May. 12, 2023 /SemiMedia/ -- According to Bloomberg, U.S. chip imports rose 13% to $15.4 billion in the first quarter of this year.

The report pointed out that mainland China's chip exports to the United States decreased by 10.8% year-on-year to $710 million. As trade tensions and sanctions between China and the United States escalate, mainland China's chip exports to the United States have shrunk further, while India's exports have increased by nearly 38 times.

The report shows that Asia is still the main source of US chip imports, but the supply chain has changed since last year. Malaysia, home to many chip-testing and packaging facilities, saw its direct exports to the U.S. drop by almost a third in value, while Thailand's almost doubled. As trade tensions and sanctions between China and the United States escalated, China's chip exports to the United States shrank further, while India's exports rose nearly 38 times to $497.1 million.

The report pointed out that the first quarter chip imports of the United States highlighted the challenges faced by the localization of chip manufacturing in the United States. The local semiconductor manufacturing project promoted by the U.S. government's United States Chips and Science Act is still years away.