China Places Three Firms in Global Top 20 Semiconductor Equipment Makers, Tripling Its Presence in Three Years

Based on last year’s data, three Chinese companies ranked among the world’s top 20 semiconductor manufacturing equipment makers, tripling China’s presence compared with three years earlier. China is believed to have raised the domestic production ratio of semiconductor manufacturing equipment—long seen as a weak point—to around 20–30% by building an independent supply chain.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun (The Nikkei) reported on the 1st, citing semiconductor-related equipment sales compiled by Japanese research firm GlobalNet, that Chinese state-owned Naura Technology Group (NAURA) ranked fifth, Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) placed 13th, and Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE) came in 20th.
In 2022, before U.S. export controls on advanced equipment to China fully took effect, NAURA was the only Chinese firm in the top 20, ranking eighth. The latest figures therefore represent a threefold increase in just three years.
Expanding the scope to the top 30, a total of five Chinese companies appear on the list, including Xingmi Semiconductor Equipment and Huahai Qingke.
China has long set improvement in semiconductor self-sufficiency as a national goal and has continued large-scale investment. Through state-led funds and vehicles under local governments, it has boosted investment in semiconductor equipment and materials. As a result, the number of equipment manufacturers has surged, and a wave of new players has entered the market.
U.S. restrictions on exports to China have further accelerated this trend. Tetsuo Omori, senior analyst at Techno Systems Research, noted, "The domestic production ratio of Chinese semiconductor equipment has rapidly climbed to around 20–30%, up from roughly 10% three years ago."
Although the United States has imposed export controls on equipment to block the development and production of cutting-edge semiconductors, China has begun to build its own independent supply chain.
Manufacturing advanced semiconductors can require more than 1,000 process steps, each needing dedicated equipment. An executive at a specialized trading company that supplies parts to Chinese equipment makers said, "Chinese companies can now cover the full range of processes, including deposition, etching, and cleaning."
As China gains the ability to produce semiconductor manufacturing equipment domestically, structural changes are expected in the competitive landscape of the global semiconductor equipment market and in the broader supply chain order.
In the short term, competition among Japanese, U.S., and European suppliers in the Chinese market is expected to intensify.
According to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), equipment sales to China are projected to rise 35% year-on-year in 2024 to 49.5 billion dollars, making China the world’s largest market with a 40% share of global semiconductor manufacturing equipment demand. China accounts for about 40% of Tokyo Electron’s sales as well.
Over the longer term, as China’s semiconductor supply chain deepens, the technological edge held by Japan and the United States could be eroded.
For now, Chinese firms have yet to develop extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment needed to produce the most advanced chips at nodes such as 2 nanometers and 3 nanometers. Christophe Fouquet, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ASML, the world’s sole producer of EUV tools, remarked in April 2025 that it would take China "a very long time" to develop such equipment. Nikkei commented, "There is still a technological gap, but if the current momentum continues, China could become a threat to Japan and the United States."


sjmary@fnnews.com Seo Hye-jin Reporter