As we all know, the manufacturing of chips is inseparable from lithography machine , and the manufacturing of high-end chips below 7nm is inseparable from EUV lithography machine. In the field of lithography machines, the ASML company has a well-known name and has almost no competitors. Although Japanese companies such as Nikon , Canon , etc. once had a place in the field of lithography machines, the development of technology is changing rapidly. It is no exaggeration to say that ASML is the dominant player in the field of EUV lithography machines.
Perhaps because of the lack of competitors, ASML companies have become more and more arrogant. After Shanghai Microelectronics officially announced that it would accelerate the research and development of domestic optical technology, ASML immediately mocked her, "even if the drawings of the EUV lithography machine are disclosed, China cannot create them." . SMIC once purchased a full EUV lithography machine from ASML, but due to the new US chip regulations, it has not been shipped for a long time.
Faced with such a situation, if you don’t steam buns and fight for your breath, Chinese technology companies will not sit still and wait for death. Shanghai Microelectronics has increased investment in scientific and technological research and development, and domestic mobile phone manufacturers such as Huawei have also accelerated their self-development of chips. my country's scientific research institutions and universities have also begun to focus on the integrated circuit sector. The whole country has worked hard to develop semiconductor , in order to achieve domestic production. The chip's self-sufficiency and bypassing EUV lithography machines.
After entering 2022, the counterattack of China Chip has been effective, and the chip imports in the first seven months have decreased by 43 billion. Qualcomm , TSMC, Intel , Apple and ASML companies have all been affected. Some have been cut orders, some have declined revenue, and their situation is not optimistic. This also shows. China's chip "de-beautification" has achieved phased victory, and its dependence on US chip technology is getting lower and lower, and the chip domesticization rate is also steadily increasing.
However, the full acceleration of China's chips is just the beginning, and the "troubles" of ASML companies are still behind. As the main competitor of ASML, Nikon has also officially announced a new development plan, and it is expected that Nikon's lithography machine shipments will increase by more than three times in 2026. And Nikon has shown goodwill to the Chinese market without any silence, and has shown that it will increase its friendly attitude towards the layout of China's lithography machine market.
The current ASML company is in a dilemma. On the one hand, ASML company is reluctant to abandon the "big fat meat" of the Chinese market. On the other hand, ASML company is afraid that Nikon will seize the market and is in a difficult situation. But European and American companies are still very good at "face change". ASML companies have changed their previous arrogant attitude and began to show goodwill to the Chinese market.
ASML not only submitted an application to the United States to supply lithography machines in the Chinese market, but also planned to continue to expand the Chinese team and recruit more Chinese employees. Currently, ASML has more than 1,500 employees in China, with 3 R&D centers, 15 offices, 1 maintenance center, and even 11 storage centers.
In addition, recently, TSMC has also reported that it is about to turn off some EUV lithography machines. Many foreign media have lamented that suppressing Huawei has had a counter-effect. The behavior of the United States has disrupted the development of the global chip industry, with chip demand declining, TSMC's overcapacity, ASML's demand for lithography machines declined, and even US companies such as Qualcomm were cut. The chip giants that the US wants to support have made no profits, but have suffered losses to varying degrees.
In contrast, China Chip is getting closer and closer to the goal of "chip self-sufficiency rate exceeding 70% in 2025". Zhang Shaozhong's prophecy may come true. Three years later, China's streets and alleys sell chips, and no one will buy chips with American companies. What do you think about this? Welcome to comment and leave a message!
