China¡¦s semiconductor output jumps 40% in first quarter amid growing dominance in legacy chips The output has soared thanks partly to strong demand from downstream sectors, such as new energy vehicles and smartphones US exports control could unintentionally lead to a Chinese dominance of global legacy-chip production, researchers say China¡¦s total integrated circuit (IC) output surged 40 per cent to 98.1 billion units in the first quarter, a sign that the country is expanding its production of older-generation chips while being constrained by US trade restrictions on advanced chip-making equipment.