(Yicai Global) Aug. 5 -- Southern China's economic powerhouse Guangdong province has appointed Wang Xi, a renowned semiconductor materials scientist, as deputy governor, Nanfang Daily reported.

Wang, who has served the country as its vice-minister of science and technology since last year, joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009 as an academician.

The scientist once led a team to create China's first silicon on insulator wafers production base, based on public information. In 2013, Wang and Zhang Rujing, founder of Semiconductor Manufacturing International, suggested kicking off a center to make 12-inch silicon wafers in Shanghai, which has helped the eastern city to become a research and development hub for integrated circuits.

Editor: Emmi Laine