In anything software related, iteration is fast and so the field moves fast, but the barrier of entry is low and "secret sauce" is worth much less, since it's not hard or expensive to test out different techniques. However, I disagree on it not being sophisticated. Algorithmic research is fairly close to "pure math" and no one would claim math isn't one of the most sophisticated fields in the world.
In semiconductors - and really, any hardware industry - "secret sauce" is more common because iteration speed is slow and barrier of entry is high, so companies hide their results, theoretic research moves slow, and things like optics and material sciences just need to be worked out with time rather than brilliance. A machine has to be constructed and tested on the order of months; while an algorithm can be coded up and tested in days or even hours.
The iteration speed explains this perception that software isn't "complicated." Both fields advance by trial and error at the cutting edge, but trial and error is just that much faster and cheaper in software than hardware.
(which western trolls would say about China)