automotive sector. With industrial-grade products, including those with ISO 26262:2018 automotive functional safety ASIL D certification, GigaDevice is increasingly engaging with Tier 1 automotive OEMs, identifying this segment as a crucial area for stable, long-term expansion.
Edge AI is another area of focus, with Zhao noting that GigaDevices already has a portfolio that can address artificial intelligence (AI) applications, like MCUs that can be used in both hardware and software.
GigaDevice intends to leverage its partners to pursue these growth opportunities while maintaining its fabless business model. "We truly believe in being asset-light as this has proven to be successful for us, enabling us to be nimble and flexible," Zhao explains, adding that the company will continue to deepen engagement with existing partners while exploring new collaborations.
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Further demonstrating its global ambitions, GigaDevice submitted an application last month for a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This move is expected to enhance investment flexibility and solidify its standing as a global player.
Looking ahead, GigaDevice's long-term vision for Singapore and Southeast Asia encompasses building a robust and self-sufficient global headquarters. This involves expanding teams across sales, marketing, application engineering, operations, and strategic functions, transforming the Singapore office into a fully functional hub to support the company's global aspirations.
