After the United States blocked Chinese chip companies with sanctions, China started working hard on making its very own chip tools. A recent report from the Emerging Technology Observatory tells us that Chinese research groups have left American teams far behind when it comes to new chip technology studies. Looking at papers published between 2018 and 2023, researchers around the world wrote almost 475,000 articles about designing and making chips. Chinese teams wrote 34% of these papers, way ahead of American researchers at just 15% and European groups at 18%.
Chinese research stands out not just for how much they produce but also for how good it is. When experts looked at the top 10% of most important papers - the ones other scientists refer to most often - Chinese researchers wrote half of them. American scientists only contributed 22% of these top papers, and European teams managed 17%. This shows China leads both in numbers and in creating research that matters to scientists everywhere. They focus on brain-like computing systems, light-based electronics, and machines that print tiny circuits onto silicon.
The United States tried to slow China down in 2022 by blocking sales of advanced chipmaking equipment - specifically anything that helps make chips smaller than 14 nanometers. However, the huge amount of Chinese research suggests these blocks might not work forever. Chinese universities and companies keep publishing important studies that other scientists find valuable enough to cite in their work. The theoretical knowledge keeps growing even when manufacturing tools remain limited under American trade rules.
Right this minute, all that research hasn't fully turned into real-world factories yet. Only one Chinese company called SMIC can make chips at 7 nanometers and 5 nanometers. To create more powerful chips for artificial intelligence and supercomputers, Chinese manufacturers need better equipment to print even smaller circuits - down to 3 and 2 nanometers. They need better light-based printing tools to make these tiny parts in large numbers. The research papers show that Chinese scientists understand what needs to happen - they just need to build the actual machines next.
Chinese research stands out not just for how much they produce but also for how good it is. When experts looked at the top 10% of most important papers - the ones other scientists refer to most often - Chinese researchers wrote half of them. American scientists only contributed 22% of these top papers, and European teams managed 17%. This shows China leads both in numbers and in creating research that matters to scientists everywhere. They focus on brain-like computing systems, light-based electronics, and machines that print tiny circuits onto silicon.
The United States tried to slow China down in 2022 by blocking sales of advanced chipmaking equipment - specifically anything that helps make chips smaller than 14 nanometers. However, the huge amount of Chinese research suggests these blocks might not work forever. Chinese universities and companies keep publishing important studies that other scientists find valuable enough to cite in their work. The theoretical knowledge keeps growing even when manufacturing tools remain limited under American trade rules.
Right this minute, all that research hasn't fully turned into real-world factories yet. Only one Chinese company called SMIC can make chips at 7 nanometers and 5 nanometers. To create more powerful chips for artificial intelligence and supercomputers, Chinese manufacturers need better equipment to print even smaller circuits - down to 3 and 2 nanometers. They need better light-based printing tools to make these tiny parts in large numbers. The research papers show that Chinese scientists understand what needs to happen - they just need to build the actual machines next.
