【Media Report】 How the Strongest Prefecture-Level City Forges Itself: MEMSensing’s Quest to Conquer the Global Sensor Market with Full-Chain Self-Development

In the cleanroom of MEMSensing Microsystem Co., Ltd located in Suzhou Nano city, a MEMS acoustic sensor—barely half the size of a sesame seed—rests quietly on a glass slide. It is precisely this tiny component that accounted for 47.61% of MEMSensing's revenue in 2024, propelling the company to become China’s very first publicly traded MEMS chip stock in 2020.

"When we started the business in 2007, we couldn't even find a foundry in China capable of manufacturing MEMS wafers. Today, we can produce 100 million sensors per month, with cumulative shipments exceeding 5 billion units—equivalent to about 3 sensors for every person in China," says Li Gang, Chairman of MEMSensing. Reflecting on his journey from a "technological backpacker" to leading a pioneer enterprise, Li outlines the groundbreaking evolution of China's MEMS industry from scratch.

Crafting the Best Products: Shifting from "Affordable" to "Superior"

MEMS sensors are often described as the "five senses" of smart devices, making them indispensable in smartphones, automobiles, robotics, and other terminals. Two decades ago, this foreign-originated technology entered commercialization under the push of international giants like Knowles Electronics and Infineon. At that time, China’s domestic MEMS industry was still a completely blank slate.

MEMSensing breakthrough began with founder Li Gang’s academic passion for MEMS sensors. With a background in microelectronics, Li determined during his postgraduate studies that MEMS was a field worthy of a lifelong dedication.

"At the time, I first found MEMS to be a very novel industry with countless application scenarios. Secondly, I realized that MEMS was highly suited for development in China. It isn't bottlenecked by foreign equipment restrictions; whether you succeed depends entirely on specialized processes and technical capabilities. In other words, we could bridge the gap with foreign companies through our own hard work," Li recalls.

In its early days, MEMSensing used consumer electronics like earphones as a breakthrough point, breaking into the market with high cost-performance. However, as market competition intensified, Li realized that the path of "offering cheaper alternatives for existing products" would not last. To break free from homogenous competition, the company needed to develop products that were either "offering what others don't" or "offering better quality".

Today, MEMSensing has built a comprehensive product matrix covering acoustic, pressure, inertial, and attitude sensors, which are widely applied across consumer electronics, smart vehicles, industrial control, and medical sectors. Notably, MEMSensing ranks fourth globally in MEMS microphone shipments and third globally in MEMS acoustic sensor chip shipments.

"Starting in 2024, we decided to make some of the world’s best products,” Li says. Some of MEMSensing’s smaller-category products have already reached world-leading technical levels, such as the newly launched 70dB high-SNR MEMS microphone, the six-axis force sensor for humanoid robots currently in testing, and bone conduction products for future AR/VR applications.

Building world-class products requires sustained R&D investment. In 2024, MEMSensing R&D expenses exceeded 80 million RMB, accounting for 16.01% of its total revenue. The company possesses independent R&D capabilities and core technologies across all stages—including MEMS sensor chip design, wafer fabrication, packaging, and testing. It can also independently design the ASIC chips that provide signal conversion, processing, and driving functions for MEMS sensor chips, achieving complete domestic fabrication across the entire MEMS production lifecycle.

Cultivating Premium Clients: Driving Enterprise Growth via High-Quality Partnerships

MEMSensing client roster boasts an impressive lineup of premium partners, including Samsung, Xiaomi, Transsion, OPPO, Lenovo, Yuyue Medical, and Liven Medical.

"How do we define a good client? First, they must offer reasonable profit margins; second, they must be willing to co-create premium products," Li explains. MEMSensing experience collaborating with industry-benchmark clients taught them that rigorous product demands and clear R&D directions from top-tier clients guide the company toward high-end product development. This newly acquired capability then feeds back into collaborations with other clients, creating a virtuous cycle.

Having successfully developed its 70dB high-SNR, low-power silicon microphone, MEMSensing is currently planning the R&D of an 80dB silicon microphone. "High SNR has been the mainstream development trend for MEMS microphones in recent years. Although we don't know exactly how high our clients' future requirements will be, we must build our technological reserves in advance so we are always ready to meet their needs," says Li.

A company's value is ultimately dictated by the value of its clients, which serves as a major driving force behind MEMSensing push to build the best products. To open doors to top-tier clients, MEMSensing has decisively ramped up asset-heavy investments in recent years. By investing in MEMS packaging and testing plants, MEMSensing has expanded its production ecosystem. This move strengthens product quality control and delivery reliability, allowing the company to better meet the stringent supplier scale and quality control demands of premium clients.

Becoming a Platform-Based Enterprise: From Industry Participant to Ecosystem Builder

In 2010, by introducing MEMS processes and partnering with China Resources, MEMSensing participated in the National 02 Major Project (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Equipment and Complete Processes). This partnership facilitated the establishment of China's very first wafer fabrication plant with MEMS production capabilities.

"Without the National 02 Major Project, there would be no Chinese MEMS supply chain," Li emphasizes, highlighting the era that shaped MEMSensing growth. Back then, the domestic MEMS industry was in its infancy. Before the launch of the 02 Project, MEMS chips only existed in laboratories and could not achieve mass production. Once the first MEMS FAB was established, monthly capacity reached nearly 3,000 wafers—a milestone "nobody dared to imagine at the time."

"Simply put, being a platform-based enterprise means that when a client wants to build a smartphone, you can supply every single sensor needed for that phone," Li explains. Beyond expanding product lines and downstream applications, Li believes that building a platform enterprise also requires establishing a complete MEMS R&D and manufacturing platform.

To date, MEMSensing has achieved independent control over the entire production cycle—from chip design and wafer fabrication to packaging and testing. To focus on different stages of the business, MEMSensing currently operates four subsidiaries:

• LinkSensing: Focuses on sensor module production.
• DSBEL: Specializes in MEMS sensor packaging and testing.
• Mlinksemi : Dedicated to ASIC chip design.
• SENLUTION: Creates smart IoT solutions centered around intelligent sensors.

Looking ahead to the next five years, MEMSensing has mapped out a clear strategic roadmap. Li notes that in terms of product R&D, the company will build technological reserves around emerging sectors such as humanoid robotics, smart wearables, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In terms of capital operations, the company plans to integrate high-quality targets through mergers and acquisitions to avoid homogenous competition. Regarding global layout, the company is actively strategizing to meet the supply chain requirements of future overseas clients.

"MEMS is a fascinating industry. Every downstream sector is worth dedicating ten or twenty years to deeply cultivate," says Li. MEMSensing 18-year journey toward full domestic production across the MEMS supply chain is just the beginning. The company will continue to strengthen R&D innovation, broaden its product portfolio, and acquire top-tier clients, striving toward its goal of becoming a world-leading provider of MEMS solutions.