Zhang Rujing, China’s “Father of Semiconductors,” Joins Shanghai University of Electric Power

September 24 — In a major boost to China’s academic–industry collaboration, Zhang Rujing, widely celebrated as the “Father of China’s Semiconductor Industry,” has officially joined Shanghai University of Electric Power as a distinguished professor.

According to the university’s official announcement, the appointment ceremony was held to strengthen school–enterprise partnerships, promote integration of industry and education, and further enhance the cultivation of high-level talent.

Zhang Rujing is a globally recognized figure in the semiconductor world. He completed his undergraduate studies at National Taiwan University before pursuing graduate education in the United States, earning a master’s degree in Engineering Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University.

Zhang’s career began with a two-decade tenure at Texas Instruments, where he played a vital role in building and managing semiconductor fabs around the world. His extensive hands-on experience laid the foundation for his later contributions to China’s semiconductor industry.

Driven by a vision to serve the nation through technology, Zhang went on to establish several groundbreaking companies, including Shida Semiconductor, SMIC, Nexchip, and CanSemi. His leadership not only helped China’s chipmaking industry achieve a historic leap from nothing to something but also enabled breakthroughs in overcoming several critical technology bottlenecks.

Today, Zhang is hailed as a pioneering role model, whose efforts have profoundly shaped China’s semiconductor development and inspired a generation of industry innovators. His new role at Shanghai University of Electric Power is expected to further bridge the gap between academia and industry, cultivating talent that will drive the next wave of technological progress.