According to one of the analysts from the firm IDC, China is far from having said its last word on the semiconductor market. On the contrary, it could completely catch up within 10 years and even become one of the market leaders.
US tech sanctions appear to be boosting China in the semiconductor arena. This was suggested a few days ago by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), which assured that China was now enjoying significant growth in this market. This week, Mario Morales, analyst for IDC, goes even further. According to him, it could catch up in three to four technological generations and be among the leaders of the semiconductor over the next decade.
China among the biggest semiconductor players in 10 years?
As the analyst points out, the Chinese semiconductor industry is currently limited to the production of chips engraved in 16 nm and 14 nm. It therefore remains far from the finesse of engraving offered by the tenors of the sector. The Korean Samsung Foundry already offers its engraving in 4 nm, as well as the Taiwanese TSMC, the first independent foundry in the world. We also know that the two groups are working on the launch of 3 nm etching protocols. On the American side, Intel uses a 10 nm process and is busy introducing its node 7 nm in 2023.
That said, China knows how to progress at a forced march. Its technological survival is at stake, the SIA recently underlined in a report published on January 10: “ All indications are that the rapid growth of semiconductor sales in China is set to continue, thanks in large part to the central government’s unwavering commitment and strong political support following the deterioration of US-China relations. “, could we read there.
A long way to go…
China has a long way to go, but it can already rely on its current semiconductor production to supply a growing share of its domestic market with power management chips, microcontrollers, and miscellaneous sensors.
So many components that do not require the most advanced engraving technologies, and which are already allowing China to reap profits. Enough to modernize its software, infrastructure and equipment, and allow it to gradually develop more advanced semiconductors. The SIA indicated for example that Alibaba and Baidu, among others, have started to develop chips in 5 nm and 7 nm respectively.
On the same subject :
Semiconductor crisis: Europe will never be independent, says the European Commission
Sources: AIS
, The Register
, Neowin
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