(Yicai Global) Sept. 29 Tsinghua Unigroup, Tsinghua university's scientific research enterprise, and China Integrated Circuit Investment Fund Co. capped the buildout of a national memory chip plant ahead of schedule after nine months of construction, marking significant progress in the country's integrated circuit industry.

The base, with a building area of 524,000 square meters, is expected to be put into use next year, and its production capacity will reach 300,000 units per month, with an annual output value of more than USD10 billion, Chinanews.com reported.

The national memory base project is in the Future Science and Technology City of the Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone. Its construction began on Dec. 30 last year backed by a planned USD24billion first-phase investment. Investments in its core production hub and equipment exceeded USD30,000 per square meter.

The project marks the starting point for large-scale production breakthroughs in China's integrated circuit memory chip industry, similar to the trials of Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning in the field of science and technology, Tsinghua Unigroup Chairman Zhao Weiguo said.

The next five to 10 years will be best time for the development of China's integrated circuit industry, Zhao said. A large gap between China's core technology and product structure and the world's best still exists, he said.