China Bets on Compound Chips to Break Western Silicon Stronghold

At the 2026 Jiufengshan Forum in Wuhan, the Third Generation Semiconductor Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance dropped its latest industry report, and the numbers tell a story of rapid scaling. China’s compound semiconductor market, which is focusing on wide-bandgap materials like Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), is officially transitioning from experimental tech to industrial leadership. The report released last week highlights that GaN RF electronics hit a market size of 11.9 billion yuan in 2025, with commercial satellites emerging as the next big growth engine. Meanwhile, power electronics reached 22.7 billion yuan, driven by a “Big Four” of…