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Chip prodigy Da Bo returns to China after his role in TSMC’s 3nm plant in Japan

A Chinese chip pioneer who made his name in Japan – sweeping its top awards and developing the core components of the world’s most advanced…

By Samantha Johnson / May 25, 2026

A Chinese chip pioneer who made his name in Japan – sweeping its top awards and developing the core components of the world’s most advanced production line – has returned to China, along with his team of researchers.

Da Bo, a semiconductor prodigy whose research underpins TSMC’s 3-nanometre chip production line in Japan, is listed on the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) website as a chair professor at the School of Engineering Science.

Da joined Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in 2013 – when he arrived as a postdoctoral student after completing his PhD at USTC. He said in an interview published on May 20 by Chinese news website Deeptech that his goal was very clear.

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If he could bring China’s semiconductor equipment, materials and components up to international standards, “I believe my lifelong efforts will be worthwhile,” he told the website affiliated with MIT Technology Review.

Before securing his new position, Da had already begun assembling a team at NIMS composed of fellow USTC graduates, with the plan of eventually bringing them back to China as a unit upon his return, he said.

Chip expert Da Bo, deeply involved in the building of TSMC’s 3nm plant in Japan, has returned to China with his team. Photo: Handout
Chip expert Da Bo, deeply involved in the building of TSMC’s 3nm plant in Japan, has returned to China with his team. Photo: Handout

Da was the youngest independent principal investigator in NIMS’ history and, since 2022, was one of the few Chinese researchers to have been deeply involved in front-line international semiconductor industry projects.

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