China Surpasses US in Semiconductor Research Output

China is leading the United States in semiconductor research, producing twice as many research papers on chip design and fabrication, according to a report by the Emerging Technology Observatory (ETO) at Georgetown University.

Between 2018 and 2023, Chinese scholars published 160,852 chip-related papers, more than the next three ranked countries combined. The US followed with 71,688 publications, while India and Japan ranked third and fourth.

Chinese institutions dominated semiconductor research, occupying nine of the top 10 spots for the highest number of published articles and eight of the top 10 for highly cited papers. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was the country’s leading publisher and the most cited institution in the field.

Among the most referenced research papers, 23,520 publications featured authors affiliated with Chinese institutions. In comparison, 22% of highly cited papers had US authors, while 17% had European authors.

Globally, around 475,000 chip design and fabrication-related articles were published during the five-year period, with China leading in both quantity and impact.

China’s dominance in semiconductor research aligns with its push for self-reliance in the industry amid US-imposed sanctions. The country has made significant progress in semiconductor self-sufficiency, expanding its power sector, building data centres, and developing domestic artificial intelligence chips.

A research note from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies highlighted China’s efforts to reduce reliance on Western technology, citing the success of DeepSeek and the return of top scientists to Chinese institutions. Notable figures include Tsinghua University chip expert Sun Nan and former Apple engineer Wang Huanyu, who joined Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

The US-China tech war has intensified since the Biden administration tightened export restrictions in 2022, targeting China’s semiconductor supply chain. In December, Washington imposed further curbs on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and three categories of software essential for integrated-circuit development. Additionally, 140 Chinese semiconductor enterprises were added to the US Entity List, restricting their business with American companies.

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• China published 160,852 semiconductor research papers from 2018 to 2023, more than twice the US output.

• Chinese institutions dominated the top rankings for both total and highly cited research papers.

• China’s semiconductor research growth aligns with its push for self-reliance amid US sanctions.

Source: SCMP