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INNOVATION
IBM’s new 2-nanometer processor signals chip innovation boom amid record investments
Source: IBM
IBM announced the world’s first 2-nanometer processor, which can fit over 50 billion transistors into a chip the size of a fingernail. The goal of these new chips is to be as transistor-dense as possible. Last year, Apple released its 5-nanometer M1 chip and is set to produce a 3-nanometer chip by 2022.
Chip investments pick up — Investors spent $12 billion on over 400 semiconductor-related companies in 2020. 22 companies raised $2.3 billion in April alone, nearly reaching the record number from the first three months this year.
Semiconductor future — The global chip shortage will likely continue to increase semiconductor spending and investments this year. Increased processing needs from AI and machine learning will fuel chip demand in the near future. As a result, global chip revenues are expected to grow from $500 billion this year to $1.2 trillion by 2030. The EU, China, and the US will all compete for their own piece.
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With TSMC, ASML and Intel nowhere to be seen, China’s small semiconductor players take centre stage at industry expo
Che Pan in Chongqing
+ FOLLOW
Published: 7:30pm, 7 May, 2021
A visitor views the exhibits during the 17th China International Semiconductor Expo in Shanghai on September 3, 2019. Travel and trade restrictions are now putting small Chinese semiconductors companies front and centre at domestic expos as the government pushes for self-reliance. Photo: Xinhua
Small Chinese semiconductor companies are getting an unexpected boost from US restrictions on technologies needed for advanced chip-making, according to experts and industry insiders, as the tech war pushes domestic manufacturers to give them a try.
While the odds are still stacked against China being able to build a formidable semiconductor industry without US technologies, there are some bright spots along the industry value chain as Beijing pushes for localization of research and production, according to interviews with exhibitors and experts at the 2021 Global Semiconductor Industry Expo, a three-day exhibition in Chongqing that started on Thursday.
The show is largely global in name only this year, with few international exhibitors, as China continues to implement strict travel controls and trade restrictions reduce the cooperation of companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), Intel and ASML.
Attendees walk the floor at the 2021 Global Semiconductor Industry Expo on Friday. Photo: Che Pan
As a result, the floor was dominated by delegates from local Chinese governments trying to woo potential investors and small players eyeing fresh business opportunities.
“Previously, the slots of level-1, level-2 and level-3 suppliers were all occupied by foreign brands, and local brands can only wait in line,” said Teng Ran, head of integrated circuit research at CCID Consulting, referring to the priority of supplier selection. “But many companies in China are now proactively looking for domestic suppliers … and this creates business opportunities.”
Teng said that China has no other choice but to try to build up a “full supply chain”, a process that could take years, while noting that no country has yet been able to have a semiconductor supply chain solely reliant on local suppliers.
At the same time, though, China could seek to gain an advantage in a few niche areas of the industry.
Why semiconductors are important in the US-China tech war
10 Nov 2020
Gu Changshi, an investment promotion officer from the New Lingang Area in Shanghai‘s Pilot Free Trade Zone, said the US decision to limit China’s access to chip technologies is “giving an opportunity” to many small Chinese industry players, which would have no chance had US technologies been readily available.
The trade restrictions, started by former US president Donald Trump and largely continued under President Joe Biden , helped spark renewed urgency in China’s quest for semiconductor autonomy. An early casualty of the tech war was Huawei Technologies Co , which saw its smartphone business collapse last year, as it was unable to use Google apps and services or chips made with US technology. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), China’s top chip maker, also faced curtailed expansion under the restrictions.
The government has since pushed to develop Chinese alternatives to US suppliers at almost every level of production, from chip design tools to packaging.
SMIC’s strong 2020 results cement its position as China’s chip champion
1 Apr 2021
Jin Yufeng, a professor at Peking University’s School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, said there are some paths China could explore to survive the restrictions.
While China cannot buy the latest Extreme ultraviolet lithography systems from ASML, the main supplier of machines needed to produce chips using advanced 10-nanometre nodes or smaller, the country could instead focus on developing “packaging” technology, according to Jin.
This would allow Chinese companies to make products with similar performance by putting multiple chips together, an increasingly appealing option as Moore’s Law – doubling the number of transistors on a microchip every couple years – edges towards its physical limit.
IBM’s new 2-nanometer processor signals chip innovation boom amid record investments
Source: IBM
IBM announced the world’s first 2-nanometer processor, which can fit over 50 billion transistors into a chip the size of a fingernail. The goal of these new chips is to be as transistor-dense as possible. Last year, Apple released its 5-nanometer M1 chip and is set to produce a 3-nanometer chip by 2022.
Chip investments pick up — Investors spent $12 billion on over 400 semiconductor-related companies in 2020. 22 companies raised $2.3 billion in April alone, nearly reaching the record number from the first three months this year.
Semiconductor future — The global chip shortage will likely continue to increase semiconductor spending and investments this year. Increased processing needs from AI and machine learning will fuel chip demand in the near future. As a result, global chip revenues are expected to grow from $500 billion this year to $1.2 trillion by 2030. The EU, China, and the US will all compete for their own piece.
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With TSMC, ASML and Intel nowhere to be seen, China’s small semiconductor players take centre stage at industry expo
- Small Chinese companies are getting all the attention at a semiconductor expo in Chongqing after trade restrictions have made them more appealing options
- China’s domestic semiconductor industry has gotten a boost as the country scrambles for self-reliance in all parts of the industry supply chain
Che Pan in Chongqing
+ FOLLOW
Published: 7:30pm, 7 May, 2021
A visitor views the exhibits during the 17th China International Semiconductor Expo in Shanghai on September 3, 2019. Travel and trade restrictions are now putting small Chinese semiconductors companies front and centre at domestic expos as the government pushes for self-reliance. Photo: Xinhua
Small Chinese semiconductor companies are getting an unexpected boost from US restrictions on technologies needed for advanced chip-making, according to experts and industry insiders, as the tech war pushes domestic manufacturers to give them a try.
While the odds are still stacked against China being able to build a formidable semiconductor industry without US technologies, there are some bright spots along the industry value chain as Beijing pushes for localization of research and production, according to interviews with exhibitors and experts at the 2021 Global Semiconductor Industry Expo, a three-day exhibition in Chongqing that started on Thursday.
The show is largely global in name only this year, with few international exhibitors, as China continues to implement strict travel controls and trade restrictions reduce the cooperation of companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), Intel and ASML.
Attendees walk the floor at the 2021 Global Semiconductor Industry Expo on Friday. Photo: Che Pan
As a result, the floor was dominated by delegates from local Chinese governments trying to woo potential investors and small players eyeing fresh business opportunities.
“Previously, the slots of level-1, level-2 and level-3 suppliers were all occupied by foreign brands, and local brands can only wait in line,” said Teng Ran, head of integrated circuit research at CCID Consulting, referring to the priority of supplier selection. “But many companies in China are now proactively looking for domestic suppliers … and this creates business opportunities.”
Teng said that China has no other choice but to try to build up a “full supply chain”, a process that could take years, while noting that no country has yet been able to have a semiconductor supply chain solely reliant on local suppliers.
At the same time, though, China could seek to gain an advantage in a few niche areas of the industry.
Why semiconductors are important in the US-China tech war
10 Nov 2020
Gu Changshi, an investment promotion officer from the New Lingang Area in Shanghai‘s Pilot Free Trade Zone, said the US decision to limit China’s access to chip technologies is “giving an opportunity” to many small Chinese industry players, which would have no chance had US technologies been readily available.
The trade restrictions, started by former US president Donald Trump and largely continued under President Joe Biden , helped spark renewed urgency in China’s quest for semiconductor autonomy. An early casualty of the tech war was Huawei Technologies Co , which saw its smartphone business collapse last year, as it was unable to use Google apps and services or chips made with US technology. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), China’s top chip maker, also faced curtailed expansion under the restrictions.
The government has since pushed to develop Chinese alternatives to US suppliers at almost every level of production, from chip design tools to packaging.
SMIC’s strong 2020 results cement its position as China’s chip champion
1 Apr 2021
Jin Yufeng, a professor at Peking University’s School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, said there are some paths China could explore to survive the restrictions.
While China cannot buy the latest Extreme ultraviolet lithography systems from ASML, the main supplier of machines needed to produce chips using advanced 10-nanometre nodes or smaller, the country could instead focus on developing “packaging” technology, according to Jin.
This would allow Chinese companies to make products with similar performance by putting multiple chips together, an increasingly appealing option as Moore’s Law – doubling the number of transistors on a microchip every couple years – edges towards its physical limit.
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