Zhonghuan Semiconductor (中环) launched two projects for high-end silicon-based materials and smart factories in a ceremony with the high-tech zone of Yixing in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province on January 17.

Wang Yanjun, general manager of Zhonghuan Semiconductor Material Business Group, expressed at the ceremony to work closely with local partners and expand in the semiconductor industry.

With RMB5.067 billion ($799 million) investment, the first project will use its reserved land in the Yixing technology park to build a new plant. After completion, it will increase the production capacity of extended products of 8-inch polishing wafers and apply to high-speed and low-power IC.

The second project is to upgrade existing factories and aim for an annual output of 30GW high-purity solar ultra-thin silicon monocrystalline materials. The project is handled by Zhonghuan’s subsidiary Wuxi Zhonghuan Applied Materials Co., Ltd. in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, involving an RMB3.253 billion ($513 million) investment. It will adopt industry-leading equipment and automation facilities along with Industry 4.0 know-how.

Established in 1999, Tianjin-headquartered Zhonghuan Semiconductor is one of China’s leading companies in R&D, production, and venture capital activity for semiconductor materials and energy-saving semiconductor devices. It went public in 2007.