Chip Shot: Despite Asian Dominance, China's Advancement, US Aims to Be Semiconductor Powerhouse
News 18While the COVID-19 pandemic and international trade disputes put pressure on the industry’s supply of semiconductors, as well as value chains, the competition between the United States and Asia, particularly China, for technological dominance is now taking a new turn. Tech Insights’ latest analysis report has highlighted that according to the investigation of a MinerVa Bitcoin mining chip, SMIC has built a 7-nanometer chip utilising a manufacturing technique that was a reasonable replica of a comparable method employed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Asian Dominance In terms of the latest revelation regarding China’s advanced chipmaking technology, David P. Goldman, an American economist stated on Twitter that though according to Tech Insights’ analysis “SMIC’s 7nm chip is a ‘low-volume production’ item that ‘may be the stepping stone for a true 7nm process”, it is “still a breakthrough”. Pankaj Garg, CEO and Founder of DailyObjects told News18: “For many decades, the US has been a leader in the chips industry by controlling the majority of the market and the recent developments with SMIC’s 7nm technology node have triggered the US to tighten chips export controls with stricter licensing policies aimed at Chinese entities.” According to Garg: “Post Covid, as the industries and markets are recovering and the demand for chips is skyrocketing, such sanctions and international trade disputes are straining the industry’s supply of chips, critical for growth in numerous sectors. At present, Taiwan, China, and South Korea produce a majority of the world’s chips due to their 25-40% lower manufacturing costs, while the US’s share of semiconductor manufacturing has dropped from 40% to 12% in three decades.