This article digs into how Hubei Dinglong, a chemical maker from Wuhan, suddenly became a big deal as China ramps up its efforts to make its own semiconductors. Dinglong’s shift into CMP materials, lithography, and packaging materials stands out, especially as its cofounders’ fortunes rise alongside China’s domestic chip supply chain.
China’s semiconductor self-sufficiency drive and Dinglong’s ascent
Since 2022, China clamped down on exports of key chip technologies. That’s pushed domestic players like Dinglong to branch out from their old business lines.
Dinglong has become a major supplier in China’s CMP materials market, right at the heart of wafer fabrication. The company’s stock price shot up—closing at 64.19 yuan, a year‑over‑year jump of about 116%. That surge has nudged its cofounders toward billionaire territory, highlighting just how lucrative China’s industrial push can be.
Zhu Shuangquan and Zhu Shunquan, who each own about 15% of the company, have built their business on a pretty unique spot. They offer a full range of CMP materials and keep expanding into other semiconductor areas, hoping to ride out policy changes and supply hiccups.
Why CMP materials are central to chip fabrication
CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) is crucial for flattening silicon wafers. Without it, you don’t really get those even layers that chips need.
Dinglong says it’s the only Chinese supplier that covers the whole CMP materials range—from slurries to post‑process cleaning fluids. That gives it a pretty strong edge in the local supply chain.
With global trade getting trickier, Dinglong has added lithography materials to its lineup, especially photoresists for lower‑end manufacturing. That helps Chinese chipmakers get what they need without depending so much on imports.
They’ve also moved into advanced packaging materials, like temporary bonding adhesives for wafer thinning and chip stacking. Think high‑bandwidth memory—those kinds of dense, high-performance applications.
Financial performance snapshot
Dinglong’s latest quarterly numbers show real momentum in CMP. In Q1 2026, they posted a net profit of 251 million yuan, up 78% from the year before. Revenue hit 1 billion yuan, climbing 24% year‑over‑year.
That demand for CMP products looks strong, and related semiconductor materials are starting to pull more weight in the business.
Key numbers in context
Back in 2025, over half of Dinglong’s roughly 3.7 billion yuan revenue came from semiconductor-related business. About 70% of sales stayed within China.
This homegrown focus fits with China’s push to shore up local supply chains and avoid outside shocks. Dinglong’s earnings also show how new materials lines, added after the 2022 export controls, mesh with its CMP foundation.
Founders, origins, and corporate strategy
Dinglong started in 2000, making chemicals for printer toner. They switched gears toward semiconductors in 2012, betting on the similarities between toner and CMP materials. That made the leap into a tough, capital-hungry industry a bit less daunting.
The Zhu brothers, both former managers at state-owned firms, took Dinglong public on Shenzhen’s ChiNext board in 2010. Their story isn’t just about risk-taking—it’s about betting on themselves and adapting as the industry shifts.
The founders’ path mirrors a bigger trend among Chinese tech suppliers: tapping into local demand, syncing up with government goals, and branching out into related products. Their leadership leans into resilience, calculated risks, and a willingness to change as the semiconductor world keeps evolving.
Why Dinglong matters for China’s chip supply chain
Strategic positioning in CMP, lithography, and packaging materials gives Dinglong a pivotal role in China’s efforts to achieve semiconductor self‑sufficiency.
The company’s moved beyond traditional CMP offerings and now works with lithography resists and high‑value packaging components too.
This shift helps Dinglong dodge global supply headaches and lets them add value across the whole wafer fabrication–packaging process.
Domestic emphasis on sales within China lines up with the government’s push to build stronger homegrown chip capabilities.
It’s also about resilience—China wants to weather international policy swings, and Dinglong is right in the thick of it.
Watching Dinglong’s growth gives a pretty good sense of how China’s midstream semiconductor materials sector is doing and where it might head next.
Here is the source article for this story: Brothers Become Billionaires From Supplying Chemicals To China’s Semiconductor Industry