Amid the wave of the digital economy, a growing number of female entrepreneurs are emerging, leveraging their gentle strength to achieve innovative breakthroughs and lead commercial transformation. On the occasion of the 113th International Women's Day, "Brainstorm", a program on the First Financial Channel of Shanghai TV, launched a special Women's Day episode. Inviting outstanding female entrepreneurs, leadership research scholars, investors, human resource experts and other guests, the program delved into the topic of "Gentle Strength in the Digital Age" to pay tribute to every resilient and brave woman.

As the female leader of a chip enterprise, Dr. Qiu Xiaoxin, Founder, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Axera, was invited to the program. In the show, Dr. Qiu shared the entrepreneurial journey and future plans of the chip enterprise, and encouraged more women to "follow their inner passion" for better career development. The detailed conversation is as follows.

Host: What are the core keywords for female leadership in the digital age in your mind? How do you interpret "gentle strength"?

Qiu Xiaoxin: I have two keywords, one is "insight" and the other is "the combination of hardness and softness". Insight means perceiving the external world on the one hand, and understanding oneself on the other. The combination of hardness and softness: In the chip industry, take our company as an example, female employees account for less than 10% of the total staff. In such an environment, I believe the advantage of female leaders lies in their softness. For instance, when everyone is caught in a heated argument over projects or technologies, I can step forward to take charge of the overall situation, and my colleagues are willing to listen to me. For the common goal, we can put aside our differences and move forward hand in hand.

Host: Looking back on your entrepreneurial journey, what was the biggest challenge you ever faced?

Qiu Xiaoxin: Building up confidence was the biggest challenge. The semiconductor industry is a long-cycle industry with various difficulties along the way, and the competition from all sides is also extremely fierce. Therefore, in the face of such a situation, as an enterprise leader, I must first have confidence in myself so that I can pass on this confidence to the team. When the entire team is confident, we can overcome all kinds of difficulties that may be encountered in the entrepreneurial process.

Host: Which aspect of the difficulties was the most severe?

Qiu Xiaoxin: There were difficulties in every aspect of the entrepreneurial process. Sometimes it was equivalent to changing the engine of a plane while it was flying, which was a great test for the team's ability and resilience. This process also built up our confidence in our own technology and development prospects: we must adhere to long-termism. Starting with the end in mind, our future is not the present, but ten years from now. So when I look back on this period of time ten years later, I'm afraid it will only be a small episode.

Host: In the process of managing the team, have you ever lost your temper? What is your tougher side like?

Qiu Xiaoxin: I'm actually not a particularly tough person, and I speak just like I do now. First of all, I have full confidence in my own technical level. In daily management, both the management and employees regard me as someone to discuss problems with. Of course, when it comes to making the final decision, I can do it firmly. This is based on my professional quality. I don't need to lose my temper, but people are willing to listen to what I say.

Host: With both confidence and wisdom, what are your plans for the enterprise's development in the next five years?

Qiu Xiaoxin: We can definitely not define the current stage as success, but we have moved from the baby stage to the toddler stage. Our future competitors are mature chip design enterprises, including both domestic ones and international giants, so the competition in the next five years will be fiercer than before. In this process, I have confidence in my team and the team's technology. Therefore, I believe that in the next five years, we should be able to rank among the top three in China in the field of intelligent vision processing chip design. This will put a greater test on our product strength, our perseverance and our confidence.

Host: This episode of "Brainstorm" is set against the special background of International Women's Day. Please write a keyword on the board for professional women.

Qiu Xiaoxin: My answer is "no limits". Just now, everyone talked about the various glass ceilings existing in society or the workplace. In fact, sometimes these glass ceilings are set by ourselves. Therefore, I believe that for all female friends, we should not set any limits on ourselves. Only by following our inner passion can we forge ahead with no hesitation.