China Memory vs Processor Exports: Monthly Trends

Memory chip exports reached USD 33,377,550,937 in September 2026, +277.3% year on year and +6.9% from August. This edition compares the latest published month with the same product and flow in both baselines.

September 2026: monthly and year-to-date comparison

Memory, processor/controller and other-IC values all increased from August. Their growth rates differ substantially, so a memory-chip headline should not be applied to every integrated circuit. HS 854232 is a product family rather than a pure AI, HBM or server-memory series; values do not identify chip counts or like-for-like prices.

Memory growth does not describe every chip product

The monthly and cumulative comparisons both show product divergence. A broad semiconductor-growth headline cannot describe all three families. Each growth rate retains its own prior-year baseline; the series are not added into an invented semiconductor market size.

Compare products at the same classification level

The memory-chip series, processors and controllers, and other integrated circuits are separate six-digit customs families. The residual HS 854239 family excludes processors, controllers, memories and amplifiers; it is not all non-memory semiconductors.

HS 85423190 is one national child within processors and controllers. Its growth cannot replace the full HS 854231 family's growth. Likewise, the broader HS 8542 heading overlaps these products and must not be added to their values. This comparison does not calculate a memory share against an independently published parent total.

Destinations describe trade routing

The table states each product's latest partner-ranking month. Hong Kong, Vietnam and other assembly or distribution markets can appear prominently, but a customs destination does not identify the final customer or where a chip is ultimately installed. Compare product-specific destinations over time before drawing a conclusion about demand.

The visible partner previews are limited. Use the product links or scoped data request for a complete country-by-month file; the free chart CSV contains the displayed global product series.

Export value is different from shipment volume and price

This chart shows nominal US dollars. It does not separate chip counts, memory density, DRAM and NAND product mix, company revenue or the origin of the technology. A quantity or implied-unit-value chart requires comparable native quantities and units for each product scope; no USD-per-chip series is inferred here.

Higher export value alone does not establish stronger unit demand, and processor-value weakness does not establish a loss of production capability. Prices, shipment timing and product mix can affect these values.

Follow the next monthly release

Compare each product with the preceding month and the same month one year earlier, then recompute complete matched year-to-date windows. The advanced manufacturing hub connects this comparison with equipment and computing products. The IC production dataset provides separate factory-output context; production and customs exports measure different populations.

Continue the research

HS 854232 export · HS 854231 export · HS 854239 export. Explore the related industry hub for other products and destinations. Download the displayed series from the CSV above or use the API documentation for data access.

Source and comparison method

Source: GACC customs data published by ChinaData, through September 2026; reviewed October 23, 2026. Monthly YoY compares September 2025; MoM compares August 2026. Cumulative comparisons require every January–September observation in both years. Missing records remain unavailable; zero or absent baselines have no growth rate. Percentages use unrounded observations, and earlier months may be revised.

Download the displayed monthly series from this page’s CSV or explore the API documentation.