In today's era of accelerated consumer electronics iteration and continuously expanding new energy application scenarios, batteries serve as core energy carriers, with their safety, energy efficiency, and adaptability becoming key factors for technological breakthroughs. Southchip Semiconductor Technology(Shanghai)Co.,Ltd. (stock code: 688484), leveraging its deep accumulation in the chip field, has positioned Battery Management Systems (BMS) as a key strategic focus, addressing industry pain points through technological innovation.

Recently, an interview was conducted with Li Linyao, BMS product line manager of Southchip Semiconductor's Mobile Business Unit, focusing on the technical innovations and application highlights of the company's recently launched single-cell lithium battery smart protection chip SC5617E, while exploring the evolution logic of BMS technology, multi-scenario application potential, and Southchip Semiconductor's strategic layout.

**From Energy Density to Full Lifecycle Management**

The pursuit of longer battery life and thinner designs in consumer electronics continues to drive battery technology breakthroughs. Silicon anode batteries, with their energy density advantages, are penetrating from high-end flagship products to mass markets. However, the accompanying energy utilization challenges have made the industry realize that battery technology competition has long exceeded simple "capacity races."

The popularization of silicon anode batteries essentially tests the capability of "battery full lifecycle management." Li Linyao noted that traditional battery protection solutions mainly focus on charging and discharging safety, but struggle to adapt to battery and system requirements. Current BMS solutions primarily target graphite battery applications, with the same under-voltage mechanisms applied to silicon anode battery products, resulting in insufficient energy utilization. Additionally, product self-discharge during transportation shortens storage time, and power consumption monitoring efficiency during production line testing needs improvement. "These problems cannot be solved by optimizing individual components alone; they require a shift from 'passive protection' to 'active coordination' in BMS logic."

Behind this transformation lies the diversified demands of terminal scenarios. From smartphones and tablets to wearable devices, from innovative form factors like foldable screens to industrial-grade equipment, different products have vastly different requirements for battery power consumption, safety, and lifespan. For wearable devices, microampere-level power consumption during standby may directly impact user experience.

Li Linyao emphasized that the value of BMS lies in connecting the chain of "battery cell characteristics - device requirements - scenario changes," which is precisely the starting point for Southchip Semiconductor's continuous innovation in lithium battery protection chips. The latest product SC5617E, through intelligent CTRL pin control, serves as the implementation vehicle for "coordination logic." Its innovation extends beyond basic charge-discharge protection including overvoltage, undervoltage, discharge overcurrent, and charge overcurrent protection, reaching into diverse scenarios throughout the battery's full lifecycle.

**From Simply Stacking Functions to Seamless Reliability**

SC5617E achieves industry-leading low power consumption with only 2.4μA in normal working mode and as low as 0.46μA in standby mode. It features two core advantages: high precision and intelligent control. By introducing control pins, it realizes various innovative functions, with the core capability being enabling BMS to "understand" device requirements.

This "understanding" is reflected in two groups of control functions that flexibly control the chip's entry into different working modes. Group A supports three modes: dynamic over-discharge voltage adjustment, transportation, and production line testing:

1. **Dynamic adaptation to battery cell characteristics**: SC5617E can dynamically adjust undervoltage protection points according to system requirements, optimizing battery performance under different operating conditions. By adjusting undervoltage protection thresholds, it effectively utilizes battery energy and adapts to system power demands.

2. **Adaptation to logistics and storage scenarios**: Transportation mode can cut off system power supply with power consumption as low as 80nA, allowing batteries to "sleep" longer in transportation scenarios under low-capacity regulatory requirements. This mode is particularly suitable for devices requiring long-term storage or transportation, significantly extending battery storage time.

3. **Production environment adaptation**: Production line test mode can quickly disable charging and discharging functions, improving overall device power consumption testing efficiency. This mode facilitates power consumption testing during production processes, ensuring product quality and reliability.

Group B provides charging disable functionality, addressing management complexity issues caused by dual-battery designs in foldable smartphones. The charging disable mode simplifies charging path logic.

These innovations directly address long-standing "hidden pain points" in the industry. For example, in wearable devices during long-term storage, low power mode can avoid the embarrassment of users unboxing devices with depleted batteries.

Behind this series of innovations lies Southchip Semiconductor's BMS evolution logic: not "adding functions" by stacking features, but "subtracting" - making complex battery management "seamless yet reliable" for terminal manufacturers and users. The two groups of control functions introduced by Southchip Semiconductor make BMS more market-aware, with "seamless" product solutions making pain point resolution more natural.

Notably, Southchip Semiconductor's BMS layout is not limited to single-cell batteries. Its product matrix covers both single-cell and multi-string battery protection solutions, capable of precisely monitoring abnormalities such as overvoltage, undervoltage, and overcurrent, adapting to diverse needs from consumer electronics to industrial equipment. "The potential of multi-string solutions in energy storage, smart home, and other fields is being released. Through differentiated detection accuracy and protection logic, we enable different scenarios to find suitable 'battery managers.'"

**From Technological Innovation to Ecosystem Coordination**

As one of Southchip Semiconductor's key strategic focuses, BMS development logic extends far beyond the chip itself, building a coordinated ecosystem of "chip - battery cell - terminal - scenario."

Southchip Semiconductor's cooperation with leading consumer electronics customers has long exceeded simple "supply relationships." It's revealed that during SC5617E customer integration, the Southchip team provided full-process support, not only offering chip-level protection strategies but also collaborating with customers to explore system-level adaptation solutions, making technology truly implementable through coordination.

This coordination mindset is also reflected in product iteration. Currently, SC5617E has achieved customer-end mass production, with customer feedback driving Southchip to consider more possibilities. "BMS innovation always follows scenarios, and scenario boundaries are constantly expanding."

Regarding industry future, Li Linyao believes two major trends deserve attention: First, deep integration between BMS and terminal systems - future battery protection won't be the responsibility of independent chips alone, but intelligent decision-making linked with device computing power and sensor data. Second, energy efficiency upgrades driven by green and low-carbon demands - from extending battery life to optimizing charging efficiency, and then to health monitoring in battery recycling processes, BMS will span the entire lifecycle of low-carbon battery management.

**Conclusion**

The ultimate value of BMS is transforming batteries from "passive power supply components" to "active adaptive partners." In this field, technological advancement is never determined by extreme parameters, but by deep understanding of user needs and industry trends.

With the implementation of SC5617E, Southchip Semiconductor is driving industry focus to shift from "charging fast" to "using well." This approach of breaking through single-point technology with systematic thinking may provide a new paradigm for innovative development of domestic battery management chips.