Restructuring of the Global Chip Trade Network: Characteristic Evolution and Driving Factors

As the “brain” of the information industry and modern manufacturing, chips have emerged as a focal point in global competition over critical technologies. Based on global chip trade data from 2010 to 2023, this study employs social network analysis to investigate the structural evolution of the chip trade network and applies the quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) to examine the driving mechanisms of network reconstruction. The findings are as follows: First, the global chip trade network exhibits a loosely connected core-periphery structure, characterized by clustering and polarization, with a pronounced short-term deglobalization trend. Second, China, the United States, Germany, France, South Korea, and Singapore have long dominated central positions in competitive dynamics, while developing economies such as Mexico, Malaysia, and the Philippines have significantly risen in prominence in recent years. Third, the network takes on a core–subcore–periphery configuration with clearly delineated trade communities, reflecting a community-based, multi-centric, and hierarchical pattern. Fourth, political relations serve as a key driver of network restructuring, with their promotional effect on chip trade being negatively moderated by technological distance yet positively moderated by economic-complexity distance.