The Wall Street Journal published an article on the 3rd that it is expected that by 2030, mainland China will become the world’s largest semiconductor production plant.

But tracing back to 1990, the United States and Europe produced more than whole three-quarters’ products of the world’s semiconductors, but now, the two countries (regions) account for less than one-fourth of the output.

With the rise of Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan, the manufacturing industry in the United States has gradually left the country in recent decades. Part of the reason is that Asian governments will provide subsidies and incentives for chip manufacturers to encourage the construction of factories and the development of local industries. At the same time, the semiconductor supply chain outside the United States continues to grow, and the team of skilled engineers capable of operating expensive manufacturing equipment continues to expand.

Therefore, in recent decades, the “flight” of US high-tech manufacturing has been a topic in the market. Compared with other high-end manufacturing industries, the phenomenon of loss is particularly obvious in the fields of computer hardware and consumer electronics.

The Wall Street Journal believes that if the current trend continues, China’s production capacity will increase rapidly in the next few years, while the United States’ share in the field of chip manufacturing will further shrink. In 2030, mainland China is expected to become the largest semiconductor production plant.

However, in response to this possibility, Washington has made an unusual response, that is, continuously imposing controls on mainland Chinese semiconductor companies and even using political means to strike. In response, the Chinese government has also increased its support for the chip industry, and its investment in key technology areas has been unprecedentedly large.

Although reports point out that the new crown virus pandemic has further promoted the process of returning the chip manufacturing industry to its homeland in the United States, can chip manufacturers really give up the ecosystem that has been established over the years or even decades?