Китайские техкомпании и глобальный AI-бум: экспорт микросхем вырос на 96% до $177 млрд

Chip Exports Nearly Doubled

China's exports of integrated circuits jumped 96% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, reaching $177.3 billion, according to Chinese customs data. This is the main driver of the country's physical tech exports. Integrated circuits are a core component of servers, smartphones, and AI accelerators, and it is this category that saw the sharpest jump among all tech export categories.

The push came from a global surge in AI spending. Demand for chips, servers, and data center equipment has driven up shipments worldwide. Companies serving the training and inference of large models are buying hardware in volumes the market has never seen before, and Chinese manufacturers are meeting part of that demand.

• Integrated circuit exports — $177.3 billion in the first half of 2026
• Growth — 96% year-on-year, nearly double
• Source of the figures — Chinese customs statistics
• Two channels of expansion — physical supply chains and cloud software with foundation models

Integrated circuit exports nearly doubled in value, adding 96% year-on-year, according to

Chinese customs data for the first half of 2026, as reported by South China Morning Post.

Why Are Companies Looking for Demand Abroad?

Chinese tech companies are expanding their presence abroad because global AI spending is growing while competition at home is intensifying. The domestic market is overheated: dozens of players are fighting for the same customers, which is squeezing margins and delaying the payback on development costs.

The domestic race affects both chipmakers and model developers: when dozens of comparable products compete in the same market at once, prices fall and the payback period for development costs stretches out. Expanding into foreign markets is a way to monetize already-built technology where AI demand still outpaces supply.

The expansion is happening along two channels. The first is the familiar physical supply chain: chips, servers, networking equipment. The second, which is gaining weight, is cloud software and foundation models sold as a service rather than as hardware. In the first half of 2026, this software layer became a noticeable part of the export strategy.

Software and Models Instead of Hardware

Beyond microchips, Chinese companies are increasingly exporting cloud software and their own foundation models abroad. This is a shift from exporting hardware to exporting the software layer and AI services that can be delivered to customers worldwide without physical logistics or customs restrictions.

This shift matters because cloud services and models generate recurring revenue and tie foreign customers to the Chinese tech ecosystem — unlike one-off chip shipments. By selling access to models and cloud platforms, companies build long-term relationships with customers instead of closing a single hardware supply deal. For customers abroad, it's also more convenient: a cloud model can be connected instantly, without importing equipment or setting up their own infrastructure.

What Does This Mean?

Chinese tech exports are no longer just "hardware": on top of a record $177.3 billion in chip shipments in the first half of 2026, a growing layer of cloud software and AI models is being added. For the global market, this means competition for AI infrastructure and platforms is becoming truly global, and Chinese players are no longer fighting for it with chips alone.