China Surpasses US in Semiconductors... "Chinese Papers More Than Double US Papers" [Kang Kyung-ju's Tech X]

An analysis shows that China has significantly outpaced the United States both quantitatively and qualitatively in publishing research papers on next-generation semiconductors. This is interpreted as a signal that China has taken global leadership in the semiconductor field, surpassing the US despite various sanctions.

According to a report by Georgetown University's Emerging Technology Observatory (ETO) on the 6th, semiconductor scholars in China published a total of 160,852 semiconductor-related papers from 2018 to 2023. This is more than twice the 71,688 papers from the US, which ranks second, and exceeds the combined total of the US, India, and Japan. During the same period, China's growth rate in semiconductor-related papers was 41%, much higher than India (26%), the US (17%), and Korea (6%).

The ETO analyzed, "Although China lags behind in advanced semiconductor fields and is restricted from purchasing advanced manufacturing equipment such as ASML's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, it shows overwhelming superiority in terms of research papers." China has not only excelled in the number of papers but also in quality. Among approximately 475,000 semiconductor-related papers published between 2018 and 2023, the proportion of papers with authors affiliated with Chinese institutions that were most cited by peers was 23%, ahead of the US (22%) and Europe (17%).

What's more surprising is that this data only includes papers written in English. The ETO stated, "This analysis only targeted 472,819 papers with English abstracts," adding that "if Chinese papers were included, the proportion of Chinese researchers would be much higher."

China's semiconductor research achievements coincide with the Chinese government's active pursuit of self-reliance in the semiconductor industry to counter US sanctions imposed due to national security concerns. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), headquartered in Washington, recently analyzed that "China is building large data centers and expanding its power sector, riding on the success of AI startup DeepSeek," and "is developing its own AI chips to reduce dependence on the West."

China is also seeing a trend of experts who were active overseas returning to their home country, including semiconductor scholar Sun Nan from Tsinghua University and former Apple engineer Wang Huanyu, who recently joined Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Zachary Arnold, a senior analyst at ETO, told Nature, "Considering how actively research is being conducted in China, China's semiconductor capabilities will eventually surpass those of the United States."

Reporter Kang Kyung-ju qurasoha@hankyung.com