Zhang Guoqi Talks About How Semiconductor Lighting is Changing the World

The "Zhongguancun Innovation Forum," jointly hosted by the Zhongguancun Management Committee, the People's Government of Haidian District of Beijing, and the Office of the Organizing Committee of the China Beijing International High-tech Expo (CHITEC), was held in Beijing. Sina Finance, the chief strategic partner media, provided a live broadcast throughout the event. The picture shows Zhang Guoqi, Chairman of the European "More-than-Moore" Technical Committee.

　　Zhang Guoqi:

　　Ladies and gentlemen, good morning! Today's topic differs somewhat from the moderator's; currently searching, today's talk will cover a specific topic: "Semiconductor Lighting is Changing the World."

　　Today I will mainly discuss four questions: What is semiconductor lighting? What contributions can semiconductor lighting make to society and humanity? What challenges does semiconductor lighting currently face? And fourth, the methods and results of lighting to address these challenges.

　　First, what is semiconductor lighting? Semiconductor lighting is a brand-new lighting technology. Its main features are high efficiency, not extremely low cost, but a very long lifespan. Another feature is controllability. Semiconductor lighting technology is a digital lighting technology. What contributions does it make to humanity and society? First is lighting and definition. Lighting and light are the premise for the survival of almost all living beings in the world. Under this premise, we can talk about the lighting function of seeing. Then we discuss the role of semiconductor lighting for humanity and society. In addition to seeing and being seen, it can play many roles in healthcare, transportation, safety protection, energy environment, food and agriculture, and the information society. First is energy and environment. Lighting currently accounts for 19% of all electrical energy in the world. Yesterday I heard that the total output of all nuclear power stations in the world is not enough for the energy consumed by semiconductor lighting. The consumption of such a huge amount of energy brings nearly twenty million tons of CO2 solutions. Replacing traditional lighting applications with semiconductor lighting technology can save at least 70% of electrical energy, which is equivalent to a saving of 30 billion euros in electricity bills per year worldwide, and a reduction of more than ten million tons of CO2.

　　The second function of lighting is in medical and health aspects. Everyone knows clearly that light has a direct impact on human health through the eyes and skin. Over a hundred years ago, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for research using light bulbs to treat skin diseases. Today, with semiconductor lighting technology, we can apply semiconductor lighting extensively in medical and health aspects, including sleep control issues, visual conversion issues and muscle damage treatment, the improvement of efficiency for students or in work offices, as well as in various fields of medical treatment.

　　For agriculture and food, light is the most fundamental premise for the growth of all plants. With it, it can not only be used for the growth of flowers and plants, but also provides very direct help for modern large-scale industrial agriculture, including the growth of animals, chickens, and pigs. We are now talking about developing plant factories, which can grow more than ten to twenty layers of plants per square meter, enough to meet one person's annual demand for vegetables.

　　In addition to its many specific and direct contributions to human society and life, semiconductor lighting itself is also a very large industry internationally. By 2020, the output value related to materials and equipment will reach 30 billion euros, the lighting fixtures themselves and components will reach 50 billion euros, modern lighting systems 180 billion euros, and applications and energy-saving solutions can reach 700 billion euros, representing a huge economic scale.

What are the current challenges facing semiconductor lighting? Academia and industry are currently focused on improving the efficiency of semiconductor lighting and reducing its cost, which represents the most fundamental challenge. Beyond that, semiconductor lighting involves multiple functions, disciplines, technologies, processes, materials, variables, and interfaces, presenting numerous technical and academic challenges. These issues need to be jointly addressed by the industrial sector, enterprises, and university research institutes.

The second challenge is that semiconductor lighting is not merely a technical issue; it also requires substantial innovation and development in areas such as business models, policy standards, talent, industry chain, and supply chain.

What are the solutions? How can these challenges be addressed and overcome? Last week, the Beijing Research Institute of Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) was established. One of its research directions involves conducting technical and fundamental theoretical research on semiconductor lighting, combining the world's leading complementary technologies and experimental equipment from Delft University of Technology and the Academy of Sciences. In addition, through this institute, one can gain access to two innovation systems—one in Europe and one in China—covering talent, equipment and facilities, and government funding issues. This institute strictly complies with intellectual property rules and requirements in its research and development work, and is willing and capable of providing services to the semiconductor lighting industry.

The International Semiconductor Lighting Alliance was established in October last year, initiated by the China Semiconductor Lighting Alliance together with six semiconductor-related societies and associations worldwide. Its main tasks are to unite and guide the entire international industry and research community in developing strategic research plans and technology roadmaps, while also leading and launching international demonstration projects, developing international innovation systems (such as talent cultivation), and formulating new technical standards and application standards for semiconductor lighting—thereby raising awareness across society and promoting the understanding and application of semiconductor lighting not only in China but worldwide. Semiconductor lighting represents an opportunity of choice, facing many global challenges, and the development of semiconductor lighting technology, industry, and applications requires global efforts. Thank you, everyone!