Analysis of bottleneck technology identification and development characteristics in the electronic manufacturing industry

Abstract

In 2018, US government imposed a ban on Chinese electronics firm ZTE, prohibiting it from procuring chip products from American companies for a duration of seven years. Subsequently, ZTE experienced a shutdown. The concept of "bottleneck technology" gained prominence in diverse media outlets. Chinese government acknowledged the importance of identifying pertinent bottleneck technologies in specific sectors, particularly in electronic manufacturing. It underscored the significance of promptly analyzing the evolutionary traits of these technologies within the industry and engaging in research and development endeavors to safeguard national technological security. To address this issue, the study initially extracted pertinent industry enterprises from the Orbis database. Subsequently, it utilized the technical codes associated with the patent data of these enterprises to establish a social network, pinpoint key technologies, and compute the technical share metrics for these pivotal technology codes. Numerous technologies are exclusively controlled by a limited number of enterprises, leading to the identification of bottleneck technologies. This, in turn, enables the determination of critical paths to reveal the developmental history and distinctive features of these bottlenecks. The research indicates that the electronic manufacturing industry faces various bottleneck technologies, which extend beyond chips to include production equipment, materials, processes, and inspection devices. Numerous technologies have a significant developmental background, necessitating substantial technological development to achieve parity. However, in swiftly advancing technological domains, China possesses the capability to make advancements at an accelerated rate.