China is investing heavily in developing its own extreme ultraviolet lithography machines to reduce its dependence on the Dutch company ASML.
China is launching a coordinated, nationwide program to develop its own extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, aiming to reduce its long-term dependence on the Dutch company ASML. While ASML currently produces the world's most complex machines for advanced chip manufacturing, China has begun devoting significant resources, talent, and patience to breaking this technological bottleneck. The administration announced that China is making progress on a prototype capable of generating EUV light. This effort involves a coordinated effort between public research centers, companies linked to Huawei, and former ASML employees. Although China has not yet produced a machine comparable to ASML's, the progress shows that it no longer considers its dependence on European technology permanent. Success in requires more than just a light source; it requires mastering precision optics, masks, metrology, vibration control, software, and the ability to make over 100,000 components work together with industrial-grade reliability.