The great chip leap: China’s semiconductor equipment self-reliance surges past targets

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.\nThe 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, according to a report by Jiemian News, a Chinese media outlet.\nProgress had been particularly evident in critical segments such as etching and thin-film deposition, where adoption of local equipment had surpassed 40 per cent, thanks to the progress of local manufacturers such as Naura Technology Group and Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment.\nThe 5-nanometre-grade etching machine made by Advanced Micro-Fabrication had entered validation for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s advanced process lines, according to the report.\nOxidation and diffusion furnaces from Naura accounted for more than 60 per cent of the 28nm production lines at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, China’s top foundry. Naura’s order backlog now extended into the first quarter of 2027.\n\nPiotech doubled its share of plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition equipment at Yangtze Memory Technology’s 3D NAND production lines, bringing the company’s equipment share to 30 per cent from 15 per cent, according to the report.\nChina has been working hard to reduce its reliance on imported chip equipment, particularly from the US, since Washington imposed export restrictions in 2022. Chinese developers of new semiconductor lines are explicitly required to source at least 50 per cent of tooling domestically.\nChina was projected to maintain its position as the world’s largest market for semiconductor equipment through 2027, boosted by continuous capital investment in both legacy and advanced manufacturing nodes, according to industry association SEMI.\nChinese investors are putting money into key suppliers of chip equipment. Piotech’s share price in Shanghai has jumped 150 per cent over the past year, while Naura gained 75 per cent and Advanced Micro-Fabrication surged 85 per cent.\nChina is encouraging the development of domestic chip equipment through financing support from the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, known as the “Big Fund”. Its third phase recently announced a 2 billion yuan (US$286 million) investment into the sector, specifically targeting research and development of core components for etchers and lithography systems.\nThe Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was also offering procurement subsidies of up to 15 per cent to companies that adopt domestic equipment in their wafer fabrication production lines, according to the report.\n