By Li Panpan

(JW Insights) Oct 9 -- The R&D expenditures of 208 A-share listed Chinese semiconductor companies totaled RMB39.067 billion ($5.35 billion) in the first half of 2023. Regarding R&D expense rate, Chinese AI chipmaker Cambricon was as high as 421.56%, far exceeding other companies, reported JW Insights in its recently released company rankings.

The average R&D investment of those 208 companies was RMB188 million ($25.77 million) in the first half of 2023.

SMIC topped all companies in R&D expenses during the time with RMB2.402 billion ($329.21 million). Wingtech Technology ranked second with R&D expenses of RMB1.619 billion ($221.89 million), Naura Technology third with RMB1.516 billion ($207.78 million), and Hygon Information, fourth with RMB1.23 billion ($168.58 million), all exceeding RMB1 billion ($137.06 million).

There were 16 companies with R&D expenditures between RMB500 million ($68.52 million) and RMB 1 billion ($137.06 million), including Will Semiconductor, Ninestar, NavInfo, USI, Guoxin Micro, Huahong, JCET, SMEC, Tongfu Microelectronics, Amlogic, JSG, ASR, Fudan Microelectronics, CR Micro, Goodix, and Nexchip, said the JW Insights report.

There were 17 companies with R&D expenditures between RMB300 million ($41.12 million) and RMB500 million ($68.52 million). They include Cambricon, GigaDevice, AMEC, Truchum Advanced Materials & Technology, VeriSilicon, Taiji Industry, Silan Micro, SG Micro, Changchuan Technology, Ingenic, Novo Sense, Awinic Electronics, Sanan Optoelectronics, Empyrean, Raytron Technology, BDStar and Montage Technology.

Nineteen companies invested between RMB200 million ($27.41 million) and RMB500 million ($68.52 million) in R&D, and 12 companies spent between RMB150 million ($20.56 million) and RMB200 million ($27.41 million) in R&D during the first half of 2023.

Cambricon's R&D expense ratio (the percentage of R&D expenditures in operating income) is as high as 421.56%, far exceeding that of others.

In comparison, fourteen companies' R&D expense ratio exceeded 50%, including CloudWalk, Intellifusion, Motorcomm, Loongson Technology, Empyrean, Semitronix, Halo Microelectronics, Smarter Micro, Primarius, Chipsea Technology, ASR, NavInfo, Anlogic Infotech and SDIC Micro, during the first half of 2023.

There were ten companies with R&D expense ratios between 40% and 50%, namely NationalChip, Jingjia Micro, Hygon Information, Great Microwave, 3Peak, Novosense, CellWise Microelectronics, Changchuan Technology, SMEI, and Beken Corporation, according to the JW Insights report.