BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China's electronics industry posted a 96.9 percent year-on-year increase in profits in the first half (H1) of 2026, contributing 8.5 percentage points to the overall profit growth of major industrial firms, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday.

Driven by the wide adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and growing demand for computing power, profits of computer manufacturing and computer peripheral equipment manufacturing (including mice, keyboards and monitors) surged 689.3 percent and 305.8 percent from a year earlier, respectively.

Within electronic device manufacturing, profits of integrated circuit manufacturing soared 2,579.5 percent, while those of discrete semiconductor device manufacturing, such as transistors and diodes, increased 31.2 percent.

In the electronic components sector, profits of specialized electronic materials manufacturing rose 209.7 percent, whereas those of electronic circuit manufacturing recorded an increase of 26.9 percent.

Monday's data also showed profits of China's major industrial firms, or those with an annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.95 million U.S. dollars), increased 18.7 percent year on year in H1.

Yu Weining, an NBS statistician, noted that despite the steady growth, the external environment remains complex and uncertain, with international commodity prices still subject to fluctuations. Industrial enterprises also face challenges including insufficient market demand and pressure on capital turnover.

Looking ahead, China will continue to foster emerging and future industries, upgrade traditional industries, accelerate the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones, and promote the high-quality development of the industrial economy, Yu said. ■