980 nm GaAs based semiconductor lasers have important applications in the fields of materials processing, communication, medical treatment and so on. The conversion efficiency, output power and reliability of GaAs based semiconductor lasers have been improved because of the emergence of strain quantum well. Historical development of GaAs based quantum well laser are reviewed and epitaxial structure design, chip design and chip encapsulation design are introduced in this paper. More importantly, the problems of effect on optical-electrical performances, heat-sink cooling and practical application are discussed emphatically for high power GaAs based quantum well laser. The proposed solutions and achievements are discussed based on the above problems, the shortcomings and improvement directions of each solution are pointed out. Finally, the development status of high power semiconductor lasers is summarized and the development direction is prospected.