China's AMEC claims its chipmaking tech adopted by rivals
Quick Look
- Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) chairman Gerald Yin Zhiyao stated that the company's plasma-etching technology is now an industry standard, adopted by international rivals and used by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
- This development highlights China's push for semiconductor self-reliance amid US restrictions.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
China is aggressively pursuing semiconductor self-reliance due to tightening US restrictions that threaten to cut Chinese tech firms from Western and Japanese supply chains. Domestic chipmakers are increasingly replacing foreign tools with local alternatives.
In an interview airing on CCTV on Sunday, the head of one of China’s leading semiconductor makers said its technology has been adopted by overseas competitors
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Minxiao Changin Shenzhen
Published: 2:07pm, 18 May 2026
One of China’s leading semiconductor equipment makers is capable of producing some of the world’s most advanced chipmaking tools, according to an interview with the company’s chairman which aired on Sunday with state broadcaster China Central Television.
Gerald Yin Zhiyao of Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC)’s, who is also the AMEC’s founder, said that the company’s plasma-etching technology had become an industry standard, and that it is now adopted by its major international rivals.
The company’s etching systems currently cover node processes ranging from mature 65-nanometre chips to advanced 5nm and 3nm nodes, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, uses some products in its supply chain, he said.
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Efforts by homegrown giants like AMEC to advance their technology underscore China’s aggressive push towards semiconductor self-reliance. As tightening US restrictions threaten to cut Chinese tech firms from Western and Japanese supply chains, domestic chipmakers are swapping out foreign tools for local alternatives.
Founded in 2004, AMEC has emerged as a key pillar in China’s semiconductor equipment sector. The company has developed domestic alternatives for 17 categories of manufacturing equipment previously dominated by foreign suppliers. Its metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) business – which makes high-precision printers that use chemical gases to bake thin layers of crystals onto semiconductor wafers – has gained significant global market share in recent years, according to public disclosures by the company.
China’s leading foundry, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), had bought at least 800 machines from AMEC, SMIC’s founder Zhang Rujing said, who was also present in the interview which aired on CCTV.
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Open Questions
- What specific overseas competitors have adopted AMEC's technology?
- What is the exact market share of AMEC's MOCVD business globally?
- What are the specific US restrictions that are impacting Chinese tech firms?
- What is the long-term strategy of AMEC beyond domestic adoption?
