TCL’s Self-developed Chip Team Disbanded: Unable to Afford Million-RMB Salaries Anymore

On November 21st, according to industry insiders, Mooresilicon, a chip design joint venture under TCL Technology, has been ‘dissolved’.

This is another well-known company dissolving its self-developed chip team, following OPPO’s dissolution of ZEKU Technology and MEIZU’s dissolution of the AR chip R＆D team.

According to internal sources from Mooresilicon, on November 21st at 10 am (at Beijing time), the company’s executives gathered all employees at the front desk and directly announced the dissolution of the company. This includes the dissolution of all departments, including software, IC, and even administration. The compensation plan is N+1.

Internal sources revealed that on the 21st, all employees of the company have left. This round of layoffs is expected to affect nearly a hundred people, including dozens of employees at the Guangzhou headquarters, as well as several dozen employees at branch offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Mooresilicon (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. (referred to as ‘Mooresilicon’) was established on March 25, 2021, with its headquarters in Guangzhou. The registered capital is 180 million yuan (approximatly ＄25 million), and the paid-up capital is 130 million yuan (approximatly ＄18 million). The legal representative is Chen Naijun. Its main business includes the design, development, production, sales, and after-sales service of semiconductor integrated circuit chips; chip-related software design, development, sales, and services. It has a total of 68 insured employees.

The official website information shows that Mooresilicon relies on the strong industrial, technological, and market background of TCL, with abundant support from landing scenarios. The key layout areas include intelligent connectivity, AI image processing, new display technologies, and integrated circuit chip design for new intelligent perception interaction.

SEE ALSO: OPPO Disbands ZEKU Team, May Give up Self-developed Chips

Regarding the reason for the dissolution of Mooresilicon this time, some internal employees speculate that it may be due to high labor costs. According to their disclosure, Mooresilicon had previously hired many engineers with salaries over one million per year from South Korea, Taiwan and other places. The cost of manpower was high, but there were no significant breakthroughs in terms of product development.

At present, TCL Technology has not responded to the rumors of Mooresilicon’s ‘disbandment’.