(CLO) Chinese scholars published 160,852 semiconductor-related papers from 2018 to 2023, more than the next three ranked countries combined, including the United States.
China steps up chip research
China is publishing twice as many research papers on chip design and manufacturing as the United States, laying the groundwork for Beijing's potential leadership in next-generation semiconductor technology, a US research group has said.
China is accelerating research to make up for falling behind the US in advanced semiconductors and being restricted from buying high-end chipmaking tools. Photo: TechPowerUp
According to the Emerging Technology Observatory (ETO) at Georgetown University in the US, although China lags in the field of advanced semiconductors and is restricted from purchasing high-end chipmaking tools such as extreme ultraviolet lithography systems developed by Dutch company ASML, Chinese scholars published a total of 160,852 chip-related papers from 2018 to 2023, more than the next three ranked countries combined.
The US ranked second with 71,688 papers, less than half of China’s output, followed by India and Japan. The ETO found that Chinese institutions occupied nine of the top 10 chip-related paper publishers from 2018 to 2023 and eight of the world’s most cited publications in the field.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the country's leading institution in terms of the number of publications in chip design and manufacturing research, as well as the most cited in its research portfolio.
Among the most cited research articles by peers, 23,520 publications in the field of chip design and manufacturing had authors affiliated with Chinese institutions, compared with 22% by US authors and 17% by European authors.
The ETO report is based on a compilation of publicly available research articles on chips with English-language abstracts, with approximately 475,000 articles related to chip design and fabrication published globally from 2018 to 2023.
On the road to chip autonomy
China’s lead in chip research comes as the country pushes for self-sufficiency in its semiconductor industry to counter sanctions imposed by Washington over national security concerns. China’s lead in the volume of research papers has paralleled its rapid progress toward self-sufficiency in semiconductors.
A Chinese chip manufacturing facility. Photo: Caixinglobal
A research note from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CISI), a Washington-based think tank, notes that China is “building massive data centers, expanding its power sector, and developing homegrown AI chips to reduce its dependence on the West” following DeepSeek’s success.
China has also welcomed a wave of scientists returning home to work in the academic field of semiconductors, including Tsinghua University chip expert Sun Nan and, more recently, former Apple engineer Wang Huanyu, who joined Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
The world's two largest economies have been engaged in a tech war in recent years, with tensions escalating after the administration of former President Joe Biden tightened export restrictions in 2022, targeting the mainland's semiconductor supply chain.
Further chip restrictions targeting China announced last December imposed restrictions on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and three types of software essential for integrated circuit development. Washington also added 140 more Chinese semiconductor companies to its so-called “Entity List,” a move that effectively bans them from doing business with U.S. companies.
Quang Anh (according to SCMP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trung-quoc-vuot-troi-so-luong-nghien-cuu-ban-dan-hon-3-quoc-gia-tiep-theo-cong-lai-post337275.html
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