Macao youth Coco Lü Jiaxin, a graduate in integrated circuits from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, once felt uncertain about her career prospects. "There are few IC-related jobs in Macao," she noted. That changed after a month at the 6th Hengqin Semiconductor Research Camp, an initiative led by Albert Li, CEO and founder of Lingyange Semi.
Li, known as the principal of the Camp, is helping Macao's youth explore new career paths beyond the city's borders. His initiative provided young professionals like Coco Lü Jiaxin with a firsthand look at opportunities in the chip industry. For Coco, the Camp opened her eyes to opportunities in Hengqin, offering a platform for growth and contributing to Macao's economic diversification.
Betting on Hengqin
In 2020, Albert recognized the potential of Hengqin, which has been a free trade zone since 2015, and established Lingyange there. The company assists clients in designing, developing, and producing chips, guiding them through the entire process until the product reaches the market.
“Hengqin’s proximity to Macao is the main reason I established my company here,” Li explained. High-tech companies can leverage this geographic advantage to expand into overseas markets through Macao while also gaining talent and research support from Macao universities, such as the University of Macau.
Li’s bet paid off when China issued the General Plan for building the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin in 2021, sparking rapid development in the area. He observed more upstream and downstream companies clustering in Hengqin, forming a more comprehensive semiconductor supply chain. Using Novotown, where his company is located, as an example, he said, “I can reach potential partners upstairs, downstairs, or even right next door!”
As of March 2026, more than 100 integrated circuit companies had established operations in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, covering areas such as display driver chips, graphics processing, memory, microcontroller units (MCUs), and CMOS image sensors (CIS). This cluster not only created a favorable environment for businesses but also inspired Li to leverage these resources for talent development, making Hengqin a magnet for more young, gifted individuals.
“I’ve been there myself”
Albert Li has always highlighted the importance of talent. He named Lingyange Semi after Lingyan Pavilion. During the Tang Dynasty, a prosperous golden age in Chinese history, the pavilion displayed portraits of 24 outstanding statesmen who made remarkable contributions to the country. People are the key to a nation, and of course, to the semiconductor industry as well.
Li recognized the need to bridge the gap between young graduates and the industry, addressing the disconnect between university education and the actual demands of the job market. Consequently, Li leveraged the resources he acquired in Hengqin to launch the Semiconductor Research Camp. This program offers participants company visits, hands-on projects, internships, and employment opportunities. It provides firsthand insight into how chip companies operate, helping participants connect classroom learning with industry practices.
Li empathizes with young graduates like Coco, having once faced similar uncertainty upon leaving campus. Having graduated in the United States, he planned to work in Silicon Valley. After graduating in the United States, he planned to work in Silicon Valley. However, he found it difficult to connect with tech companies on his own, as the economy was experiencing a downturn at that time.
“Thanks to the senior students at my university, one of them brought me onto his team and shared his knowledge and experience, helping me grow into a capable and independent professional,” Li shared. It was because of this experience that he understood the need to found his camp and become a principal to guide newcomers into the industry.
Seeds for the future
Over the past six years, the Semiconductor Research Camp has grown from a talent development initiative into a significant platform connecting Macao youth with the integrated circuit industry in Hengqin. It has established a training model characterized by government guidance, enterprise leadership, university collaboration and industry support.
To date, the camp has trained more than 500 young people from Hengqin and Macao. Nearly 100 Macao young people from Macao secured job offers at Lingyange and other upstream and downstream semiconductor companies in Hengqin, while others have pursued further studies at the University of Macau. Together, these efforts have helped cultivate a growing pool of chip engineering talent rooted in Hengqin and Macao.
Coco Lü is one of them. The lectures and hands-on experience gave her a deeper understanding of the chip industry and revealed that Hengqin is more than a place to live and relax—it also offers a platform for career development.
For Albert, Hengqin has provided businesses with an environment conducive to growth while offering opportunities to nurture young talent. Using the chip industry as a bridge, he hopes to continue helping more young people transition from the classroom to the industry and find their own paths forward in Hengqin.
Source | Nanfang News Network