Manufacturing Superpower China Imports $362 Billion in Chips in Just 7 Months

[ChineseTiger1986]

It's between 5% to 10% now.

It will soon be evolved with the induction of the new EUV.

 

[kankan326]

The main reason is the periodic price increases in memory and storage.

Correct. China didn't import more. Just paid more for soaring prices.

 

[Nan Yang]

View attachment 215181
China's customs data for July 2026 show imports of electronic integrated circuits worth about $63.83 billion in that single month. A UIBE trade-data analysis gives a closely related “chip products” figure of about $63.92 billion, up 70.9% YoY.

Even more remarkable, during January–July 2026, China imported roughly $361.8-362.4 billion of IC/chip products. Its largest sources were Taiwan (~$112.45bn), South Korea (~$108.89bn) and Japan (~$31.93bn).

There is also a fascinating change in China's import structure. January-July IC imports were up 58.3% in value but only about 8.2% in physical units. That means the average imported value per IC rose enormously, roughly 46% by one calculation.

And China simultaneously exported about $216bn of ICs during Jan–July. So its gross semiconductor trade looked approximately like:
IC imports → $361.8bn
IC exports → $216.0bn
Net IC imports → ~$145.8bn
Despite possessing one of the world's deepest semiconductor manufacturing ecosystems.

No major manufacturing economy has a perfectly national supply chain. China importing ~$64bn of ICs in one month is an extreme contemporary demonstration of it.

Imports are trending downwards.
Exports are trending upwards.

Sounds like a China is on the right track.

 

[indo17787]

More semiconductors = more exports.
China has own DUV machines and soon own EUV machines with logic folding technique. This is why your source explains 216billion in semiconductor exports too. That will grow exponentially when EUV machines are in working order.

China cracking that 1.4trillion surplus in trade this year so all looking great!

China's net physical IC imports still comfortably outclass exports lol. In Jan-Jul 2026 China imported 364.75 billion IC units while exporting only 211.84 billion. Imports were up 8.2% YoY meaning China needed an extra 27.5 billion imported chips over last year itself. And this happened when China's retail growth was basically dead and fixed investment was falling. Even Zheshang Securities points out the obvious reason: China occupies a huge chunk of the back end semiconductor and integrated assembly chain, so that gigantic manufacturing base itself keeps sucking in imported upstream chips.

宏观专题研究：2026年7月进出口数据传递的信号：集成电路价格增速首度放缓 中美峰会前再起波澜__新浪财经_新浪网

宏观专题研究：2026年7月进出口数据传递的信号：集成电路价格增速首度放缓 中美峰会前再起波澜

stock.finance.sina.com.cn

So yes, the mighty manufacturing superpower itself still needs an absolutely hilarious number of foreign chips just to keep that machine fed

 

[Han Patriot]

China's net physical IC imports still comfortably outclass exports lol. In Jan-Jul 2026 China imported 364.75 billion IC units while exporting only 211.84 billion. Imports were up 8.2% YoY meaning China needed an extra 27.5 billion imported chips over last year itself. And this happened when China's retail growth was basically dead and fixed investment was falling. Even Zheshang Securities points out the obvious reason: China occupies a huge chunk of the back end semiconductor and integrated assembly chain, so that gigantic manufacturing base itself keeps sucking in imported upstream chips.

宏观专题研究：2026年7月进出口数据传递的信号：集成电路价格增速首度放缓 中美峰会前再起波澜__新浪财经_新浪网

宏观专题研究：2026年7月进出口数据传递的信号：集成电路价格增速首度放缓 中美峰会前再起波澜

stock.finance.sina.com.cn

So yes, the mighty manufacturing superpower itself still needs an absolutely hilarious number of foreign chips just to keep that machine fed

what about endia? Can you guys make DUV machines? What nm are you fabricating? OOO right...

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

what about endia? Can you guys make DUV machines? What nm are you fabricating? OOO right...

They are planning to build fabrication plant of the 28 nm chip with the western technology.

China has pretty much 100% controlled the entire supply chain of the 28 nm chip which no single nation can achieve it.

Now China is working for 100% 14 nm, and soon it gonna be 100% 7 nm.

 

[indo17787]

what about endia? Can you guys make DUV machines? What nm are you fabricating? OOO right...

Lmao why are you even looking at India, a middle power? I thought China was supposed to be competing with the best of the West and East Asia. Why suddenly lower the benchmark? lol

I

Thread 'India's DRDO develops indigenous GaN technology for next-gen radars, electronic warfare; tiny 3.5×3 mm chip delivers up to 30W power'

Sunday at 10:42 AM

The MoD report gives several rather important technical details together:

• Indigenous GaN MMIC technology has been demonstrated and implemented for applications up to X-band.
• A single indigenous GaN chip is only 3.5 × 3 mm and can deliver up to 30 W.
• DRDO has indigenously designed/fabricated S-band GaN HEMT power bars, power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers and switch MMICs.
• SSPL has developed 4-inch SiC wafer growth/manufacturing processes.
• The broader technology base has demonstrated GaN HEMTs up to 150 W and...

• indo17787
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Indian Defence Forum

• 
• 

 

[indo17787]

They are planning to build fabrication plant of the 28 nm chip with the western technology.

China has pretty much 100% controlled the entire supply chain of the 28 nm chip which no single nation can achieve it.

Now China is working for 100% 14 nm, and soon it gonna be 100% 7 nm.

India can already make high purity photolithography intermediates for photoresists, anti-reflective coatings, photo acid generators and even conductive inks. Even some of the organic chemicals used to make semiconductor photoresists are being produced here now and shipped to South Korea and Japan.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

India can already make high purity photolithography intermediates for photoresists, anti-reflective coatings, photo acid generators and even conductive inks. Even some of the organic chemicals used to make semiconductor photoresists are being produced here now and shipped to South Korea and Japan.

It is only in your shupapowah dream.

India celebrates first home-grown chip despite modest specs

: It’s been to space. It likely won’t launch India as a semiconductor superpower

www.theregister.com

 

[indo17787]

It is only in your shupapowah dream.

India celebrates first home-grown chip despite modest specs

: It’s been to space. It likely won’t launch India as a semiconductor superpower

www.theregister.com

India does have its own chip-design startups now. And I don't mean those usual “design houses” doing contract work for foreign companies lol. I'm talking about Indian firms owning the semiconductor IP themselves and actually selling chips based on it.

Kerala start-up unveils first AI system-on-chip

Kerala's Netrasemi launches A2000, India's first AI system-on-chip, ready for commercial production to enhance edge AI applications.

www.thehindu.com