The looming possibility of greater U.S. chip restrictions and worsening disruptions in the semiconductor supply chain have become the dominant topic among Chinese chip experts at an industry forum in Shanghai, where some experts declared “globalization is dead”. Industry insiders shared their concerns at the Semicon China conference in Shanghai about interruptions to the semiconductor supply chain as Washington reportedly considers further tightening its export controls to slow the flow of AI chips to China. New rules would apply to chips like the Nvidia A800 graphics processing unit. Wei Shaojun, Director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Microelectronics and an official of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), said China is the biggest victim of de-globalization in the semiconductor industry because the country expected to be able to tap global resources. “When globalization is destroyed, the industry model has great shortcomings, as China cannot realize the global allocation of resources,” he said. A ban of the Nvidia A800 which Washington is considering, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, would present both new challenges and opportunities for China, according to Wei. “If the U.S. bans the sale of A800 chips, they are blocking their own way,” he said, adding that the new ban could be a chance for China to accelerate the sourcing and development of alternatives.
Han Di, Senior Vice President of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), China’s largest wafer foundry, said the country must find new ways to embed itself in the cross-border supply chain. “Traditional industrial cooperation is facing new challenges and opportunities,” Han said. He suggested that China focus on chip materials and components, as well as develop the capability to manufacture advanced chips. “As the leading integrated circuit company in mainland China, SMIC has always adhered to compliant operation, open innovation, and win-win cooperation,” he said.
The U.S. escalated its technology export controls on China last October, further restricting its access to advanced chips and equipment. Under the updated rules, tools that enable Chinese foundries to make chips of 14-nanometer and more advanced are barred from sale to China without U.S. government approval. Lung Chu, President of Semi China, said the slump in the chip industry has spread to the whole supply chain amid geopolitical tensions and an industrial downturn, the South China Morning Post reports.
China lags behind the U.S. in both technology and production capacity in advanced chips, according to Tsinghua’s Wei, and the problem cannot be solved in the short term despite the country’s willingness to spend lavishly. “We must aim for the mass production of much-needed high-end chips, which have been banned or restricted by the West,” Wei said.
