A close-up view of an integrated circuit chip Photo: VCG

Chinese listed companies in the integrated circuit (IC) industry that had disclosed their earnings as of Thursday reported a 99 percent rise in first-half net profit, with an increase of 12.8 percent in revenue, according to an official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Friday.

At a press conference, NDRC spokesperson Li Chao also noted that China's IC exports reached 1.49 trillion yuan in the first seven months of this year, up 91.6 percent year-on-year.

Li said that this year, China's high-end chip design and manufacturing capabilities continue to improve. Differentiated competitive advantages are rapidly taking shape in specialty processes such as power semiconductors and compound semiconductors, while accelerated breakthroughs are being made in advanced packaging, memory and other fields.

Related companies are actively investing in R&D for new technologies, with R&D spending up 13.4 percent year-on-year. In the first seven months of this year, investment in IC manufacturing rose 11.5 percent year-on-year, providing strong momentum for future growth, said the spokesperson.

In the first half of the year, major domestic wafer foundries all maintained utilization rates above 90 percent, meeting demand for automotive-grade, industrial-grade and other types of chips, delivering a strong dual performance in both production and sales, Li noted. 

Moreover, the security of the industrial chain has improved significantly, with the range of domestically produced IC equipment and materials continuing to expand, Li added.

"China possesses a super-large market, a complete industrial system and abundant talent resources. The IC industry rests on a solid foundation, enjoys vast development space and strong growth momentum, and is rapidly emerging as a globally competitive pillar industry," Li noted.

The NDRC vowed to further drive decisive breakthroughs in key core technologies across the entire industrial chain, in order to promote the high-quality development of the IC sector, and make greater contributions to the sustained, innovative, higher-quality and positive development of the Chinese economy.

Global Times