Zhu Yiming Net Worth

Zhu Yiming has an estimated net worth of $11.9 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Zhu Yiming profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $1.3 billion in 2020.

Zhu Yiming is a Chinese chip entrepreneur who founded and chairs CXMT and GigaDevice. He studied in the U.S. and worked in Silicon Valley for iPolicy Networks and Monolithic System Technologies before returning to China in 2005. That same year, he started GigaDevice in Silicon Valley and soon moved its business to China. His work centers on memory chips, a core part of many modern electronics and AI systems.

His wealth comes from semiconductor companies he built over time. GigaDevice grew from an early memory design startup into a listed chip company, and CXMT became a much bigger bet in manufacturing. With support from the Hefei municipal government, he cofounded CXMT in 2016 during China’s push to strengthen AI and chip supply chains. In July 2026, CXMT raised $8.6 billion in a major listing in Asia, lifting Zhu’s profile and fortune.

How Zhu Yiming built his chip fortune

Zhu’s money is tied to memory semiconductors. He chairs Shenzhen-listed GigaDevice Semiconductor, which supplies flash memory chips, and he also chairs Shanghai-listed CXMT, also called Changxin Memory Technologies. His path started with engineering work in Silicon Valley, then shifted to entrepreneurship after he returned to China in 2005. GigaDevice got an early commercial win with Rockchip, and later became one of China’s leading chip design companies before its 2016 stock market listing.

CXMT became the larger engine of Zhu’s wealth. He cofounded the company in 2016 with backing from the Hefei municipal government, aiming to build domestic DRAM manufacturing. That meant more than chip design. It required factories, process know-how, and patent access. In 2018, he stepped back from the GigaDevice CEO role to focus on CXMT. In 2019, CXMT secured access to DRAM-related patents through an agreement tied to a WiLAN subsidiary, helping strengthen its position.

What moved the Forbes estimate

Forbes valued Zhu at $1.3 billion in 2020. The estimate then dipped to $1.1 billion in 2023 before returning to $1.3 billion in 2025. Those swings tracked the market value of his chip holdings while he remained focused on semiconductors. His businesses sit in technology, and both are tied to memory, one through flash products at GigaDevice and the other through DRAM at CXMT.

The sharpest jump came in 2026. Forbes put Zhu at $2.4 billion on the 2026 World’s Billionaires list, and later at $11.9 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026. A key reason was CXMT’s July 2026 listing, which raised $8.6 billion. According to Counterpoint Research, CXMT had become the world’s fourth largest producer of DRAM chips by market share, behind Samsung, SK Hynix and Micro.