Three Chinese semiconductor equipment companies rank among the top 20 globally

In 2025, three Chinese companies ranked among the top 20 global semiconductor manufacturing equipment makers, which is three times the number in 2022. Some believe China has increased the localization rate of semiconductor equipment—once a weakness—to 20%–30%. Although the United States restricts exports of equipment to China, and China cannot develop and produce advanced semiconductors, it has already begun building an independent supply chain. Even though there is still a gap in technological strength, if this trend continues, it will pose a threat to Japan and the U.S.

The Nikkei Business Publications (Chinese version: Nikkei Chinese Net) analyzed the sales revenue of semiconductor-related equipment compiled by Japanese research firm GlobalNet, comparing 2022 and 2025 (forecast) after a comprehensive rollout of export controls on advanced semiconductor equipment to China.

NAURA (Northern Huachuang Technology Group) jumped to fifth place, closing in on the world’s top four, including ASML Holdings of the Netherlands, U.S. Applied Materials, Lam Research of the U.S., and Tokyo Electron. The company was founded in 2001 and is involved in a wide range of manufacturing equipment, including etching for cutting circuits and thin-film deposition. In 2025, sales increased 21% year over year.

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The Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. and the Financial Times merged in November 2015 to become the same media group. An alliance formed by two newspapers—Japan and the UK—that were also founded in the 19th century is advancing broad collaborations, such as joint special reports, under the banner of “high-quality, the most powerful economic journalism.” This time, as part of those efforts, article exchanges have been enabled between the Chinese websites of the two newspapers.