Fragmentation of Global Science and the Role of BRICS: A Bibliometric Analysis of Scientific Publications on Semiconductors

This paper examines the fragmentation of global science and the changing role of the BRICS countries in international research collaboration under geopolitical pressure. Using bibliometric analysis of more than 688,000 semiconductor-related publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (1965–2025), the study traces how the imposition of sanctions since 2022 has transformed global co-authorship networks. The findings demonstrate a structural shift from a previously integrated international scientific system toward a constellation of regional clusters. China has consolidated its position as the central node of the global publication network, assuming integrative functions once held by the United States and the European Union. India has increased its connectivity, strengthening ties within BRICS and with the Global South. Russia’s role has markedly declined following the suspension of collaboration with Western institutions, accompanied by a drop in joint publications. At the same time, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have emerged as new peripheral hubs, reflecting a reallocation of scientific collaboration toward countries not affected by sanction regimes. Network-metric analysis (degree, betweenness, closeness, and eigenvector centrality) confirms the polarization of the international research system. Sanctions have weakened traditional nodes while fostering new centers of influence within BRICS and the Global South. The paper concludes that sanctions have accelerated the regionalization of global science, transforming the semiconductor research landscape from a unified global network into multiple interconnected regional systems, each with its own core and sphere of influence.