(News) China reportedly overtakes South Korea with its semiconductor technology and even controls its memory sector

According to Chosun Biz, as of last year, China outperforms South Korea’s basic capabilities in all technical sectors, except for advanced packages, citing a report released by the Korean Science and Technology Assessment and Planning (KISTEP). .

Even in the memory technology sector, traditionally led by South Korea, China now outperforms South Korea in its basic capabilities, as the report highlights.

As Kistep noted, in 2022, Korea held its second spot, after the US and the advanced packaging technology sector, among five semiconductor technology sectors. Meanwhile, in regions such as AI semiconductors, power semiconductors, and sensors, South Korea ranked fourth and fifth in countries such as China, Japan, the EU and the US.

However, the report found that 100% accounted for the highest level in a further rating in 2024, so Korea’s high density resistive memory technology won 90.9% and dragged behind China’s 94.1%. He says that.

In particular, as Kistep shows, Taiwan is ranked first for commercialising advanced semiconductor packaging technology, while the US leads all other technology sectors in terms of basic capabilities and commercialization.

In addition, in the field of high performance and low power AI semiconductor technology, China scored 88.3%, leading South Korea’s 84.1%. In terms of power semiconductors, China has won 79.8%, well over South Korea’s 67.5%. China won 83.9% and South Korea won 81.3% on next-generation high-performance sensing technology. Only in the basic capabilities of advanced packaging technology, as noted in the report, each scores 74.2%, each equally matched.

Furthermore, as highlighted in the report, in a study assessing the technical lifecycle of the semiconductor sector, while South Korea is leading the process and mass production, China maintains the advantages of its foundation capabilities and design. I continued.

The report shows that South Korea’s basic capabilities and design technology level are the lowest among the countries evaluated, indicating that the region is the weakest link in South Korea’s semiconductor lifecycle.

As stated in the report, issues such as core talent departures, AI semiconductor technology, US-China competition, South Korea’s domestic-centered policies and rapid changes in supply chains will continue to affect the Korean semiconductor industry. I’ll give it.

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(Photo credit: Samsung)