By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-31 11:52:56 | Updated at 2025-04-02 02:38:59
1 day ago
A former Apple chip engineer from China has left the US tech giant to join China’s prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai, underscoring the country’s efforts to attract top semiconductor talent as it seeks to bolster domestic chipmaking capabilities.
Kong Long, who spent more than seven years at Apple’s California headquarters working on wireless semiconductors, has joined Fudan’s School of Microelectronics as a researcher and doctoral adviser, according to his profile on the university’s website. His work will focus on radio frequency integrated circuit (IC) system design, digital-analogue hybrid computing chips, and high-speed data interface ICs.
Kong’s move highlights a growing trend of Chinese-born engineers returning home amid Beijing’s push to develop advanced chips in the face of tightened US export controls. His appointment comes as China ramps up efforts to nurture a new generation of semiconductor experts to reduce reliance on foreign technology.
After graduating from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with a degree in microelectronics, Kong earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2016.
He began his career at cloud computing giant Oracle as a hardware engineer, working on mixed-signal IC designs. In 2017, he joined Apple, where he contributed to the development of radio frequency chips used in products such as the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
