Abstract
This CETaS Briefing Paper explores China’s quest for semiconductor self-sufficiency and its implications for the UK and Korean semiconductor industries. Building on an April 2024 CETaS Research Report that analysed UK-Korea cooperation on semiconductors and AI, this paper focuses on intellectual property and chip design, compound semiconductors, high-bandwidth memory chips, mature-node vulnerabilities and policy coordination. The authors’ recommendations include initiatives to: develop more detailed contingency plans in the event of Chinese oversupply in the mature-node chip market; establish a verification framework for enhanced chip security; and combine the UK’s strengths in design and IP with Korea’s strengths in manufacturing and memory devices. If the UK is to address its shortcomings in the semiconductor industry, it will need to deepen its collaboration with countries such as Korea. Much of this collaboration should focus on optimisation – a key success factor in the sector, affecting every link in the value chain.