focuses on long-term strategy, continues to create value, deploys new infrastructure, and actively promotes innovation
Shanghai, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Life is like a snowball, the important thing is to discover wet snow and long slopes." This widely circulated Buffett famous saying is regarded as the standard and essence of wealth accumulation. Many companies are exploring the "long slope and thick snow" of growth. In the field of semiconductor , if we look at it from the past ten years or even longer, the snowball of Texas Instruments (TI) has undoubtedly been extremely successful. This success stems from its forward-looking strategy.
On the "long slope" of development, Texas Instruments focuses on long-term value-added areas, continues to invest in product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities, stabilizes sustainable competitive advantages, reduces costs and better controls the supply chain. Taking analog devices as an example, Texas Instruments has more than 100,000 material models. Since the market cycle of analog devices is weak and does not follow Moore's Law , Texas Instruments has deep technical accumulation in product design and patents, coupled with the adoption of IDM ( vertically integrated manufacturing) model, which makes it a leader in analog devices. The field has always been at the top of the list.
On the "thick snow", it can be seen from the soundness of Texas Instruments' financial position. The financial report shows that Texas Instruments’ operating income in the first quarter of 2022 was US$4.91 billion, net income was US$2.22 billion, and earnings per share were US$2.35. Revenue rose 14% year-on-year due to strong demand growth in the automotive and industrial markets. In the past 12 months, operating cash flow reached US$9.1 billion, of which free cash flow reached US$6.5 billion in the past year, accounting for 34% of operating income. Investments in R&D and sales and administrative expenses in the past 12 months amounted to US$3.2 billion, capital expenditure investments reached US$2.6 billion, and returns to shareholders amounted to US$5 billion.
In the fast-growing Chinese market, Texas Instruments has a strong foundation. Since 1986, Texas Instruments has continued to expand its R&D and production facilities in China. As the base of digital economy , the pace of deploying " new infrastructure " in our country is currently accelerating. For example, the total number of 5G base stations will exceed 2 million by the end of 2022; the construction of industrial Internet continues to advance; " numbers in the east and numbers in the west count "The implementation of "has driven the construction of 8 national computing power hubs and 10 national data center clusters. Against this background, Texas Instruments relies on its comprehensive range of analog and embedded processing products, strong local manufacturing R&D capabilities, and nationwide product distribution and sales network to assist my country's new infrastructure deployment and digital economic development.
This issue of "Cover Interview" has the honor to invite Mr. Zhang Haitao, General Manager of Key Account Sales of Texas Instruments China, to talk about his growth process with Texas Instruments and the reasons for the long-term prosperity of this world-renowned company. In developing the Chinese market, Texas Instruments started earlier and has a complete localized service system. Our country is a contributor to the global economy and the market is full of opportunities. In this regard, what is Texas Instruments' China strategy? Mr. Zhang Haitao will introduce how to help Chinese customers innovate in the many fields involved in new infrastructure.
Zhang Haitao, General Manager of Key Account Sales of Texas Instruments China
Integrate into corporate culture and witness the development of the electronics industry
Question: You have a master's degree in microelectronics from Peking University and a bachelor's degree in microelectronics from Harbin Institute of Technology. Can you Talk about what you gained from your schooling experience in school, which laid the foundation for your later work?
Zhang Haitao: I was very lucky to join Texas Instruments, the "flagship" company in this industry, right after graduation. The subject of my graduate studies was focused on semiconductor technology, and my first job was in chip sales. Indeed, my professional background in microelectronics can help me understand the introductory knowledge of the industry more quickly in the early stages of my career. However, the semiconductor industry itself covers a wide range of professional directions, covering chip design, process manufacturing, equipment, product applications, quality control and other fields. Different positions have very different requirements for knowledge reserves. Therefore, Texas Instruments’ annual campus recruitment targets a wide range of majors for fresh graduates.What is certain is that no matter what major you are from, after entering the workplace, the enthusiasm and ability to continue learning are very important. Only by continuous learning can you adapt to changes in industry and job requirements.
asked: You joined Texas Instruments through the campus recruitment program for fresh graduates in 2006. Looking back on the past ten years or so, what are the memorable things about your growth at Texas Instruments? What is your understanding of Texas Instruments culture?
Zhang Haitao: In the past 16 years, I have been fortunate to witness the vigorous development of China's electronics industry with Texas Instruments. As a company with more than 90 years of history, Texas Instruments is still full of vitality and has an inseparable relationship with company culture. Among them, there are two parts that I am deeply touched by:
First, constantly seek changes proactively to adapt to changes in the industry and changes in competition. When I first joined Texas Instruments, it was still a semiconductor company famous for its DSP, and our business focus was mainly on the mobile phone market. Later, the company gradually shifted its focus to analog products and embedded products, and gradually increased its coverage in multiple markets, especially in the industrial and automotive fields. These changes now appear to be successful and forward-looking. In many other fields, Texas Instruments also proactively seeks changes to gain an advantage in the competition.
Second, focus on improving your competitiveness. In terms of how to improve R&D capabilities, how to enhance the competitiveness of the sales force, and how to improve operational efficiency, the company has made long-term evolution and changes to reach a higher level. All these improvements also help Texas Instruments build a long-term moat and lay the foundation for long-term success.
asked: Can you introduce the team you currently manage? And your management philosophy?
Zhang Haitao: My team is responsible for serving the major customers of Texas Instruments in China. The team includes sales and technical support members. This team is a team with particularly strong combat capabilities. The management philosophy does not have too many gimmicks. It mainly focuses on the following points: first, everyone’s vision and values are consistent; second, it is result-oriented and continues to optimize work efficiency and processes; third, it encourages strategic thinking, innovation, and Mutual learning and sharing; the fourth is the implementation of strategies and the discipline of execution.
Mr. Zhang Haitao was interviewed at the campus recruitment briefing
High standards strengthen the local support system to meet the diverse needs of customers
Question: Judging from your current customer structure, the demand for analog devices and embedded processors in the Chinese market What are the main application areas? How do you evaluate the market prospects and scale of these application areas?
Zhang Haitao: China is currently one of the largest semiconductor markets in the world. The scale of its various application fields is very large and cannot be ignored. At the same time, Texas Instruments has a full range of analog devices and embedded products that can be applied in various markets, including industrial, automotive, consumer electronics, communications and enterprise markets. Texas Instruments has considerable market penetration, and customer scale in each market. It can be said that the product diversity of Texas Instruments and the diversity of the Chinese market have achieved perfect cross-coverage.
In terms of market trends, in the past 20 years, a number of globally competitive customers in China have grown in the fields of consumer electronics and communications. In the future, we believe that such success stories will be increasingly replicated in the industrial and automotive fields, and will lead to rapid growth in the size of the automotive and industrial markets. Texas Instruments' strategy is to serve customers in all the above markets, help them improve their product competitiveness, and then succeed in the corresponding markets.
asked: What do end-users in my country pay more attention to, such as fast delivery, solution supporting capabilities, cost-effectiveness, etc.? In terms of localization, what measures or services does Texas Instruments take to meet customer needs?
Zhang Haitao: As mentioned earlier, my country's end customers are highly diverse, so customers' concerns and needs are also diverse and complex. Texas Instruments' strategy is to improve its capabilities to meet the multi-dimensional needs of customers, including innovative products and technologies, convenient purchase, fast delivery, supporting solutions, cost-effectiveness, as well as quality, technical services and other aspects of capabilities.It can be said that Texas Instruments has set a very high standard for itself. Reaching this standard is very challenging and requires targeted strategies and excellent execution.
2022 is the 36th year that Texas Instruments has embraced the Chinese market. After years of hard work, we have built a complete local support system in China, including an integrated manufacturing base in Chengdu and two product distribution centers in Shanghai and Shenzhen. , three R&D centers, nearly 20 sales and technical support branches across the country, as well as the massive technical resources and convenient local purchasing methods provided by TI.com.cn, to fully support customers' current and future development.
empowers new infrastructure, and innovative technologies and products lay the "core" foundation
Question: New infrastructure includes 5G base stations, new energy vehicle charging piles, AI, big data centers, industrial Internet, UHV, intercity high-speed railways and intercity Rail transit , as my country's economic growth point, how do you see the opportunities of new infrastructure?
Zhang Haitao: Whether it is 5G, AI or the industrial Internet mentioned above, they are all important components of the new infrastructure. Looking at the seven major areas involved in the new infrastructure, we can find that semiconductors may become the focus and key to achieving breakthroughs in the new infrastructure. As the brain of industrial intelligence and digitalization, chips are indispensable. Texas Instruments is committed to helping Chinese customers continue to be empowered under digital development and providing strong support for the widespread application of new infrastructure. In the seven major areas of new infrastructure, Texas Instruments has carried out in-depth and close cooperation with many Chinese companies, through smarter, more innovative, more reliable and more economical leading products and solutions, as well as comprehensive and extensive service support. , to help our customers lay a solid "core" foundation, more quickly carry out digital transformation from to , accelerate industrial upgrading, and share new opportunities.
asked: Facing the new infrastructure market, what measures and deployments has Texas Instruments taken in terms of operating expenses and investment in new product research and development? In terms of new infrastructure, what are the core products of Texas Instruments?
Zhang Haitao: 5G is the cornerstone of new information infrastructure. 5G promotes more new applications by enabling the interconnection of everything, lower latency and higher data rates. In the industry, the shortcomings of 5G Massive MIMO base stations are ridiculed as the "three 3's" of coverage, cost, and power consumption, that is, 3 times the cost, 3 times the power consumption, and 1/3 coverage. Part of the reason is that 5G MM uses Massive MIMO technology, which requires multi-channel architectures such as 32 channels and 64 channels. The increase in the number of hardware channels directly leads to an exponential increase in cost, power consumption, and volume indicators. Operators urgently need to significantly reduce website construction costs and operating costs, so they have put forward higher requirements for chip integration, power consumption and cost.
In terms of 5G systems, Texas Instruments has always strived to achieve the goals of high integration, low power consumption, and low cost. In fact, each generation of Texas Instruments products will achieve about 30% improvement in power consumption in the same scenario through process evolution/design architecture innovation. The changes brought to users by high integration are huge. As the number of channels continues to increase and throughput increases, the overall module size of the RRU (Radio Remote Unit) only increases slightly. Take Texas Instruments' AFE7920 as an example. This product is a 4T4R2F (4 transmit, 4 receive, 2 feedback path) radio frequency direct acquisition architecture dual-band transceiver. The transmit link is mainly composed of RFDAC with a maximum sampling rate of 12GSPS, supporting first/second Nyquist mode, the receive and feedback links are mainly composed of RFADC with the highest sampling rate of 3GSPS; the transceiver link supports independent DSA gain control, 8 pairs of 29.5 GSPS Serdes are interconnected with the host, and the onboard high-frequency clock with integrated low-frequency input is used.
The latest AFE80928T8R RF direct acquisition multi-band transceiver released by Texas Instruments has further undergone architectural innovation based on the AFE7920. While the integration level has been increased from 4T4R to 8T8R, it has once again achieved a 30% reduction in power consumption in the same scenario (in 200MHz TDD mode Single channel_1T1R power consumption is less than 1W). Compared with 4T4R products, it can better meet the needs of MassiveMIMO.
In terms of artificial intelligence , Texas Instruments focuses on creating edge artificial intelligence with accurate perception, rapid decision-making, human-machine collaboration, high efficiency and energy saving, safety and reliability.As we all know, perception and decision-making are important aspects of edge artificial intelligence, and with the development of edge artificial intelligence, the requirements for perception and decision-making technology of embedded are more stringent and differentiated than non-artificial intelligence.
Data is the foundation of edge artificial intelligence, and perception is the source of data. For accurate perception, various sensors have emerged with the development of technology. Taking millimeter wave radar as an example, the single-chip millimeter wave radar launched by Texas Instruments can avoid the shortcomings of traditional cameras in many applications. At the same time, it supports multiple data fusion of the system, allowing the machine to better obtain data and achieve the target. precise perception.
Texas Instruments' single-chip millimeter wave radar uses CMOS manufacturing technology to achieve cost-effective advantages that traditional radar does not have. At the same time, combined with ASIC back-end processing, it can directly reduce BOM costs, reduce product size, and reduce Dependence on subsequent processors. The product based on the Texas Instruments millimeter-wave radar design is one-third the size of the miniature lidar rangefinder and half the weight. In addition, millimeter wave radars are now also beginning to have 4D imaging capabilities, and the point clouds and outputs they output are increasingly dense. Using a 4D imaging radar formed by cascading multiple Texas Instruments AWR2243 chips, the number of output point clouds per second can be Up to 50,000 points/second, and the point cloud information output by the 4D imaging radar also contains the relative speed data of the target in addition to the X/Y/Z 3-dimensional data of the target spatial position. The acquisition of these multi-dimensional information is essential for target motion capture and behavioral results. Forecasting is very important.
Edge artificial intelligence devices also need a smart "brain" for data processing and decision-making. As a highly integrated SoC, Texas Instruments' Jacinto™7 series processors include high-performance computing, deep learning engines, and dedicated accelerators for signal and image processing, and comply with functional safety ASIL-D/SIL-3 standards. It can be used in industrial fields such as robots, machine vision, and radar. Integrated dedicated accelerators include the "C7x" next-generation DSP core, which combines Texas Instruments' industry-leading DSP and EVE cores and adds vector floating-point computing capabilities to support backward-compatible code. With the rise of edge artificial intelligence, DSP can significantly improve matrix operation efficiency because it is based on Harvard architecture, which is very suitable for neural network calculation acceleration. At the same time, the newly added "MMA" deep learning accelerator can achieve 8 TOPS computing performance at low power under typical working conditions.
Mr. Zhang Haitao was interviewed by CCTV at the China International Import Expo.
In addition to perception and decision-making, in the execution link, Texas Instruments also has many processors, motor drivers, and various analog devices, which shows that Texas Instruments can achieve realization through a wide range of product portfolios. Provides support for key aspects required for edge AI.
In terms of IoT, especially in the industrial Internet, Texas Instruments also provides comprehensive system solutions for customers' pain points. As the number of sensors and actuators continues to increase, communication throughout the factory needs to be optimized to meet the different requirements of systems of all sizes. At the same time, in highly automated factories, large field networks (including complex systems, PLC, and gateways that support interaction with external networks) have also become more important as the amount of data transmission increases and the complexity increases.
Obviously, there are many communication options between automation devices. In terms of network communication , Texas Instruments products support a wide range of industrial communication standards - from serial interface (IO-Link, CAN, RS-485) to industrial Ethernet, as well as time-sensitive network systems (TSN ) and single-pair Ethernet (SPE) and other new technologies. For vision-based industrial systems, Texas Instruments' V3link™ serializers and deserializers help transmit high-resolution video, control signals and power simultaneously over a single ultra-thin wire. These solutions enable designers to have greater connectivity and scalability to meet the needs of current industry trends.
In addition, Texas Instruments’ latest Sitara™ AM2x series MCU combines the advantages of MCU and MPU, such as the high-performance Arm® Cortex-R series CPU core in MPU, high-performance RAM and high-speed signal processing, high-speed real-time industrial communication bus interface, and combines the security functions and real-time peripherals in MCU. By combining the industry's advanced processing performance, real-time control and advanced network functions, factory automation realizes low-latency real-time processing and control, and through the PRU -ICSS communication acceleration module simplifies the implementation of industrial networks.
asked: my country's new energy vehicles have greater growth potential. Can you focus on Texas Instruments' products in this field and where their advancement is reflected?
Zhang Haitao: As a leader in the global analog semiconductor field, Texas Instruments has many automotive-grade analog chip products. For example, the TDA4 processor series based on the Jacinto™7 architecture has powerful on-chip data analysis capabilities and is integrated with the visual preprocessing accelerator. combined to make the system performance more efficient. Moreover, its excellent multi-level processing capabilities can operate 4 to 6 3-megapixel cameras at the same time, and can also integrate various other sensing processing such as radar, lidar and ultrasonic on one chip to provide automotive Manufacturers design advanced driver assistance systems and pave the way for , the next generation of semi-autonomous and autonomous driving systems. For example, the new automotive millimeter wave radar sensor AWR2944 integrates 4 transmitters and has a 33% higher resolution than the existing millimeter wave radar sensor , which allows the vehicle to detect obstacles more clearly and avoid collisions, and its unique Hardware configuration provides Doppler Division Multiple Access (DDMA)-based signal processing to sense oncoming vehicles at 40% greater range than previously possible, improving advanced driver assistance systems for automakers The object sensing capabilities of (ADAS) provide more possibilities.
In addition, Texas Instruments can provide automotive customers with a wealth of automotive-grade analog products, which can cover applications including assisted driving systems, smart cockpits, three-electric systems, body control and lighting, etc.
Improve manufacturing capabilities and technological advantages, 12-inch wafer production capacity is ready to go
Q: The imbalance between supply and demand of chips will end at some point. From your observation, what risks should be taken in the face of a possible drop in demand? Precautions?
Zhang Haitao: Supply and demand will indeed return to a balanced state at some point in the future. But no one can accurately predict the market, that is, it is impossible to accurately judge when supply and demand balance will occur. We are still maintaining close communication with our customers to understand their future needs and arrange production plans accordingly to meet their needs.
Texas Instruments announced plans for a 12-inch wafer fab. Judging from the manufacturing roadmap for 2025 and beyond, what changes will occur to Texas Instruments' supply and manufacturing capabilities in my country?
We have started building a 12-inch wafer fab in Sherman, North Texas, USA. This manufacturing base can build up to four wafer manufacturing plants to meet the market demand that is generated year by year. The first two factories will start construction in 2022, and the first wafer manufacturing plant is expected to start production as early as 2025. This is part of Texas Instruments' long-term production capacity plan, which aims to continue to enhance Texas Instruments' manufacturing capabilities and technological competitiveness to meet customer needs in the coming decades. The new wafer fab will join Texas Instruments’ existing 12-inch wafer fabs, including DMOS6 in Dallas, Texas; RFAB1 in Richardson, Texas; and RFAB2, which is about to be completed and is expected to start production in the second half of 2022; and Texas Instruments’ recently acquired LFAB in Lehi, Utah, which is expected to enter production in early 2023.
The continuously developing TI Chengdu integrated manufacturing base:
In 2010, TI established its first wafer manufacturing base in mainland China in Chengdu. In 2013, TI announced a long-term strategy for the Chengdu manufacturing base, which includes new packaging and testing, bump processing, wafer testing projects and the expansion of existing wafer fabs. The total investment is expected to be up to approximately 10 billion yuan.
Currently, the integrated manufacturing base in Chengdu, China has:
- A 200mm wafer manufacturing plant with a clean room area of over 10,000 square meters
- A packaging/testing facility with an area of over 30,000 square meters
- An area of over 12,000 square meters The 300mm wafer bump processing plant
- wafer test facility has been continuously expanded since 2010. The clean room will be completed in 2021 and is fully loaded
TI Chengdu has become TI's only company in the world that integrates wafer manufacturing, packaging testing, bump processing and wafer testing. A world-class one-stop manufacturing base integrating testing. TI attaches great importance to the all-round local support system. Having an end-to-end manufacturing factory in China is an important part of TI's presence in the Chinese and even global markets. TI will continue to increase its expansion in China and continue to be close to and meet the long-term needs of Chinese customers.
Maintain enthusiasm for learning and light the road to success
Q: What advice and suggestions do you have for school students and young people new to the electronics industry?
Zhang Haitao: I am very pleased to see that more and more young people are choosing to work in the semiconductor industry, which is full of challenges and opportunities. Just as every industry has its own characteristics, the semiconductor industry, as a technology-intensive industry, has relatively high requirements for talents' professional knowledge reserves and experience accumulation. This requires young people entering the workplace to maintain a high and persistent enthusiasm for learning and constantly Learn new knowledge and new technologies on a regular basis, hone abilities and accumulate experience in daily work.
Secondly, I also recommend that young people choose large companies and large platforms when they first enter the workplace, because large companies often have complete talent training systems, perfect management systems, and opportunities to learn the most cutting-edge products and technologies, which is very important for a newbie. It is crucial for newcomers entering the workplace and will benefit their entire career in the future. Of course, there is not only one path to success. Keep your passion for learning and persevere to the end. Given time, I believe you will definitely achieve success.
Postscript
As of 2022, Texas Instruments has entered the Chinese market for 36 years. Its commitment to making electronic products more economical and practical has prompted the company to remain innovative and enterprising in an ever-changing environment. The current epidemic and technological competition environment are constantly changing. Texas Instruments, as the backbone of the global semiconductor industry chain, promotes sustainable development in automobiles, industry, consumer electronics and other fields. In the future, as Texas Instruments' China strategy continues to advance, it will contribute more to the development of my country's digital economy.
The above is an exclusive interview report by " China Electronics Business Information " with Zhang Haitao, General Manager of Key Account Sales of Texas Instruments China. Original link:
