Physix Frontier · News Briefing Card (enbrief · Sep 16, 2026)

China Unveils 15th Five-Year Plan for Electronics; South Korea Fears Export Risks

KEY FACTS

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) jointly issued the '15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Electronic Information Manufacturing Industry.'
The plan sets targets to refine mature process nodes, advance cutting-edge processes, and industrialize ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors.
South Korean IC companies have deepened their reliance on China, with dependence on key raw materials like gallium reaching 98%.
The US has revoked equipment exemptions for Samsung and SK Hynix factories in China, extending controls to cloud computing power.
China's integrated circuit exports exceeded $250 billion in the first eight months of 2026, doubling year-over-year.

KEY DATA

98%South Korea's Gallium Dependence on China

10%CXMT Global DRAM Market Share

55%Localization Rate of Mainland Mature Node Equipment

$82 billionProjected Mainland IC Capex by 2030

PHYSIX OBSERVATION

The shift from single-point support to full-chain breakthroughs signals that domestic substitution has entered deep waters. While external blockades have accelerated the formation of closed-loop verification for domestic production lines, critical bottlenecks such as lithography remain significant. The industry must beware of misreading the 'lane-changing overtaking' narrative as comprehensive technological superiority; the true competitive moat lies in building a self-controllable and commercially viable ecosystem amidst a shortage of high-end process talent.

Source: enbrief original report ↗