China's total output of semiconductors in March declined further from the previous two months, dragged down by supply chain disruptions in manufacturing industries, as the government once again initiated lockdowns and other restrictions under its zero-Covid-19 policy.
The country's production of integrated circuits (ICs) last month dropped 5.1 per cent from a year earlier to 28.5 billion units, compared with a 1.2 per cent decrease in the January-February period, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. The agency, which did not provide a breakdown of chip types, does not publish separate monthly data for January or February.
That marked a sharp contrast from March last year, when the total chip output surged 37.4 per cent to 29.1 billion units. NBS data showed that China's overall first-quarter IC output reached 80.7 billion units, a 4.2 per cent decrease from the same period last year.
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"The latest lockdown in Shanghai has further aggravated the situation by disrupting logistics and clogging up supply chains, which has affected many small and medium-sized enterprises," said William Wang, chief executive at Shanghai-based semiconductor manufacturing consultancy IC Cafe.
China's latest Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions have created a nightmare for logistics operators, who are desperate to get cargo to ports and across borders, as the country's manufacturers and exporters race to meet delivery deadlines.
That may further complicate the expansion plans of China's semiconductor industry amid the US government's efforts to set up an industry alliance with its Asian allies.
"The supply chain instability has prompted firms to be more cautious in placing orders and tightened investments," IC Cafe's Wong said. "Without a strong financial stimulus, I suspect the decline in chip output will continue in the short term."
The drop in semiconductor production volume in March comes amid a slowdown in China's overall industrial value-added output growth, which reached 5 per cent last month, NBS data showed. That was down from 7.5 per cent in the first two months of the year.
The fall in semiconductor output also coincided with decreased car production. China's car output in March decreased 4.9 per cent from a year ago to 2.4 million units, compared with 11.1 per cent growth in the January-February period, according to NBS data.