ETA Solutions: How Founder Gan Ge Built a Chinese Power Management IC Unicorn

On the landscape of China's semiconductor industry, ETA Solutions (Yutai Semiconductor) stands out as an enterprise that achieved "Chinese Unicorn" status a mere seven years after its founding. Behind this company is its founder, Gan Ge. With two decades of unwavering dedication, he has penned a remarkable growth story for "China Chips" in the critical arena of power management ICs (PMICs).

From Berkeley to Silicon Valley: The Germination of a "Seed"

Gan Ge's journey began at the University of California, Berkeley. At this world-class institution, he majored in Electronic Engineering, laying a solid technical foundation.

After graduation, Gan Ge joined Maxim Integrated, a global giant in analog ICs. There, he accumulated over two decades of experience in analog IC design, witnessing the golden age of the U.S. semiconductor industry. From technical R&D to product definition, and from process comprehension to market insights, his years at Maxim planted a crucial "seed" for his future entrepreneurial venture.

Gan Ge's Professional Experience

Entrepreneurship: The Chinese Dream of a Group of "Maxim Alumni"

In 2008, the global financial crisis swept across the world. However, Gan Ge saw opportunities brewing within the crisis. That year, he and several top designers, also alumni of Maxim, made a bold decision—to step out of their comfort zones and start their own business.

ETA Solutions was initially registered in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, with its R&D and operations centers located in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai. At that time, China's PMIC market was almost entirely monopolized by international giants, but Gan Ge and his team saw immense potential for domestic substitution.

In just one year, this "dream team" launched the industry's first synchronous boost/buck IC, astonishing the market. By 2012, ETA Solutions' monthly shipments had surpassed 20 million units, firmly securing its position in China's PMIC market.

Gan Ge's R&D team is a veritable "elite force." The core members mostly hold degrees from prestigious domestic and international universities such as Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University, and possess work experience at world-class analog IC companies like Maxim, TI (Texas Instruments), PI (Power Integrations), and Linear Technology.

Taking Root in Nantong: The Leap from "Shanghai R&D" to "Unicorn"

The year 2017 was a pivotal milestone in the development history of ETA Solutions. That year, the company chose to establish its headquarters in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, and ETA Solutions Co., Ltd. was officially founded.

This decision proved highly visionary. At the time, Nantong was actively integrating into the development strategy for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. The successive completion of the Sutong Bridge and the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge increasingly highlighted the "same-city effect" between Nantong and Shanghai. While taking root in Nantong, ETA Solutions retained its R&D centers in Zhangjiang (Shanghai), Silicon Valley (U.S.), and Hanoi (Vietnam), forming a cross-regional coordinated development model of "design + localization."

Core Technical Highlights of ETA Solutions

In 2022, ETA Solutions was recognized as a Unicorn Enterprise in Jiangsu Province, marking Nantong's first-ever breakthrough in cultivating unicorn companies. In 2024, ETA Solutions was once again listed among "China's Unicorn Enterprises."

It took Gan Ge only a few short years to transform a startup into a "unicorn" with a valuation exceeding $1 billion.

Challenges and Perseverance: Composure Amidst Turbulence

No entrepreneurial journey is entirely smooth sailing. In 2022, ETA Solutions encountered setbacks during its sprint for an IPO on the STAR Market—the listing review was temporarily suspended because relevant personnel of the company were subjected to a case filing and investigation by judicial authorities.

Facing external skepticism and scrutiny, Gan Ge demonstrated the composure expected of an entrepreneur. He chose to handle the situation discreetly, focusing entirely on the company's core operations. In September 2023, ETA Solutions resumed its IPO tutoring and launched another push into the capital markets.

This episode did not dampen ETA Solutions' business growth momentum. The company's product line has continuously expanded from its initial DC/DC products to multiple categories including AC/DC, LDO, battery management ICs, and PMUs, with over 700 products currently on sale. Its customer base spans various fields such as communication equipment, industrial control, consumer electronics, and security monitoring.

Making the World Trust "China's PMICs": Gan Ge's Core Philosophy

"To become the best power management IC design enterprise in China."

— Vision of ETA Solutions

Today, ETA Solutions is recognized as a key IC design enterprise encouraged by the state and a national-level "Little Giant" enterprise known for being specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative. The company holds over 50 invention patents and more than 100 exclusive rights to IC layout designs.

However, Gan Ge's ambitions extend far beyond this. He is leading ETA Solutions in actively deploying high-end fields such as automotive-grade PMICs, making a strong push into markets like automotive electronics and industrial control. In his view, domestic substitution is merely the first step; truly competing on the same stage as international giants requires continuous technological innovation and product iteration.

From the vibrant campus of Berkeley to the giant corporations in Silicon Valley, and now to the unicorn enterprise in Nantong, Gan Ge has achieved leap after leap over the past two decades. He and the ETA Solutions he founded are becoming an indispensable and vital force in China's PMIC sector.

In this "Chip" era of the Internet of Everything and ubiquitous intelligence, Gan Ge's story continues to unfold.