The probe was launched in response to an application submitted by a provincial semiconductor industry association on behalf of the domestic industry, the ministry said in a statement.
The investigation will target commodity interface ICs and gate driver ICs using 
40nm and above process technologies.
The probe is expected to conclude by Sept 13, 2026, with a possible six-month extension under special circumstances, the ministry said.
Also on Saturday, China’s Ministry of Commerce on Saturday announced the launch of an anti-discrimination investigation into relevant US measures targeting the country’s integrated circuit sector, effective the same day.
“The US has taken a series of prohibitions and restrictions against China in the field of integrated circuits over recent years, including 301 investigations and export control measures,” said a commerce ministry spokesperson, “those protectionist practices are suspected of discrimination against China and are a containment and suppression of China’s development of advanced computing chips and high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence.”
According to the ministry’s announcement, it has obtained preliminary evidence that the US measures constitute prohibitive, restrictive or other like measures on a discriminatory basis under China’s foreign trade law.
This week US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Madrid for trade talks.
