Tuesday, May 28th 2024
China Launches Massive $47.5 Billion "Big Fund" to Boost Domestic Chip Industry
Beijing has doubled down on its push for semiconductor self-sufficiency with the establishment of a new $47.5 billion investment fund to accelerate growth in the domestic chip sector. The fund, officially registered on May 24th under the name "China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Phase III", represents the largest of three state-backed vehicles aimed at cultivating China's semiconductor capabilities. The announcement comes as tensions over advanced chip technology continue to escalate between the U.S. and China. Over the past couple years, Washington has steadily ratcheted up export controls on semiconductors to Beijing over national security concerns about potential military applications. These measures have lent new urgency to China's quest for self-sufficiency in chip design and manufacturing.
With a war chest of 344 billion yuan ($47.5 billion), the "Big Fund" dwarfs the combined capital of the first two semiconductor investment vehicles launched in 2014 and 2019. Officials have outlined a multipronged strategy targeting key bottlenecks, focusing on equipment for chip fabrication plants. The fund has bankrolled major projects such as flash memory maker Yangtze Memory Technologies and leading foundries like SMIC and Huahong. China's homegrown chip industry still needs to catch up to global leaders like Intel, Samsung, and TSMC. However, the immense scale of state-directed capital illustrates Beijing's unwavering commitment to developing a self-reliant supply chain for semiconductors—a technology viewed as indispensable for economic and military competitiveness. News of the "Big Fund" sent Chinese chip stocks surging over 3% on hopes of fresh financing tailwinds.
Source:
Reuters
With a war chest of 344 billion yuan ($47.5 billion), the "Big Fund" dwarfs the combined capital of the first two semiconductor investment vehicles launched in 2014 and 2019. Officials have outlined a multipronged strategy targeting key bottlenecks, focusing on equipment for chip fabrication plants. The fund has bankrolled major projects such as flash memory maker Yangtze Memory Technologies and leading foundries like SMIC and Huahong. China's homegrown chip industry still needs to catch up to global leaders like Intel, Samsung, and TSMC. However, the immense scale of state-directed capital illustrates Beijing's unwavering commitment to developing a self-reliant supply chain for semiconductors—a technology viewed as indispensable for economic and military competitiveness. News of the "Big Fund" sent Chinese chip stocks surging over 3% on hopes of fresh financing tailwinds.
21 Comments on China Launches Massive $47.5 Billion "Big Fund" to Boost Domestic Chip Industry
They will push to technical advancements sooner or later.
Export restrictions will not stop them.
It'd be nice if you could provide anything deeper and constructive, because if you didn't know - US industry got its start by the illegal import and cloning of British industrial equipment, and my own country's champion Ericsson got its start by cloning German telephones and improving their designs.
I really don't see it as inevitable at all, nor worry about it much.
The good news is that Taiwan is our ally so we can afford to be sloppy. The bad news is that we're going through with this CHIPS act (and China is doing the same on their side) because of the obvious tensions in the region. So we actually shouldn't rely upon Taiwan. (Yes, they are a friend, but China can easily bomb them and mess up their production)
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We likely will have an easier job than China if only because we can easily talk and communicate with Taiwan / TSMC and import their knowledge. ARM China is literally stolen tech.: Key Arm China Staff Quit to Create Government-Backed Startup (yahoo.com)
ARM China is a big mistake I hope we don't repeat ourselves with. Remember moving forward: they don't play fair with our IP. The whole ARM vs ARM-China, and then the transfer of technology to Shenzhen has been well documented and followed.
Today: ARM only controls 5%ish of ARM-China. Fortunately, not all of the tech from ARM got stolen into ARM-China but... uggggh. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. China forces a local company to exist (ex: ARM-China getting founded in 2018). A bunch of tech transfers to the Chinese company. The Chinese company uses local laws and regulations to bully the original company and ultimately, the companies break off (ARM vs ARM China), and China ends up with a ton of tech.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
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Fortunately, Western businessmen are learning and likely won't let these mistakes happen again. Well, at least ARM's business execs won't. Maybe other companies remain ignorant of this pattern. Its well regarded that China doesn't care about our IP laws (I mean... our IP laws suck. So I understand why China dislikes them...). But its important to acknowledge that this is going on.
I see the Chinese as perfectly capable of catching up and leapfrogging the West within the next 25 years if things continue as they are.
Imho in some cases it will be just 10 years, in some they are already there - and in some it will be those 25.
Plus people really forget that they are talking about 1.4 billion people in a very large country, more than the entire Western world. There will be boatloads of talent, as well as resources of all kinds - it would be incredibly strange not to see progress. FFS, they literally lifted ~700 hundred million out of poverty in a bit more than one generation - incredible feat.
I think it is really hard to move past stereotypes and accept China as equals (which is what they want and have clearly said so) - especially with all the antagonism. Easier to hate autocracies after all.
Consider their target is to build up the whole supply chain
and be independent from all the suppling countries being 'Hostile' to them.
That includes raw materials, to chemicals, to design, to manufacture the manufacturing machines, to actual manufacturing.
The so-called 'Big Fund' is wayyyyyy too little for that.
95% money scam for the higher-ups again.
And if they do... we'll just steal it from them. Tit for tat
I don't see much of an issue. Time is everything in any market. Everything. China is trying to make up for lost time. They can't time travel to the future. We'll be there too. The net result if China advances and we advance is more competitive chip fabs. The military industrial complex you say?
www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2024/03/chinas-defence-budget-boost-cant-mask-real-pressures/#:~:text=The%20draft%20budget%20revealed%20that,%2Dyear%20average%20of%207.5%25.
So far it seems like Xi needs ever stronger repression and scaffolding under his 'strategy' to keep it afloat. Things are not well in China. They haven't fixed a single economic issue that's plagued them since Covid, so the natural response is to play strong man and silence all opposing voices. Its a one way ticket to failure.
#2: You're pointing out that China sometimes develops their own tech.
We're talking past each other. But that's fine, because I'm pretty sure the posters here care more about line#1 moreso than line#2. Ignore line#1 at your own peril to your own arguments.