[News] China Reportedly Tops Chip Startup Investments With USD 30 B, Capturing Over 50% Worldwide

According to South Korean outlet FNnews, China is accelerating its semiconductor ambitions, drawing more than half of global semiconductor startup investments. Citing research from the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the report shows that between 2015 and 2025, China secured USD 30.25 billion in semiconductor startup funding, accounting for 52.9% of the global total of USD 57.19 billion.

As the report highlights, during the same period, 1,342 semiconductor startups were established worldwide. China represented the largest share with 640 companies (47.7%), followed by the U.S. with 248 (18.5%) and South Korea with 54 (4.0%).

The report further indicates that China recorded 1,130 investment rounds, representing 38.2% of the global total, and achieved the highest average investment per semiconductor startup at USD 671 million.

ETRI attributes China’s aggressive investment and expansion in semiconductor startups to its focus on developing manufacturing infrastructure as part of a broader strategy to achieve supply chain self-sufficiency. Since 2014, China has fueled its “semiconductor boom” through large-scale government funding and subsidies, ETNews adds.

U.S. and South Korea’s Positions in the Global Semiconductor Startup Landscape

By contrast, the U.S. ranked second with 687 investment rounds, accounting for 23.2% of the total and USD 11.39 billion, or 19.9%, of global investment. South Korea followed with 105 cases (3.5%) and total investment of USD 1.01 billion (1.8%).

In addition, ETNews highlights that although South Korea holds a smaller share of the global semiconductor startup market, firms such as Rebellions and SemiFive are working to expand beyond the nation’s traditional memory-focused ecosystem into artificial AI semiconductors.

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