South Korean media: China's semiconductor technology has surpassed South Korea!
On September 22, the South Korean media "Asia Economic" published an article stating that semiconductor technology is the core industry of South Korea, but a large part of its technology has already lagged behind China. Although South Korea is ahead in process and mass production technology, it lags behind in basic and design technologies. Even after the United States imposed restrictions on China's semiconductor industry, China's semiconductor industry continues to develop rapidly, highlighting the urgent need for South Korea to enhance its semiconductor technology.
According to a report titled "Challenges and Achievements of China's Semiconductor Industry" recently released by the Overseas Economy Research Institute of the Korea Export-Import Bank, the U.S. sanctions against China's semiconductor industry have actually accelerated China's technological progress. The U.S. has listed advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, EDA (Electronic Design Automation software), high-performance computing, and AI semiconductors as key areas to strangle China's semiconductor industry and has increased the intensity of sanctions. Meanwhile, Chinese semiconductor companies and equipment companies are cooperating to find breakthroughs.
In particular, Huawei plays a role as a technical advisor and command center in China's semiconductor ecosystem and is becoming a key driving force supporting China's self-sufficiency in all aspects of the semiconductor industry value chain. Huawei leads in R&D investment and technology development in China and continues to expand its technology development efforts.
Aside from Huawei, major semiconductor companies such as SMIC and Yangtze Memory are also threatening South Korea's semiconductor industry. Driven by domestic demand and mature processes, SMIC became the world's third-largest foundry after TSMC and Samsung Electronics in 2024. Yangtze Memory holds the sixth largest share of the global NAND flash market, at 2.9%. The company is consolidating its technical capabilities comparable to those of global leading enterprises and is striving to expand its production capacity.
The rise of Chinese semiconductor companies is considered to have driven the rapid development of China's semiconductor technology. According to the conclusion of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation, although South Korea's semiconductor technology leads in processing and mass production, China has a greater advantage than South Korea in basic and core research as well as design technology.
A survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation on 39 domestic semiconductor technology experts showed that the U.S. ranks first in all fields of semiconductor basic and core research, design, processing, and mass production technology. South Korea's basic and core research level is 78.8%, and its design technology level is 79.4%, which is the lowest among the countries compared. Although China's processing and mass production technology ranks the lowest among the countries compared, with the increase in semiconductor sales, its vast domestic market is expected to drive up production.
An industry insider from South Korea said, "With semiconductors being recognized as a strategic industry, major countries are promoting the development of the semiconductor industry. South Korean companies not only need to be prepared to cope with China's pursuit, but also need to prepare for the restructuring of the semiconductor supply chain, so they need to enhance their technical capabilities."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843964669823056/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.