Zhang Xuezheng, chairman and CEO of Wingtech, speaking at the 2020 Wingtech Global Elite Partner Conference, October 19, 2020. Credit: Wingtech
Wingtech Technology is taking flight. The once little-known Chinese designer of low-end smartphones has become a major contractor for Apple and aspiring semiconductor producer — and the subject of international controversy over its acquisition of U.K.-based chipmaker Newport Wafer Fab.
For Wingtech, that deal is just one of several savvy investments that it’s made in the last five years, as the company seeks to muscle its way into China’s burgeoning chips industry. This week, The Wire takes a closer look at Wingtech Technology: its rapid growth, its evolving business and its investors.
RAPID RISE
Wingtech, based in Jiaxing in the coastal province of Zhejiang, was founded in 2006 by Zhang Xuezheng, an engineer who had worked stints at Dutch chipmaker STMicroelectronics and Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE.
The timing of Wingtech’s launch was fortuitous, with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 ushering in a new era for smartphones. Zhang seized the oppo
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