Korean Media: "China’s Semiconductors Can No Longer Be Underestimated!"
On September 18, South Korea’s Financial News published an article stating that whenever China’s semiconductor industry is discussed, commentators often claim it remains “several years behind.” From the perspective of cutting-edge processes or high-bandwidth memory, this assessment is not entirely unfounded. As of now, ChangXin Memory Technologies, China’s largest DRAM manufacturer, ranks as the world’s fourth-largest DRAM producer, trailing Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron. Its global DRAM market share hovers around 7%.
This may explain why, each time ChangXin releases a new product, domestic Korean analyses tend to assert that the technological gap between Chinese and Korean firms has narrowed to just a few years. Hearing such claims evokes a sense of reassurance—“Korea still leads.”
Yet recent developments involving Apple cast doubt on this assumption. Reports indicate that Apple is considering incorporating ChangXin’s DRAM chips into its iPhone and MacBook lines. The company’s interest in ChangXin stems not from superior performance compared to Samsung or SK Hynix, but primarily from the strategic need to diversify suppliers amid ongoing memory shortages.
Ultimately, markets are not battlesfields of technology. This implies that Chinese semiconductor products do not necessarily need to outperform their Korean counterparts to pose a competitive threat. As long as they meet customer performance requirements, deliver reliable volumes on schedule, and offer favorable pricing terms, they can become formidable competitors.
Therefore, even if ChangXin ultimately fails to secure a supply contract with Apple, being included in the candidate list carries significant weight. The mere presence of an additional supplier alters Apple’s bargaining power relative to existing partners. Moreover, ChangXin benefits from substantial financial backing and is actively expanding production capacity. Even if it continues to lag in advanced products, increasing output in mainstream DRAM could exert mounting pressure on Samsung and SK Hynix—regardless of technical gaps. This dynamic is already evident in sectors such as displays and batteries, where “Made in Korea” once held dominant positions. Yet no matter how advanced a company’s technology, it cannot sustain itself without market leadership.
Naturally, there is no need to overstate ChangXin’s growth trajectory. It still faces significant challenges, including technological hurdles, yield optimization, equipment procurement, and U.S. regulatory scrutiny. However, asking when ChangXin will surpass Samsung and SK Hynix may be an ill-posed question. Market competition does not begin with shifts in technical rankings, but with the moment a new brand appears on a buyer’s selection list.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876630920058954/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.