The IC Ecosystem Show 2026 (ICES 2026) will bring semiconductor design, manufacturing, packaging and industrial applications together in Shanghai from October 12–16, 2026. Held in Hall 5.2 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the exhibition forms part of the 26th China International Industry Fair.
The show’s application-led format is intended to connect chip technologies with commercial requirements in artificial intelligence, intelligent vehicles, industrial robotics, smart appliances and wearable electronics. According to the event announcement, its scope extends from integrated circuit design and wafer production to advanced packaging, equipment, materials and embedded systems.
ICES is one of ten specialist exhibitions within CIIF 2026, which is expected to bring more than 3,000 exhibitors to approximately 300,000 square metres of exhibition space.
Five zones span the semiconductor value chain
ICES 2026 will be divided into five dedicated exhibition zones, allowing visitors to organise meetings around specific sourcing or technology objectives.
The Integrated Circuit Design Zone will cover electronic design automation tools, semiconductor intellectual property, IC design services and core chip products. The planned exhibits include high-performance computing processors, memory chips, power management ICs and power semiconductors.
In the Wafer Fabrication Zone, the focus shifts to logic and specialty processes, integrated device manufacturing, memory production, compound semiconductors and smart-factory systems. This section should be particularly relevant to companies assessing manufacturing partnerships, process capabilities or equipment requirements.
The Packaging and Testing Zone will feature wafer-level packaging, system-in-package technologies, automotive and MEMS packaging, inspection systems and emerging approaches involving glass substrates. These technologies are becoming increasingly important as manufacturers seek to combine multiple functions in smaller, higher-performance devices. Industry association SEMI identifies advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration as important areas for meeting rising chip performance and cost requirements.
A fourth zone will concentrate on semiconductor equipment and materials, including lithography, etching, thin-film deposition, cleaning and chemical-mechanical planarisation equipment. Metrology systems, silicon wafers, photoresists, specialty gases and compound-semiconductor tools are also included in the announced scope.
The Application and System Integration Zone completes the chain by placing chips within finished industrial solutions. Exhibits are expected to connect semiconductor and embedded technologies with embodied AI, intelligent vehicles, smart home products and wearable devices.
AI hardware and automotive chips shape the agenda
The decision to organise ICES around applications gives the show a different emphasis from exhibitions built solely around component categories. Visitors will be able to examine how design, manufacturing and packaging decisions affect the reliability and performance of complete systems.
For automotive semiconductor buyers, this includes evaluating whether components and packaging processes are suited to demanding operating environments and vehicle qualification requirements. Industrial visitors can focus on long-term availability, failure analysis, thermal performance and integration with existing control platforms.
The inclusion of embodied AI and industrial robotics also broadens the event beyond data-centre processors. Robots and intelligent industrial equipment require combinations of computing, sensing, memory, power management and connectivity. That makes the show potentially useful for engineering teams that need to assess several parts of an AI hardware architecture during the same visit.
Advanced packaging provides another connection between these applications. Wafer-level packaging and system-in-package technologies can integrate processors, memory, sensors and supporting components while reducing the space occupied by the finished system.
Technical forums complement the exhibition
ICES 2026 is scheduled to include a flagship industry summit, more than ten specialised technical forums and executive networking activities.
The announced conference themes cover automotive semiconductors, advanced memory, embodied AI, industrial robotics and next-generation IC packaging. Policy, investment and semiconductor market developments are also expected to feature in the programme.
Detailed speaker schedules and session times had not been included in the initial announcement. International visitors should therefore consult the official CIIF website as the event approaches and reserve time for the forums most closely connected to their technical or commercial priorities.
How international buyers can prepare
Companies attending ICES should begin by identifying which part of the semiconductor chain is most relevant to their visit. A design company looking for manufacturing capacity will have different priorities from an automotive supplier evaluating qualified components or an equipment manufacturer seeking material partners.
Useful preparation may include:
- Creating a shortlist based on process technology, packaging format or application
- Preparing questions about qualification standards, production capacity and lead times
- Confirming intellectual-property and technical-documentation procedures before detailed meetings
- Bringing target specifications for thermal performance, power consumption and reliability
- Scheduling meetings before the show once the exhibitor directory becomes available
ICES and CIIF will be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai’s Hongqiao area. Shanghai’s official visitor guidance identifies metro services as one of the main ways to reach the venue; international attendees should check the latest Shanghai transport information before travelling.
The event dates and venue are also listed by the European IP Helpdesk, which can be a useful starting point for overseas companies preparing to discuss technologies or partnerships at Chinese trade exhibitions.
Professional visitor registration for ICES 2026 is now available through the official CIIF registration portal.
