UST student-founded semiconductor firm on Xiamen's production edge

Hong Kong has been promoting innovation and technology in recent years, while the mainland province of Fujian got started much earlier.

A semiconductor company founded by HKUST graduates claims that, for now, Xiamen offers better conditions for semiconductor development, while Hong Kong plays a major role in supplying talents.

These glasses look ordinary, but put them on, you get real-time map navigation right in front of you.

The augmented reality glasses is lighter and delivers higher resolution, thanks to a Micro-LED chip that's far more advanced than the OLED used in today's televisions.

The chip measures just 0.13 inches, about the size of a grain of rice.

Among the founders of the company behind this chip, are graduates from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. One of the founders says a lot of LED fabrication plants are based in Xiamen, for the city has plenty of experience from Taiwanese semiconductor chips.

The company has also set up a production line there which now turns out over ten million chips a year.

He acknowledges Hong Kong doesn't have enough manufacturing resources, but plays a major role in supplying talent.

This role is also evident at the Biomedical Port in Xiamen's Haicang district.

The area is the first national-level Taiwanese investment zone, transformed into a medical hub with over 500 biomedical companies setting up here, leading to the development of several new drugs.

A manager from the port says they have been working closely with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's Fujian office. Quite a few of the innovation startups in the port are the result of technology commercialisation from Hong Kong universities.