Less than half a year!The Western lithography giants that once despised China regretted that we were wrong
The competition between China and the United States in the semiconductor field is fierce.
The semiconductor industry is an important symbol of a country's scientific and technological strength and economic strength. In this information age, there is no advanced semiconductor industry that cannot support the development of high-tech industries such as computers, communications, and consumer electronics. It can be said that mastering the manufacturing process of advanced semiconductors will master the dirtiness of the global technology industry"core"。
In recent years, the competition between China and the United States in the semiconductor industry has become increasingly fierce. The U.S. has always had the upper hand in global semiconductor technology, but China is catching up. In order to maintain its superiority, the United States has done everything possible to restrict China's scientific and technological development.
For example, it forced the Dutch company ASML to stop exporting state-of-the-art EUV lithography machines to China, and changed export control regulations to cut off the Chinese company's chip chain. It can be said that the United States has done everything in its power to encircle China's semiconductor companies everywhere and try to stifle China's technological progress.
However, despite the efforts of the United States, China's semiconductor industry has made great progress. Taking memory chips as an example, Chinese companies have caught up with South Korea in terms of production capacity and market share, which was previously China's second-largest producer of memory chips. In terms of processing technology, leading companies such as SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor have also approached the world-class level. It can be said that in this technology race, Chinese companies will not easily admit defeat.
Western countries will put the brakes on China's semiconductor development.
In the face of the progress of China's semiconductor industry, the United States is feeling tremendous pressure. They realized that in order to stop China's development, it was not enough for the United States alone, and that it was necessary to unite allies and work together.
As a result, the United States took the lead in reaching a so-called agreement with Japan and the Netherlands"Tripartite agreement on semiconductors"。The purpose of the agreement is to prevent Chinese companies from gaining access to critical semiconductor equipment and materials, so that China's semiconductor technology can never reach the world's advanced level.
Specifically, the agreement requires the three countries to strictly control the export of lithography machines and other advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China. Among them, the Dutch ASML company has an absolute advantage in the field of lithography machines, and its products are simply for China"Essentials"。
ASML's main product is the EUV lithography machine, which is currently the most advanced and highest-resolution lithography equipment in the world. Previously, the Netherlands had completely banned the export of EUV lithography machines to China, which greatly affected the production of China's most advanced wafers.
Under pressure from the United States, the Netherlands had to adopt stricter control measures, even banning the export of the first version of DUV lithography machines. In short, the West has joined forces to strangle the development of China's semiconductor industry in the cradle.
China is determined to develop its own semiconductor industry.
In the face of the blockade of the West, China has not been discouraged, but has strengthened its determination to promote the independent innovation and development of the semiconductor industry.
Fortunately, the Netherlands, under pressure from the United States, eased restrictions slightly, allowing limited exports of lithography machines to China in 2023. After all, it would also be a loss for ASML to give up the huge Chinese market.
This gives China a glimmer of hope, because lithography machines are indispensable for chip manufacturing"Brain"。At present, China's lithography machine still has great technical defects, if the supply is completely cut off, China's semiconductor industry will face insurmountable obstacles.
However, no external obstacle can stop Chinese companies from resolve. Domestic semiconductor companies are making every effort to build an independent and complete industrial chain system, including not only wafer design and manufacturing, but also materials, equipment, packaging and testing.
With the strong support of policies and funds, China will undoubtedly become one of the world's semiconductor powers. The times call for progress, and we firmly believe that independent innovation will surely promote the progress of this strategic industry. I believe that in the near future, China's semiconductor companies will be among the world's advanced.