China chip exports jump 136% to US$45b as AI frenzy jacks up prices

China’s integrated circuit (IC) exports surged 136 per cent year on year in September to US$45 billion, exceeding the 108 per cent growth rate in the first nine months of the year in a sign of the country’s rising influence in the global semiconductor supply chain.

In September, China exported 32.7 billion units of ICs, according to customs data released on Wednesday, a 1 per cent year-on-year increase in volume. But higher prices fuelled the 136 per cent jump in value amid a memory chip shortage stemming from the global building spree in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The first three quarters as a whole saw exports of 275.2 billion IC units worth nearly US$302 billion, according to the General Administration of Customs.

The growth in semiconductor exports far outpaced overall export growth from China, which rose 36.3 per cent year on year to US$447.18 billion last month.