
Tech war: China's top three EDA firms under spotlight after US ban on chip design tools
Advertisement
The restrictions, however, are expected to help strengthen China's semiconductor self-sufficiency efforts, according to the latest research note by ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management.
Following news of the US tech ban, the
Shenzhen -listed shares of Empyrean, Primarius and Semitronix initially recorded strong trading, as investors hoped these firms could become major alternative EDA suppliers in China. Primarius surged over 22 per cent since Wednesday last week, while Semitronix and Empyrean rose over 17 per cent and 8 per cent over the same period, respectively.
On Wednesday, Primarius fell 9.41 per cent to close at 28.80 yuan (US$4). Semitronix slipped 4.19 per cent to 55.85 yuan, while Empyrean was down 4.01 per cent to 125.09 yuan.
Advertisement
Still, investor interest in the three Chinese companies reflects room for growth, as they tap fresh opportunities in the domestic market.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
As Hong Kong's financial sector soars, what about food and retail?
Hong Kong is at risk of splitting up into two economies. On one end, Hong Kong's financial, professional and business services are being revived on the back of China's resurgent, tech-driven economy and the shifting balance of power between Washington and Beijing. Credit rating downgrades , poor responses to auctions of US Treasuries and slower growth as predicted by the World Bank – lowered to 1.4 per cent in June from 2.3 per cent in January – have sent the mighty US dollar on a downtrend and a flight of capital to Asia for better returns. Hong Kong's stock market is positioned in the right place at the right time. As tariff chaos and policy flip-flops erode the US' credibility and moral standing, China has emerged as an oasis of certainty in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world. The mainland's use of Hong Kong as a platform for its new tech champions to raise funds and connect with global markets has fuelled the city's return to its role as one of the world's top fundraising venues. More than 100 enterprises – including leading companies from the mainland – are said to be in line for public listing on Hong Kong's stock exchange. The Hang Seng Index is up 15 per cent in the first quarter of this year, building on a surge of over 17 per cent in 2024. State policies aimed at maximising the use of Hong Kong's internationally connected financial and capital markets have helped, but local officials have not sat on their hands either. Taking advantage of the city's reformed legislative system, the government has taken action to bolster Hong Kong's position as a global financial hub.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China's property slump drives Hong Kong investors to Japan, aided by yen weakness
Global investors, including those based in Hong Kong, are channelling their funds into Japan's residential property market as returns from assets in mainland China sag in the midst of a four-year slump, according to market consultants. They ploughed in US$11.2 billion of capital into Japanese real estate in the first quarter, or 6 per cent above the five-year average, according to data compiled by Colliers, making it the fifth largest recipient globally. Investors from the US, Singapore and Hong Kong were the top three contributors to the inflows, it said. Even investors from mainland China are looking east: they poured US$1 billion into Japanese real estate in the same period, more than double the five-year average of US$428 million. In the residential sector, local and foreign funds spent US$1.2 billion in the first quarter, a 16 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to JLL. 'Hong Kong investors have traditionally focused on China, but the collapse of the Chinese real estate market has redirected capital flows towards more stable markets such as Japan and Australia,' said Masahiro Tanikawa, head of investment services at Colliers Japan. Both countries 'offer a deep and liquid multifamily investment market – one of the largest in the Asia-Pacific region', he added. Investors are turning away from mainland China, where a debt crunch has persisted since 2020 and new home prices have slumped for 24 consecutive months. The pivot coincided with the slide in the Japanese currency, which bolsters the appeal of local assets to foreign funds. 02:28 Japan to release emergency rice stocks as prices soar Japan to release emergency rice stocks as prices soar The yen has weakened about 1 per cent against the US dollar over the past month, taking its cumulative depreciation to 9 per cent over the past 12 months. Inflation was 4 per cent in January, a two-year high, before easing to 3.5 per cent last month.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan overtakes Hong Kong as Cebu Pacific's top destination
Japan has overtaken Hong Kong's long-standing status as the most-travelled destination on Cebu Pacific, the Philippines' largest airline, even though it carried a record number of Filipino visitors to the city last year, the carrier's president has told the Post. Advertisement In an interview, the budget airline's president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao forecast robust passenger growth for the current year after the firm rolled out two new routes to Hong Kong at the end of last year – Davao and Iloilo – in an expansion of its international reach to boost traffic between the city and the Philippines. He said he expected to generate double-digit passenger growth between Hong Kong and the Philippines this year as the carrier banked on its expanded destinations with affordable fares to woo visitors. In the first quarter, the airline carried more than 312,000 passengers between the Philippines and Hong Kong, a 9 per cent year-on-year increase. The firm had 1.13 million passengers between the two places last year, a jump of 34 per cent from over 840,000 in 2023. 'We are the airline that has the most connections – five places – between the Philippines and Hong Kong … Traditionally, Hong Kong has been our largest market but it was overtaken by Japan last year as there was also a record number of Filipino nationals visiting the country,' he said. Advertisement 'There's room to grow even faster. If you take a look at our overall growth in passenger traffic, which is 20 per cent plus, we normally see it in the double digits.'