The Carlyle Group, Chengwei Ventures and Pacific Venture Partners Invest $13 Million in Huaya Microelectronics, a Leading Chinese Fabless Semiconductor Design Company

Shanghai, China - Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group and Chengwei ventures announced today that they have invested US$13 million together with existing investor Pacific Venture Partners in Huaya Microelectronics Limited (HuayaMicro), China’s leading fabless semiconductor design company focused on video solutions. Its Integrated Circuits (ICs) are used in a range of products, including large screen high definition TVs (HDTVs), small portable displays, and set-top-boxes. The funding will be used to grow the R&D team, accelerate product development and expand into new markets.

Founded in 2001 and based in Shanghai, HuayaMicro has grown to more than 100 employees in four offices in China (Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Mianyang) and an office in San Jose, California. With more than 10 patents in China and the United States, HuayaMicro has built a solid foundation to become a global leader in advanced digital visual, audio and other multimedia solutions. Its customers include Changhong, Skyworth, Gadmei, Proview, SmartASIC and other major manufacturers.

“This growth capital comes at a crucial time, as we are eager to intensify our product development and expand into new markets,” said Biao Zhang, CEO of HuayaMicro. “In addition to their funding, Carlyle and Chengwei also bring energy and innovative ideas to the table. Our excellent future has just gotten even brighter.”

“The digital TV market is undergoing tremendous growth worldwide, especially in China. Biao has built one of the strongest semiconductor design teams in China and has already achieved multiple design-wins and volume commercial shipment with major TV manufacturers,” said Wayne Tsou, Managing Director of The Carlyle Group and Head of the Carlyle Asia venture group.

“HuayaMicro has successfully demonstrated their capability by developing the high-end video display controller IC with their own IP. This is a major milestone for HuayaMicro as well as China’s IC design capability. With HuayaMicro’s current product road map, we have strong confidence that HuayaMicro will become a global player,” said Pei Kang, Managing Partner of Chengwei Ventures.

“Pacific Venture Partners invests in leading technology companies and has been a long-term partner of Huaya Microelectronics,” said David Chow, a General Partner with Pacific Venture Partners. “Given the team’s proven track record and deep expertise in video processing technologies, we believe that HuayaMicro is well-positioned to become a leader in video IC design for the China and global markets.”

After closing, Carlyle Vice President JP Gan and Chengwei Ventures Managing Partner Pei Kang will join HuayaMicro’s board of directors.

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