https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/519753/feed Get the latest on China’s push for semiconductor innovation, as the nation strives for self-reliance in this critical technology. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Nayan Seth Nayan Seth US Republican Senator Steve Daines, a close aide to President Donald Trump and a key interlocutor between Washington and Beijing, has called on the two capitals to stay engaged and “not retreat” over differences on issues including rare earth supply chains. Daines told the South China Morning Post that both sides still had issues that predated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington last week and that they would continue working on them after the summit. “So that’s again why... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369505/no-retreat-key-trump-ally-urges-continued-us-china-engagement-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369505/no-retreat-key-trump-ally-urges-continued-us-china-engagement-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Eve Qiao Eve Qiao China’s top state research body has put artificial intelligence (AI) and other frontier technologies at the heart of its new five-year plan unveiled on Monday, as global competition in science and technology heats up. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the country’s highest academic institution, laid out a detailed blueprint for research and technology development aligned with the national 15th five-year plan covering 2026 to 2030. The plan focuses on innovation in areas including AI and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369084/china-targets-ai-and-frontier-tech-newly-unveiled-innovation-blueprint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369084/china-targets-ai-and-frontier-tech-newly-unveiled-innovation-blueprint?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:00:17 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu China is attempting to breathe new life into its nearly 20-year-old Han Xin code by promoting a miniaturised version to use on semiconductors, marking the latest chapter in Beijing’s long-running attempt to secure a foothold for its home-grown standards in global industrial supply chains. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said on Monday that the “Micro Han Xin” code – a scaled-down iteration of the 2007-era symbology – had entered the formal international standardisation... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3368357/china-eyes-chip-industry-foothold-tiny-han-xin-code-challenge-us-standard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3368357/china-eyes-chip-industry-foothold-tiny-han-xin-code-challenge-us-standard?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards “constructive strategic stability”. In the fourth part of this series, Sylvia Ma looks at the economic and technological levers available to both in their protracted rivalry. For years, Huawei Technologies has served as a central battleground in the contest between the world’s two largest economies. As Washington... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3368262/us-china-tech-war-has-evolved-last-xi-trump-summit-who-has-edge-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3368262/us-china-tech-war-has-evolved-last-xi-trump-summit-who-has-edge-now?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 22:00:06 +0000 Ralph Jennings,He Huifeng Ralph Jennings,He Huifeng President Xi Jinping has reiterated calls for China to make its supply chains more resilient and self-sufficient while accelerating the creation of a modern industrial system underpinned by advanced manufacturing. Xi’s latest directives, issued at a national conference on advanced manufacturing in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, were said to be aimed at strengthening the Chinese economy, the state-run Xinhua reported. Xi’s push this week echoed Beijing’s previous statements and came as the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3367877/president-xis-industrial-power-play-sees-china-bet-big-ai-chips-and-smarter-factories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3367877/president-xis-industrial-power-play-sees-china-bet-big-ai-chips-and-smarter-factories?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:29:58 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Artificial intelligence agents are increasingly taking the wheel in designing China’s next-generation semiconductors, as Beijing and domestic technology firms accelerate efforts to integrate AI into chip design software to bolster national self-sufficiency. Empyrean Technology, China’s top maker of electronic design automation (EDA) tools, has been accelerating the chip design process by using AI-optimised algorithms and agentic tools, according to company chairman Liu Weiping. By applying an AI... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3367245/beijing-pushes-ai-assisted-chip-design-part-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3367245/beijing-pushes-ai-assisted-chip-design-part-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,William Zheng,Dewey Sim Khushboo Razdan,William Zheng,Dewey Sim Rising tensions over artificial intelligence are shaping the final preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States. Washington and Beijing are discussing the possibility of folding a long-awaited AI dialogue into a broader economic meeting in the days before Xi meets US President Donald Trump, according to several people familiar with the arrangements. The two leaders agreed in Beijing in May to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on AI. For months, that channel was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367242/ai-fight-shadows-final-preparations-xi-jinpings-white-house-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367242/ai-fight-shadows-final-preparations-xi-jinpings-white-house-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang On the windswept plains just south of Tibet’s second-largest city, the towering smart inspection systems and automated cargo gantries of a brand-new international land port gleam under the plateau’s high-altitude sun. Official road maps predict the multibillion-yuan project in Shigatse will process up to 300 trucks daily by the end of 2030 – loading cargo off trains and onto the trucks that will take goods to their final destination. It will also allow the authorities to carry out customs checks... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3365622/can-beijings-gateway-plan-tibet-survive-geopolitics-and-natural-disasters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3365622/can-beijings-gateway-plan-tibet-survive-geopolitics-and-natural-disasters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Vincent Chow,Lucy Quaggin Vincent Chow,Lucy Quaggin The front page of the Danville Register & Bee, a local newspaper in southern Virginia with a circulation of fewer than 4,000, carried an unusual headline. “LEADER: CHINA BEHIND THE MISCONCEPTIONS”, it read, above a photograph of two homes dwarfed by a data centre behind. The leader in question was Vic Ingram, chair of the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority (RIFA), a local body jointly established by the city of Danville and neighbouring Pittsylvania County to promote... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3365368/small-virginia-town-distrust-big-tech-hampers-trumps-ai-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3365368/small-virginia-town-distrust-big-tech-hampers-trumps-ai-push?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:27:24 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng The China unit of Dutch chipmaker Nexperia has announced plans to shift its entire product line to a domestic 12-inch silicon wafer foundry, pursuing what it calls “independent operations” amid a nearly one-year-long dispute with its European headquarters. Speaking at a press conference themed “based in China, serve the world” on Sunday, Nexperia’s China team – which used to source wafers from the firm’s European fabrication plants – said it was moving towards “100 per cent domestic production”,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3365049/nexperias-china-unit-pivots-domestic-12-inch-wafers-pursuit-100-independence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3365049/nexperias-china-unit-pivots-domestic-12-inch-wafers-pursuit-100-independence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:12:26 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao When Liao Heng joined Huawei Technologies’ chip-design unit in 2016, he was sceptical about whether China could ever build world-class semiconductors. A former child prodigy who entered Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University in 1987 at age 14 before moving to Princeton University for postdoctoral research, Liao had spent over a decade in the United States watching what he described as a “long sunset” for American chip start-ups. Working abroad, he noted, often bred a “blind arrogance” that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3362960/top-huawei-chip-scientist-opens-strategy-blind-arrogance-and-his-war-hero-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3362960/top-huawei-chip-scientist-opens-strategy-blind-arrogance-and-his-war-hero-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:29:31 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is meeting US officials and lawmakers in Washington this week amid reports that its export-controlled processors have been used to train advanced Chinese artificial intelligence models. Huang met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, US outlet Axios reported, citing an anonymous source. Neither the US Commerce Department nor Nvidia confirmed that the meeting occurred, and its purpose was not disclosed. “Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362184/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-meets-us-officials-scrutiny-grows-over-china-chip-access?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362184/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-meets-us-officials-scrutiny-grows-over-china-chip-access?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:21:58 +0000 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/series/3362173/exclusive-jacob-helberg-interview?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/series/3362173/exclusive-jacob-helberg-interview?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:12:20 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth Washington is still not receiving sufficient critical mineral exports from China, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday, even as top American and Chinese officials met to finalise key economic deliverables for President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the White House. “We are getting a flow of critical minerals from China. It’s not as much as we would want. It’s not at the pace we would want, but we are getting them,” Greer said during his testimony before the Senate Finance... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3361513/us-not-getting-enough-critical-minerals-china-greer-says-xi-trump-meeting-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3361513/us-not-getting-enough-critical-minerals-china-greer-says-xi-trump-meeting-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:36:35 +0000 Winston Mok Winston Mok Nvidia’s H200 chips, a step down from its most advanced Blackwell line, have resumed imports into China, albeit in small quantities. Meanwhile, China’s chip exports nearly doubled in the first half of this year. Much of these exports are mature logic integrated circuits for applications in consumer electronics and automotive sectors. While the US is the undisputed leader in the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips, China is emerging as a dominant player in mass market legacy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3361162/win-chip-war-china-needs-multinational-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3361162/win-chip-war-china-needs-multinational-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Alice Li,Xiaofei Xu Alice Li,Xiaofei Xu Beijing has urged the Netherlands to ensure fair treatment for Chinese companies and maintain stable chip supply chains during a visit by the Dutch trade minister, as the two sides navigate tech tensions with Washington while seeking a “clean break” from friction over Nexperia. “We hope the Dutch government will create a fair, impartial and predictable business environment for Chinese companies investing in the Netherlands,” Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said during a meeting with his Dutch... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3359872/beijing-seeks-chip-stability-and-fair-market-access-during-dutch-trade-ministers-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3359872/beijing-seeks-chip-stability-and-fair-market-access-during-dutch-trade-ministers-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu China’s campaign for semiconductor self-sufficiency has entered a consolidation phase, with state-backed toolmakers swallowing smaller rivals in a bid to forge national champions aimed at defying US export curbs. In the latest move, Shanghai-listed chip equipment maker Piotech said in a filing to the stock exchange on Saturday that it planned to acquire a controlling stake in Wuxi Shangji Semiconductor. Piotech’s largest shareholder was China’s state-backed National Integrated Circuit Industry... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3358745/chinas-piotech-looks-acquire-wuxi-shangji-amid-us-chip-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3358745/chinas-piotech-looks-acquire-wuxi-shangji-amid-us-chip-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:30:07 +0000 Ruby Tong Ruby Tong The market realignment over the past week starkly captures the self-defeating logic of America’s technology containment strategy. The momentum began on June 15, when the shares of Chinese artificial intelligence pioneer Zhipu AI, which trade in Hong Kong under Knowledge Atlas Technology, surged by 48 per cent intraday after it announced the open-source release of its GLM-5.2 foundation model. The rally continued this week, with Zhipu’s shares trading at an intraday high of HK$2,980 (US$380) in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3357959/hong-kong-can-take-regulatory-high-road-amid-us-china-ai-decoupling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3357959/hong-kong-can-take-regulatory-high-road-amid-us-china-ai-decoupling?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:30:06 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado,Mark Magnier Teresa Elena Frontado,Mark Magnier The Pentagon signalled on Monday that it was adding Alibaba, BYD, Baidu and dozens of other Chinese companies to its list of entities it says are linked to China’s military, widening a blacklist that increasingly targets sectors at the heart of US-China technological competition. In a Federal Register notice scheduled for publication on Wednesday, the US Department of Defence designated a broad range of Chinese firms as “Chinese military companies” under Section 1260H of the National Defence... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3356419/us-adds-alibaba-byd-and-other-chinese-tech-champions-military-company-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3356419/us-adds-alibaba-byd-and-other-chinese-tech-champions-military-company-list?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:37:23 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has discovered a new source of high-purity quartz in its western Tibet autonomous region, potentially reducing its reliance on imports of the critical material to make solar panels and semiconductors. High-purity quartz is a gold standard manufacturing material for numerous hi-tech items, including some whose global market is dominated by China. China has relied on imports to obtain the important material, with most coming from the United States, because of a lack of domestic sources for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3356271/tibet-quartz-discovery-boosts-chinas-self-sufficiency-push-hi-tech-materials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3356271/tibet-quartz-discovery-boosts-chinas-self-sufficiency-push-hi-tech-materials?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2026 02:00:10 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong Since US President Donald Trump launched a tariff war against China during his first term in office, Washington has steadily expanded restrictions on Chinese access to advanced technologies, targeting semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, aerospace systems, supercomputers and a broad range of dual-use technologies. These export controls are aimed at slowing China’s rise in high-end manufacturing and frontier science. But Beijing’s rapid progress in a number of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3355495/china-team-drafts-comprehensive-sanctions-list-targeting-us-allies-63-tech-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3355495/china-team-drafts-comprehensive-sanctions-list-targeting-us-allies-63-tech-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:00:05 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu A Dutch minister who was previously sanctioned by Beijing will lead a business delegation to China in early July, according to a source familiar with the planning, as the two nations navigate thorny bilateral issues such as newly proposed US export curbs on ASML chipmaking tools and the Nexperia ownership debacle. Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, who was recently removed from Beijing’s sanction list, will lead a four-day visit starting on July 6 with stops in Beijing and Shanghai. In the capital, the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3355057/chinas-date-once-sanctioned-dutch-trade-minister-cards-early-july-source?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3355057/chinas-date-once-sanctioned-dutch-trade-minister-cards-early-july-source?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 11:03:33 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi Twenty-six US semiconductor firms, from Qualcomm to Nvidia, saw their China revenue climb by an average of 20 per cent last year, despite trade tensions, according to a new analysis. The data, featured in the latest “Hurun Top 100 US Enterprises in China 2026” report released by the Hurun Research Institute on Monday, tracks the performance of 100 publicly listed American companies based on their revenue in China last year. Among the top 100 earners in China, 26 were from the semiconductor... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3354805/us-chipmakers-china-see-revenue-rise-defying-trade-tensions-hurun-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3354805/us-chipmakers-china-see-revenue-rise-defying-trade-tensions-hurun-list?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 15:03:11 +0000 Kandy Wong,Ji Siqi Kandy Wong,Ji Siqi US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the US-Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest instalment of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we explore the intensifying US-China legal arms race. For years, global businesses have been struggling to navigate rising trade tensions between the United... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3353567/us-china-trade-war-entering-worrying-new-phase-legal-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3353567/us-china-trade-war-entering-worrying-new-phase-legal-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 22:00:18 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao As China undergoes a sweeping economic transition, its regions are also in the process of embracing change. The powerhouses of yesteryear must adapt or risk falling behind, as traditional industries become less reliable growth drivers and new sectors take prominence. In this series, we explore three representative areas of the country as they attempt to navigate this rapidly changing environment. After a 900km (559-mile) journey at the end of last month’s Chinese New Year holiday, 24-year-old Ma... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3347381/kunshan-chinas-foxconn-nerve-centre-old-tech-tries-learn-new-tricks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3347381/kunshan-chinas-foxconn-nerve-centre-old-tech-tries-learn-new-tricks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Beijing’s global pharmaceutical push is following a playbook seen in rare earths, semiconductors and electric vehicles, US lawmakers said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the United States’ reliance on Chinese drug ingredients. “China is cornering the market on our medicines – from the supply of generic drugs that Americans depend on every day, to the cutting-edge biotech pipeline that will determine who leads medicine in the years and decades ahead,” said John Moolenaar, the chair of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347087/fears-grow-over-us-drug-supplys-rising-dependence-chinese-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347087/fears-grow-over-us-drug-supplys-rising-dependence-chinese-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:33:43 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency is shifting from broad aspiration to a precision strike on chokepoint materials, with photoresist – the light-sensitive chemical essential for etching microscopic circuits onto silicon wafers – emerging as a new battlefield. The sector, which provides the key material for lithography, was expected to enter a critical stage of “accelerated breakthroughs and large-scale application” over the coming years, according to Fu Zhiwei, chairman of Xuzhou... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3346555/precision-strike-china-targets-us-japan-stranglehold-photoresist-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3346555/precision-strike-china-targets-us-japan-stranglehold-photoresist-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Denis Simon Denis Simon With the conclusion of China’s annual parliamentary “two sessions” meetings, emerging policy priorities suggest its relationship with the United States is entering a new technological era. This year’s government work report set an economic growth target of 4.5 to 5 per cent and announced increased fiscal support for science and technology, including a 10 per cent funding rise for research and development and over 16 per cent for basic research. More than routine budget adjustments, these figures... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346402/two-sessions-signals-china-us-tech-contest-entering-new-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346402/two-sessions-signals-china-us-tech-contest-entering-new-era?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Representatives of China’s semiconductor industry are calling for stronger state backing in artificial intelligence chips and critical materials, aiming to fast-track core technology breakthroughs. During last week’s “two sessions” – the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and advisory body – scholars and entrepreneurs in the semiconductor sector urged Beijing to leverage the nation’s advantage in strategic chip raw materials and accelerate the commercial application of AI chips to secure... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3345997/chinas-chip-industry-seeks-more-state-support-ai-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3345997/chinas-chip-industry-seeks-more-state-support-ai-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:00:12 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo If Caligula were the president of the United States, Taiwan’s leader William Lai Ching-te might still kowtow to him. By now, it seems pretty clear that US President Donald Trump has no real policies to speak of, only caprice and vague ideological preferences. That was how bad emperors acted, and Trump obviously sees himself as some kind of king, unrestrained by anything other than his personal inclinations. It’s not surprising there have been “No Kings” protests across the US. From his lifelong... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344682/taipei-must-break-free-its-abusive-relationship-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344682/taipei-must-break-free-its-abusive-relationship-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng The Shanghai Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, backed by the municipal government, has expanded one of its three funds more than 11-fold to pump more capital into the financial hub’s chip firms as part of China’s broader pursuit of tech self-reliance. The third phase of the fund, also known as Shanghai IC Fund III, recently increased its registered capital by 5.5 billion yuan (US$794 million) to 6 billion yuan, according to business registry database Aiqicha. It added two new equity... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3343061/tech-war-shanghai-boosts-chip-fund-11-fold-under-chinas-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3343061/tech-war-shanghai-boosts-chip-fund-11-fold-under-chinas-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:30:12 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Chinese chip designer Shanghai Iluvatar CoreX Semiconductor has unveiled a multi-year graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture road map, aiming to surpass Nvidia’s next-generation Rubin platform within two years, amid the country’s push for semiconductor self-reliance. The company said its Tianshu architecture had outperformed Nvidia’s Hopper platform last year, while a second architecture, Tianxuan, would be built to benchmark against the US firm’s Blackwell platform. A third, Tianji, was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3341368/iluvatar-corex-targets-nvidias-rubin-gpu-road-map-amid-china-chip-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3341368/iluvatar-corex-targets-nvidias-rubin-gpu-road-map-amid-china-chip-push?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng A joint Chinese-US research team says it has developed a new semiconductor manufacturing method that it says could “open up entirely new avenues” to develop high-performance light-emitting and integrated devices. The process would surpass conventional lithography machines, which are the main way today of making the semiconductors used in most electronics. When a lithography machine etches a chip circuit, the laser strikes the material vertically. If light goes sideways, it causes uncontrolled... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3341149/china-us-teams-feat-could-open-entirely-new-avenues-semiconductors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3341149/china-us-teams-feat-could-open-entirely-new-avenues-semiconductors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s drive for chip manufacturing equipment self-sufficiency advanced so rapidly in 2025 that even the country’s planners were caught by surprise, as the ratio of domestically developed semiconductor equipment surged to 35 per cent by the year’s end, up from 25 per cent in 2024. The ratio was higher than Beijing’s target of 30 per cent, set in early 2025 to encourage China’s semiconductor industry to favour local suppliers over US rivals such as Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3339366/great-chip-leap-chinas-semiconductor-equipment-self-reliance-surges-past-targets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3339366/great-chip-leap-chinas-semiconductor-equipment-self-reliance-surges-past-targets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:00:28 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han In its push to secure supplies of critical minerals, the Donald Trump administration has increasingly looked abroad to reduce vulnerabilities in supply chains that underpin many of the world’s most advanced technologies. From China to the Democratic Republic of Congo to Ukraine, key strands of US foreign policy in recent months have centred on access to these materials – a group of roughly 60 minerals that the US Geological Survey considers vital to national and economic security, including rare... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3337551/will-us-led-pax-silica-shore-minerals-supply-chains-and-counter-chinas-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3337551/will-us-led-pax-silica-shore-minerals-supply-chains-and-counter-chinas-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 22:27:27 +0000 James Chai James Chai US President Donald Trump finally agreed to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s plea that the company be allowed to sell H200s to China, estimated to be a US$10 billion opportunity. Although Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping responded “positively”, early signs indicate that China may want to limit H200s imports to reduce reliance on the US and develop domestic capability. The White House’s artificial intelligence (AI) tsar, David Sacks, said that China is rejecting H200s, and the Financial... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336487/us-export-controls-have-fuelled-chinas-ai-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336487/us-export-controls-have-fuelled-chinas-ai-development?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:32:26 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Kandy Wong Ralph Jennings,Kandy Wong US President Donald Trump’s green light for Nvidia to sell H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips in China signals a calculated shift to export older technology, according to analysts who see the move as aiming to fortify the US market share while dampening China’s urgency for self-reliance. But some predict an ongoing policy tug of war in the US between advocates of this week’s relaxation and those who prefer continued tight restrictions on hi-tech gear shipped to China. Trump said on Monday... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3335774/us-china-tech-thaw-trump-clears-nvidia-h200-exports-why-green-light-matters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3335774/us-china-tech-thaw-trump-clears-nvidia-h200-exports-why-green-light-matters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China is stepping up its chip self-sufficiency push by combining relatively mature chips with new computing architectures in an effort to approach Nvidia’s performance levels, according to a top industry expert. Logic chips made with a 14-nanometre process, which are generally seen as trailing cutting-edge AI processors, could reach a performance comparable with Nvidia’s 4nm products if they were integrated with high-performance memory and an innovative computing architecture, said Wei Shaojun,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3334938/huawei-style-chip-stacking-seen-path-china-rival-nvidias-gpus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3334938/huawei-style-chip-stacking-seen-path-china-rival-nvidias-gpus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Ningrong Liu Ningrong Liu My recent visit to Mianyang, the second-largest city in Sichuan province, revealed a place little known despite being just a 90-minute drive from Chengdu. Its unique distinction lies in its high concentration of scientists – a legacy of its role as a central hub during the “Third Front Construction” from 1964 to 1978. This was a critical period when China relocated strategic industries inland to build a self-reliant economy against a backdrop of external threats. This era formed the second of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333115/beyond-us-china-decoupling-self-reliance-now-global-movement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333115/beyond-us-china-decoupling-self-reliance-now-global-movement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese tech giant Baidu unveiled two artificial intelligence chips at its annual developer and client event on Thursday, underscoring the company’s ambition to play a pivotal role in the nation’s drive for technological self-sufficiency, alongside Huawei Technologies and other domestic players. Baidu introduced the M100, designed by its chip unit Kunlunxin Technology to significantly enhance inference efficiency in models using the mixture-of-experts technique, and the M300, tailored for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3332596/baidu-unveils-ai-chips-boost-chinas-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3332596/baidu-unveils-ai-chips-boost-chinas-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 06:05:56 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese officials have agreed to hold talks with their Dutch counterparts regarding the Nexperia crisis, which has thrown the global automotive chip supply chain into uncertainty, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday. In response to remarks made by Netherlands’ Economy Minister Vincent Karremans on Friday – indicating that Nexperia chips made in China could resume shipments in the coming days – Beijing expressed hope that the Dutch side would take concrete actions and agreed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3332035/nexperia-crisis-beijing-agrees-talks-dutch-officials-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3332035/nexperia-crisis-beijing-agrees-talks-dutch-officials-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:44:25 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi Amid the apparent absence of a concrete deal being reached with Washington on one of Beijing’s long-standing points of trade contention – export controls on the most advanced semiconductors – analysts say it reflects China’s increasing resolve to become more independent from the US. After a meeting with President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday morning, US President Donald Trump said the two sides “did discuss chips”. “China is going to be talking to Nvidia and others about taking chips …... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3330932/after-xi-trump-talks-lack-semiconductor-deal-seen-tech-independence-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3330932/after-xi-trump-talks-lack-semiconductor-deal-seen-tech-independence-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Winston Mok Winston Mok After a video call last Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng are expected to meet in Malaysia this week to hopefully ease tensions before US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping potentially meet on the sidelines of this year’s Apec summit. The meeting was in doubt when Trump threatened to impose an additional 100 per cent tariff on China, despite later relenting that it might not be sustainable. Washington blamed Beijing for the escalation,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3329654/can-scott-bessent-see-chinas-trade-counterstrike-clear-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3329654/can-scott-bessent-see-chinas-trade-counterstrike-clear-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Shaoshan Liu Shaoshan Liu Beijing has expanded export controls on rare earths. The latest move requires foreign buyers to obtain a Chinese export licence and extends controls to foreign-made products that use rare earths or technology from China. Washington shot back with threats of sweeping tariff hikes. Markets shuddered and supply-chain chiefs braced. The stakes are systemic. China wields a chokepoint through its dominance in processing of rare earths and manufacture of magnets; the US wields the world’s most powerful... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3329374/us-china-tit-tat-escalation-now-feature-not-bug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3329374/us-china-tit-tat-escalation-now-feature-not-bug?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 09:53:59 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen AMIES Technology, a new Chinese lithography equipment manufacturer that showcased its latest chipmaking products at an industry event in Shenzhen last week, is offering renewed optimism in the nation’s drive to reduce its dependence on Dutch giant ASML. The company presented a wide range of products – including compound-semiconductor lithography machines, laser-annealing systems, advanced inspection tools and solutions for packaging and wafer bonding – at the WeSemiBay Semiconductor Ecosystem... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3329508/meet-amies-chinas-new-hope-breaking-reliance-asmls-chipmaking-machines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3329508/meet-amies-chinas-new-hope-breaking-reliance-asmls-chipmaking-machines?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s megacities are moving in tandem to draw capital to semiconductor research and development, as Beijing accelerates its chip self-sufficiency drive in the face of tightening US export controls. Major technology hubs including Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hangzhou – and even lesser-known players like Hubei province – have all launched major chip industry investment projects in the past few months, with regions competing to emerge as powerhouses in the strategically vital sector, according to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3329415/chinas-secret-weapon-chip-battle-us-intense-city-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3329415/chinas-secret-weapon-chip-battle-us-intense-city-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 08:59:29 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said the company’s position in China has dropped from 95 per cent of the advanced chip market to zero, as the US semiconductor giant is not allowed to sell its advanced products to mainland companies under US export restrictions. “Hopefully, we will continue to explain and inform and hold on to hope for a change in policy”, he said at a Citadel Securities event in New York on October 6. A video of the interview was published on Wednesday. “At the moment, we’re... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3329292/nvidia-chief-holds-hope-policy-change-china-market-share-drops-0-95?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3329292/nvidia-chief-holds-hope-policy-change-china-market-share-drops-0-95?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:30:09 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow When Alibaba Group Holding’s CEO Eddie Wu Yongming took the stage at the company’s annual Apsara conference in Hangzhou on September 24, few people expected the media-shy executive to deliver anything shocking, especially since he read from prepared statements at last year’s event. Wu, however, immediately outlined a clear road map for Alibaba’s AI development, with a goal towards so-called artificial superintelligence (ASI) – when the firm’s Qwen open-source models and cloud services would... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3328568/chinas-lesson-us-it-takes-more-chips-win-ai-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3328568/chinas-lesson-us-it-takes-more-chips-win-ai-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 04:00:13 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China’s embassy in Mexico issued a sharp rebuke after a US diplomat urged the country to help Washington reduce reliance on Chinese-made semiconductors, calling the remarks coercive and accusing the United States of practising “economic bullying”. In a statement posted on Wednesday on X, the embassy said recent comments by Mark Johnson, the chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Mexico, “revealed Washington’s true intentions”. Johnson had told the Mexico-US Semiconductor Forum that the United... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3327556/china-slams-trumps-envoy-mexico-over-push-cut-dependence-chinese-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3327556/china-slams-trumps-envoy-mexico-over-push-cut-dependence-chinese-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:54:02 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Allowing US companies like Nvidia to compete in China fits the interests of both Beijing and Washington, according to Jensen Huang, the US chipmaker’s founder and CEO, as Chinese players gear up to be Nvidia-free. Washington should allow its technology industry to compete globally – including in China – to “proliferate the technology around the world” and thereby “maximise America’s economic success and geopolitical influence”, he said. China is “nanoseconds behind” the US, “so we’ve got to go... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3327138/china-nanoseconds-behind-us-chips-says-nvidias-jensen-huang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3327138/china-nanoseconds-behind-us-chips-says-nvidias-jensen-huang?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 08:11:20 +0000