On March 20, 2026, the inaugural meeting and technical seminar of the Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Working Group under the National Technical Committee on Integrated Circuits (TC599) was held in Beijing. The establishment marks a substantive step forward in China’s efforts to standardize and advance the wide bandgap semiconductor sector. Senior officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), and the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) attended the meeting, along with all members of the working group, representatives of the secretariat (namely the CESI), and industry delegates.
The Deputy Director General of MIIT’s Electronic Information Department emphasized that wide bandgap semiconductors are a critical enabler for strategic sectors such as new energy, next-generation communications, and aerospace. He noted that the technology represents a key opportunity for China’s integrated circuit industry to achieve leapfrog development and enhance supply chain resilience. The newly established working group, he added, should focus on top-level planning, accelerate the development of priority standards, and strengthen implementation across the full industrial chain.
The Senior Staff Officer at SAMR’s Standards Technology Management Department highlighted the intensifying global competition in the wide bandgap semiconductor industry, stressing that standards play an irreplaceable role in regulating markets, driving innovation, and boosting industrial competitiveness. He called on the working group to strengthen strategic planning, enhance industry collaboration, and actively promote the internationalization of standards.
The Vice President of the CESI reported on progress made by the TC599 in the wide bandgap semiconductor field, including the initial development of a standards framework and key standards for material and device testing. He pledged continued support for the working group’s activities.
The meeting formally announced the establishment of the working group, which will focus on refining the wide bandgap semiconductor standards system, accelerating the development of key standards, and fostering industrial collaboration to support the sector’s systematic and high-quality development. Moreover, Four experts from leading institutions — the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Zhuzhou CRRC Times Semiconductor Co., Ltd.; the National Engineering Research Center for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, Xidian University; and Infineon Integrated Circuits (Beijing) Co., Ltd. — shared their insights on industry trends, challenges, and strategies.
China is systematically advancing its wide bandgap semiconductor industry through standardization, while strengthening domestic supply chain resilience and self-reliance. With strong support from MIIT and SAMR, alongside technological efforts by local research institutes and enterprises, China is accelerating the development of a full-industry-chain standards system—from materials to applications—and actively promoting the internationalization of these standards. For European companies, accessing the Chinese market may increasingly entail both higher technical compliance requirements and competition from local substitution. To sustain their competitive edge, early alignment with China’s standards system and increased local R&D investment could be worth considering.
