China’s semiconductor output rose 23.1% in the first seven months of 2026 to 334.2 billion units, as integrated circuit production expanded by more than 20% year‑on‑year and industrial robot manufacturing increased nearly 30%, official data showed. Rapid AI development and related investment were cited as major contributors to the surge.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that chip output remained strong in July, with semiconductor production at 53 billion units, up 20.7% year‑on‑year. An earlier NBS breakdown showed value‑added output in integrated circuit manufacturing jumped 67.3% in the first half of the year, underscoring fast expansion in a key area for computing and AI.
Semiconductors and AI investment fuel production growth
NBS figures point to broad spill‑overs from China’s AI boom into chips, intelligent equipment and advanced manufacturing. Value‑added output of the computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing industry rose 15.4% in the first seven months, accelerating to 19.1% growth in July.
Robotics provided a visible gauge of the trend: China produced 635,056 industrial robots in January–July, up 28.5% year‑on‑year, with July output at 98,677 units, a 30.2% increase. Service robot production climbed 12.2% over the same period to more than 12.1 million units.
High‑tech manufacturing overall outpaced the broader industrial sector. Value‑added output of high‑tech manufacturing grew 13.8% year‑on‑year in the first seven months, versus a 5.3% expansion for major industrial enterprises. In July alone, high‑tech manufacturing rose 16.9%.
Investment trends reinforced the production momentum. Investment in integrated circuit manufacturing increased 11.5% year‑on‑year in the first seven months, accelerating by 2.7 percentage points from the first half, according to Zhang Gang of the NBS investment department. Investment in electronic circuit manufacturing surged 57.7%, with its growth rate up 2.1 percentage points, while investment in electronic special materials manufacturing rose 9.4%.
AI‑related spending also stood out: investment in information services increased 19.2% in the January–July period, 3.7 percentage points faster than in the first half, and accelerated deployment of AI computing capacity helped support equipment investment.
The data highlighted specific company developments tied to the trend. Chinese memory chip maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) raised about $8.6 billion in its July IPO after first‑quarter revenue surged more than sevenfold year‑on‑year. In robotics, Unitree Robotics’ IPO drew intense investor interest, reportedly more than 8,000 times oversubscribed.
The strength in semiconductors, robotics and AI‑linked industries contrasted with the broader industrial picture: value‑added output of China’s major industrial enterprises rose 5.3% in the first seven months; manufacturing output increased 5.6%; equipment manufacturing grew 9.7%; and high‑tech manufacturing grew 13.8%. Among advanced products, output of 3D printing equipment surged 52.3% and lithium‑ion batteries rose 40.2%.
NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui told a press briefing that new growth drivers accounted for about half of the growth in value‑added output of major industrial enterprises in the first seven months, and that accelerating digitalization and intelligent transformation provided a strong boost to related industries.
The figures come as Beijing places chips, AI and robotics at the center of efforts to develop new growth drivers during the 15th Five‑Year Plan period. The 2026 Government Work Report called for developing semiconductors and other emerging industries, fostering future industries including embodied intelligence, and further advancing the “AI Plus” initiative to combine digital technologies with China’s manufacturing and market strengths.
