Cambricon Unlocks 690 Million RMB Equity Incentive for Core Employees
Chinese AI chip maker Cambricon announced the unlocking of 597,600 shares of equity incentives worth approximately 690 million RMB for 124 core employees. Additionally, the company launched a new 2026 restrictive stock incentive plan worth about 3 billion RMB targeting 944 eligible employees. This massive incentive payout highlights Cambricon's strong financial performance, with a 122.61% year-on-year net profit growth in the first half of 2026. It also underscores the company's aggressive strategy to retain top talent in the highly competitive semiconductor and AI hardware industry. The unlocked shares, valued at an average of 5.57 million RMB per person based on the stock price of 1,156 RMB, will officially trade on August 20. The new incentive plan offers shares at a discounted grant price of 750 RMB per share, averaging 3.18 million RMB per recipient.
## BACKGROUND
Cambricon is a prominent Chinese semiconductor company specializing in AI processors and hardware. As global competition in AI chip development intensifies, retaining core research and development talent through lucrative equity incentives has become a common practice for leading tech firms.