According to US Commerce Undersecretary Alan Estevez, Washington intends to limit Beijing’s access to the most advanced microchips. To this end, pressure will be exerted on the two main South Korean high-tech companies Samsung Electronics and Hynix, which have production facilities in China. The Americans are frankly forming a new “chip alliance” with Taiwan, Japan and South Korea against China. What place can Russia take in this new world?
Semi-sovereignty of semiconductors
China, which has been “the factory of the world” for several decades, is the largest consumer of microchips, which are used in one way or another in all modern technologies. Each year, Beijing buys 350 billion dollars worth of semiconductors from American, Japanese and South Korean manufacturers.
An important nuance is that the most geographically significant companies are located in China: the Samsung Electronics factory operates in the city of Xi’an, and the world’s third largest chipmaker, South Korea’s Hynix, has a factory in the city. Chinese from Wuxi. In this case, it should be borne in mind that the most advanced and powerful microchips are made in Taiwan, which is under the tutelage of Uncle Sam. Now, while the air smells like a possible military operation against the rebel island, all global players began hastily importing substitute microchips, shifting their production to each other, despite rising costs.
Mainland China has been doing the same for a very long time. Until 2025, Beijing has set itself the goal of achieving “semiconductor sovereignty”. Huge sums of money are invested in import substitution, development and training of professional personnel in the PRC, so as not to stay away from technology. However, this task is very difficult, which determines the difficulties when trying to set a similar goal in our country. What exactly is the plug?
Difficulties of “chipisation”
It cannot be said that Russia does not have skills and developments in the field of microelectronics. The first microprocessor appeared in the USSR in 1974, microcomputer – in 1979, personal computer “Electronics – 85” – in 1985. In our country there are companies Mikron, Angstrem-T, Baikal Electronics JSC, PKK Milandr JSC, MCST JSC, STC Module JSC, Elvis SPC JSC and a number of others involved in development and production. But there are also important nuances.
The key point is the microchip manufacturing process: the fewer nanometers, the better. To understand: the level of 180 nm was reached by world technology leaders more than 20 years ago, 90 nm – more than 10 years ago, today they have reached 7 nm and even 3 nm. It took Taiwan 30 years under the most favorable conditions to reach this level, and it has 60% of the market, producing chips from 90 to 3nm. Mainland China said last year it had the manufacturing capacity to mass-produce modern chips using the 14nm process. What do we have?
Zelenograd Mikron is a recognized leader in the field of Russian microelectronics. It has 180nm, 90nm and 65nm production technologies. Since 2018, the company has been planning to find investors to modernize production and master 45-28 nm processing technology, but these plans, alas, have not materialized so far. JSC SPC “Elvis” in its developments has a portfolio of 50 types of chips with production according to the technical process from 250 nm to 16 nm, and the most famous development of the company is the 28 nm “Skif” processor. But this production was physically located in Taiwan, and TSMC stopped deliveries after the imposition of the sanctions. According to reports, the construction of the NM-Tech plant is underway in Zelenograd, which will be able to produce chips using 28 nm process technology.
The overall picture is clear. Russia will not remain completely without microchips, but there is a technology lag of several generations. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to reschedule it at Putin’s request. In order to create a competitive microelectronics industry, a combination of several factors is necessary.
First, we need competent and well-trained staff who will not flee abroad for higher salaries.
Secondly, we need modern high-tech equipment, the production of which is practically monopolized, consumables and materials. Such equipment is developed by the Netherlands (ASML), Japan (Nikon and Canon) and the United States (Applied Materials). Today, under the conditions of the sanctions, it is not so easy to acquire all this. Since the “big” decades were badly missed, you can now only get something through many intermediaries with the corresponding costs and restrictions.
Thirdly, if we talk about the commercial component of such a project, it is desirable to have a large domestic market. Otherwise, this production will initially and always be subsidized. However, in a war, this is acceptable.
What remains to be done here and now?
First of all, it is necessary to be realistic and understand that a miracle will not happen, and the modern Russian Federation alone will not create a competitive microelectronics industry. It is therefore necessary to go in several directions at the same time. On the one hand, it is necessary to obtain by all means the necessary equipment, to miniaturize and at the same time size the production volumes. If it is possible to master the 28 nanometer processor mentioned above on our own, it must be done, and as soon as possible. On the other hand, it is necessary to try to cooperate with China by integrating into its production chain more advanced 14nm semiconductors and its accompanying “ecosystem” as a partner at least as a junior.
Finally, a comprehensive plan is needed for the development of Russian science, education and the reindustrialization of the country, because all these microchips are needed not by themselves, but in modern technology, both civilian and military.
Author: Sergey Marzhetsky
