CompanyGraph
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation
0981 · HKEX · China
A foundry that converts Chinese fabless IC designs into manufactured wafers at 28nm and older nodes, using large-scale foundry infrastructure operating entirely within China's domestic semiconductor ecosystem.
Export controls restrict SMIC to DUV lithography tools, which fixes the foundry mechanically at 28nm and older nodes, and because EUV scanners remain legally unavailable, any attempt to reach sub-14nm geometries requires multi-patterning that multiplies mask layers and reduces wafer throughput per tool-hour — a regulatory-physics ceiling that additional capital cannot overcome. That ceiling defines which fabless customers can be served, concentrating the customer base on designs qualified for mature nodes and binding those customers further through 6-to-12-month requalification cycles that make migration to an alternative foundry structurally costly. Mature capacity can expand through additional fab construction at established process nodes, but because all facilities sit within a single regulatory jurisdiction, any tightening of controls on currently permitted DUV tools or imported silicon wafers would cut off every fab in parallel, collapsing the process floor that the entire qualified customer base depends on. National IC Fund subsidies create pressure toward technology self-sufficiency targets that the same export controls make unreachable, and yuan depreciation against the dollar raises the cost of the imported equipment on which even the permitted mature-node capacity depends.
How does this company make money?
The foundry charges per-wafer manufacturing fees based on process node complexity and die size. Customers pay separately for mask sets (the physical templates used to pattern circuits onto wafers), engineering services, and packaging. Payment is recognised upon wafer shipment and customer acceptance testing.
What makes this company hard to replace?
Customer IC designs are qualified and optimised specifically for the foundry's process design kits and manufacturing specifications, requiring 6-to-12-month requalification cycles to migrate to an alternative foundry. Chinese government procurement policies favour domestically manufactured chips, creating a regulatory barrier for customers seeking to switch to foreign foundries.
What limits this company?
Access to EUV lithography is legally blocked under U.S. export controls, and multi-patterning on available DUV tools cannot replicate EUV's single-exposure resolution at sub-14nm geometries. The process node ceiling is therefore not a capital constraint but a regulatory-physics constraint — one that additional fab construction cannot overcome.
What does this company depend on?
The foundry depends on ASML DUV lithography systems for 28nm and mature node production, Applied Materials and Lam Research etch and deposition tools operating under export license, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company advanced packaging services for some customer products, Synopsys and Cadence EDA (electronic design automation — software used to verify that a chip design conforms to manufacturing rules) software licenses, and Shin-Etsu and SUMCO silicon wafers imported from Japan.
Who depends on this company?
Chinese fabless semiconductor companies including HiSilicon and Unisoc would lose domestic manufacturing access for telecommunications and consumer chips. Automotive electronics manufacturers in China would face supply chain disruption for power management and sensor ICs. Chinese government agencies and state-owned enterprises would lose access to domestically manufactured chips for infrastructure projects.
How does this company scale?
Mature node manufacturing capacity replicates through additional fab construction and equipment installation at established process technologies. Advanced node development cannot scale past 14nm without access to restricted EUV lithography and the process integration expertise that requires multi-generational technology transfer — that expertise gap remains the bottleneck regardless of capital available for construction.
What external forces can significantly affect this company?
U.S.-China trade restrictions periodically tighten export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials. Chinese government subsidies through the National IC Industry Investment Fund create pressure to achieve technology self-sufficiency targets. Yuan depreciation against the dollar increases costs for imported manufacturing equipment denominated in foreign currency.
Where is this company structurally vulnerable?
All fabs are consolidated within a single regulatory jurisdiction, so a tightening of export controls that further restricts currently permitted DUV tools or silicon wafer imports from Japan would cut off all facilities in parallel rather than allowing production to shift across jurisdictions. That would collapse the process node floor that the entire customer qualification base was built around.