China’s semiconductor equipment imports rise 9% YoY in July as logic chip spending accelerates

China’s semiconductor equipment imports climbed 9% year-over-year in July, according to a Barclays report, marking a sharp acceleration from June’s 4% growth and a decisive reversal from the slump that defined the first half of the year. The rebound was fueled by two categories in particular: logic-chip equipment and back-end assembly tools. Shanghai emerged as a key hub for the uptick. From contraction to comeback The July numbers look even more impressive when you zoom out. Q1 imports had cratered 16%, and Q2 still posted a slight 1% decline overall. Lithography equipment imports rose 7%, up from a modest 3% gain in June. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment surged 15%, a dramatic swing from the 16% decline CVD imports posted in the prior period. Etching equipment still declined but at a much gentler pace: July’s 6% drop was a meaningful improvement over June’s 24% plunge. The standout performer was the assembly and back-end equipment category, which jumped 35% in July. That followed an even larger 43% increase in June. Within that segment, wire bonders posted a remarkable 61% increase. Logic over memory Barclays noted that this pattern aligns with recent commentary from ASM...