China faces a chronic shortage of scientific and engineering talent that may hamper its efforts to become a semiconductor superpower and reduce its reliance on imported chips, according to industry figures. The problem is becoming more acute as the fledgling industry evolves amid a dearth of qualified senior professionals, they said. “If innovation is driven by technology, people are the key to advancing technology development,” said Zhang Wei, dean of the micro-electronics school at Fudan University at a recent integrated circuit summit in the Chinese city of Nanjing, a semiconductor base. “Their levels will determine our strength.” The problem for...