China outpaces US in next-gen chip research dominance

The study found that 475,000 research papers on chip design and manufacturing were published globally between 2018 and 2023, according to Nature.

China accounted for 34% of them, far surpassing the U.S. at 15% and Europe at 18%.

While AI and large language models dominate the tech sector, China is prioritizing advancements in domestic chip manufacturing.

In terms of impact, half of the top 10% most-cited research papers came from China, compared to 22% from the U.S. and 17% from Europe, according to Tom’s Hardware.

Although these findings do not confirm China’s leadership in the field, "arguably, it’s showing us where things are headed," said Zachary Arnold, lead analyst at the Emerging Technology Observatory (ETO) at Georgetown University in Washington, which conducted the analysis, as cited by Nature.

A circuit board containing older-generation chips. Photo by VnExpress/Bao Lam

China has been ramping up research output across various fields, Arnold noted. "But I don’t know if we’ve seen a field where there is quite this difference," he added.

"When you see so much activity, it’s hard to imagine that [won’t] have an effect on China’s technological capability and ultimately manufacturing capability in the coming years."

Jacob Feldgoise, a data research analyst and China specialist at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, which hosts the ETO, said China is exploring various next-generation technologies that, if commercialized, would be "very difficult" for the U.S. to control.

"If China is able to commercialize some of this technology, it’s not that they would be catching up, but potentially leap-frogging," he said.

Since October 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce has restricted the sale of certain advanced chips and manufacturing equipment to China.