Most U.S. semiconductor toolmakers and other major firms skipped the Semicon China 2024 conference, including those that sponsored the event, according to the South China Morning Post. As the U.S. and China are in the middle of a trade war over technology, U.S.-based firms allegedly reduced their presence at Semicon China out of concerns that it might disturb the U.S. government. The conference is now mainly in the hands of domestic Chinese companies and a small contingent of Japanese firms.
Semicon China is one of the largest semiconductor-focused conferences in China and the world, featuring about 1,100 companies this year. However, given the chip war between China and the U.S., its rival on the other side of the Pacific, it was inevitable that things would be different this year. Despite being sponsors, toolmakers like Lam Research and Applied Materials did not have an exhibit. Memory manufacturer Micron also had no presence even though it was a sponsor. KLA was the only U.S. semiconductor tool firm that both sponsored and actually attended the conference.
