China’s Chip Landscape

Visualizing The Global Semiconductor Supply Chain (ASE Global, 2021) (5 minutes)

Already a bit outdated in this fast-moving industry, but a good visual intro to the industry as a whole.

Supply Chain Explorer (15 minutes)

• Don’t need to read every bit, but do get an idea of the main inputs.

This guide is “designed to quickly orient non-experts to the essential inputs, players, and relationships involved in producing semiconductor devices (i.e. chips), including AI chips. Use the Explorer to learn how these chips are made, who makes them, and the tools, materials, and processes involved in the supply chain.”

Two visualizations of the global semiconductor industry (Visual Capitalist, 2025) (5 minutes)

• The Global Semiconductor Industry, in One Giant Chart (not just foundries; the US dominates by market cap)

• Ranked: Semiconductor Foundries by Revenue Share (just foundries; only a small fraction is US-based)

Use these visualizations to get familiar with the major national players and companies in the global semiconductor industry. Notice that while the US dominates the global semiconductor industry by total market value, its revenue share of the actual chipmaking foundry business is relatively small. Taiwan dominates the globe in actual fabrication of high-end chips, including AI chips.

Introduction to AI chip making in China (IAPS, 2023) (20 minutes)

• Summary, Introduction

• Section “Key inputs, context, and organizations”

• Section “Relevant export controls” (may feel like technical jargon to some readers; if so, just read for main ideas. This section is only two pages). 

A basic overview of the key inputs to China’s chip industry, highlighting Chinese gaps compared to the West for each part of the supply chain. 

China’s Quest for Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency (CETaS, 2024) (20 minutes)

• Executive Summary

• Section 1. China’s Semiconductor Landscape

This reading gives a good overview of China’s semiconductor landscape, including major self-reliance initiatives and analyses of their success.

How US Export Controls Have (and Haven't) Curbed Chinese AI (AI Frontiers, 2025) (15 minutes)

Provides a good overview of the impact of the US-led AI chip export controls on China.

The Limits of Chip Export Controls in Meeting the China Challenge (CSIS, 2025) (15 minutes)

China has responded to the US-led chip restrictions “with an all-out effort to stimulate domestic chip innovation capabilities and eliminate dependency on foreign sources. The outcome of the chip innovation race will determine which country leads in the development and application of AI, with major strategic and economic security implications.”

Understanding U.S. Allies Current Legal Authority to Implement AI and Semiconductor Export Controls (CSIS, 2025) (15 minutes)

• Overview (page 2)

• Key U.S. AI and Semiconductor Export Control Authorities and Related Tools (pages 2-5)

• China (pages 25-27)

Why AI Can't Exist Without Taiwan (Bloomberg, 2024) (10 minutes)

“Right now, the world depends on Taiwan for almost all of the critical hardware needed to power AI. But how is its tech industry adapting to the growing threat of conflict with Beijing?"

Inside Beijing’s Chipmaking Offensive (Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 2025)

What China’s Ban on Rare Earths Processing Technology Exports Means (CSIS, 2024) (10 minutes)