A breakthrough by China’s largest chipmaker revealed last month triggered a gasp of surprise among observers outside the industry. But the move by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation to start shipping advanced “7 nanometre” semiconductors had only been a matter of time.
The more interesting question now is how much time and money the company is willing to sink into producing them at scale using a method their international rivals have abandoned for a more efficient one.
That development, expected to unfold over the coming year, will show whether Chinese chipmakers are really ready to prioritise the political cause of making their country self-sufficient over the business case of making money.