In 2005, in an unassuming office in Zhongguancun, Zhu Yiming founded GigaDevice. Few believed in him—but he pushed forward to make GigaDevice the world’s third-largest NOR Flash manufacturer. In 2016, it listed on China’s A-share market; in January 2026, it debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with its market cap once surpassing RMB 340 billion. By then, the story was already legendary. But for Zhu Yiming, this was only the beginning. On May 6, 2016, he partnered with Hefei to launch Project “506”—a DRAM initiative with one goal: to create China’s own memory chip. At the time, China had virtually no presence in DRAM—no technology, no patents, no production lines. In 2018, he doubled down. He stepped down as CEO of GigaDevice and devoted himself entirely to CXMT. Before leaving, he signed a military pledge: “Until the project becomes profitable, I will take no salary and no bonus.” Seven years. Over 2,500 days. Zero compensation. In 2019, CXMT began mass production of 19nm DDR4 memory chips—taking China’s DRAM industry from zero to one. In Q1 2026, CXMT generated RMB 50.8 billion in revenue and RMB 33 billion in net profit—earning nearly RMB 400 million per day, surpassing Kweichow Moutai in profitability. On July 16, CXMT opened its subscription for public offering. Market estimates project its valuation between RMB 2 trillion and RMB 3 trillion— What does that mean? It would directly challenge the title of China’s most valuable A-share company. Yet on the Hurun Report, his personal wealth still stands at only RMB 12 billion. After CXMT’s listing, his net worth could surge to RMB 90 billion. But what moves people most isn’t the wealth figure— He voluntarily donated 768 million shares to employees. At a RMB 2 trillion valuation, that’s worth over RMB 20 billion— The largest individual equity incentive in A-share history. From a boy from Yancheng to a Tsinghua student, From a Silicon Valley engineer to a returnee entrepreneur, From GigaDevice to CXMT— One man. Two trillion-yuan companies. Ten years of entrepreneurship. Seven years of zero salary. One moment of glory—and he gave the most valuable prize to his team. Zhu Yiming has spent 21 years telling the world: China’s semiconductor industry isn’t just about catching up— It’s about surpassing.