News Analysis
For weeks, Chinese state outlets have touted “major breakthroughs” in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography—the light-etching machines that make the world’s most advanced chips and the main choke point in Beijing’s semiconductor push.
Yet industry insiders, engineers, and analysts say the fanfare is wildly premature.
Beijing’s labs can now flash tiny bursts of EUV light, yet the country remains at least two decades—most experts say closer to three—from matching Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography (ASML), the Dutch firm that alone can mass-produce working EUV systems.
Industry insiders say that the regime’s showcase laboratory demos—while scientifically interesting—are miles from the factory-ready, nanometer-precision, defect-free equipment that chipmakers need. And deep-rooted problems such as corruption, talent flight, and a political system that punishes failure make that gap even harder to close….
Why ASML Chipmaking Tools Remain China’s Core Bottleneck Despite Reports of EUV Progress
