ASML

In its race to make advanced chips, China has tried to copy ASML. It’s going wrong

by

China continues to make extraordinary progress when it comes to manufacturing its own advanced chips, but it still has a big problem: it does not currently have manufacturing equipment. extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) own. Of course is working in the development of this technology, and one of the strategies it is following to overcome this challenge is unique… and almost obvious. Reverse engineering. In his 2010 book ‘Copycats’ Professor Oded Shenkar argued that it is often the case that imitators end up triumphing over innovators. Although in the West the view is the opposite, in China there is a positive view of copying and reverse engineering processes are an important tool to copy technologies. That is what the country has supposedly tried, as indicated in The National Interest (TNI). From producing for the world to producing for themselves. Already we review the conclusions from the book ‘Apple in China’, which is a perfect example of how by delegating production to China, Western companies have ended up contributing to the country’s development and its specialization. The trade war has logically made China now seek its independence in the face of the vetoes it is suffering from developing its own technological solutions. From UVP to UVE. There has already been significant progress in this area, and recently we counted as a Chinese manufacturer already has a prototype of a UVP machine (deep ultraviolet) for the creation of relatively advanced chips. If there is a crucial challenge to be able to create these even more advanced chips, it is power. have UVE photolithography machinesbut having that first problem solved is important to make the leap to EUV technology. And this is where something unique has been discovered. Let’s see how it works inside. As revealed in TNI, it has been revealed that China has been “caught” trying to reverse engineer a machine ASML UVP Photolithography. Not so much to mass produce these machines, sources indicate, but because Chinese technicians are trying to learn how they work in order to replicate them and, from them, develop more advanced machines and chips. It’s not broken just because. However, it seems that when disassembling one of these ASML systems, Chinese technicians damaged it. That made them notify the official ASML technicians to solve the problem. When they arrived, they discovered that the machine had not simply broken, but that the Chinese had tried to dismantle it and then reassemble it. ASML’s de facto monopoly. ASML’s UVE photolithography machines are considered the most complex and advanced in the world, and the truth is that today the Dutch company has a de facto monopoly with such systems. It is these machines that allow access to the production of the most advanced chips – such as those used in NVIDIA’s modern AI accelerators – and have become the true bottleneck of the semiconductor industry. Beyond the damaged machine. The incident reveals two crucial points. The first, Beijing’s extreme urgency to be able to control chip production from start to finish. The second is that the challenge of creating these machines goes beyond mere hardware copying: lithography systems require extraordinary technical mastery of components such as precision optics or materials science. Too many obstacles? China may have brilliant engineers, but ASML machines also have a highly specialized supply chain which undoubtedly makes it difficult for such a machine to be built entirely in China. A good example is Zeiss SMTthe German company that supplies the ultra-precision optical systems and mirrors needed for UVE and advanced UVP photolithography systems. A long way to go. This supposed problem reveals the difficulties that China is going through in order to have machines with advanced photolithographic technologies. At Nikkei Asia They were already talking in July about how complex it is to achieve a “Chinese ASML.” In this analysis they cited Didier Scemama, director of hardware research at BofA Global Research, who estimated that China still has years to achieve something like this. “It may take 5, 10, 15 years, we don’t know. Will it be competitive with what ASML does? It’s highly unlikely, but it will be good enough for China.” Image | Zeiss In Xataka | Holland has just declared war on China in the most important battle of the century: control of semiconductors

It is an ASML ‘Made in China’

by

China had a great disadvantage in semiconductors. It seems to be solving it, because the Chinese manufacturer of SMIC semiconductors is testing a new machine from deep ultraviolet photolithography (UVP) that yes, is still one step behind the extreme ultraviolet machines (UVE). We are facing a potential turn of events in this Chips war that maintain US and China and that now becomes especially interesting. Why is it important. Sources close to this project have indicated In Financial Times that SMIC is testing a UVP machine manufactured by a Shanghai startup called Yuliangsheng. If these initial tests are successful we will be facing a great Chinese victory in the semiconductor sector. One that will above all will allow you to further reduce western technology dependence and thus accelerate the production of advanced chips of AI, for example. A great step for Chinese photolithography. Lin Qingyuan, a semiconductor analyst at the Bernstein consultant, explained precisely as if this DUV machine meets expectations, “will represent an important step for Chinese companies, which can start from this technological milestone to create machines (of photolithography) increasingly advanced.” The machine makes use of “immersion technology”, a technique also uses by ASML in its machines. But. As indicated in FT, although most of the YulianSheng UVP machine are local, there are some parts that have been obtained abroad. That causes there to be some dependence on components that China does not manufacture at the moment, but the company is trying to develop them to solve that problem. Patience. Not just that. Adjusting these UVP machines have time. This process is necessary to achieve adequate stability and that chips can occur without defects. That period can become up to one year, which makes this Chinese race to avoid the dependence of foreign suppliers. Those 7 nm have a trick. The UVP machine that SMIC is testing obtaining 7 nm chips. Speaking of nanometers have long been talking about We don’t talk so much of the physical dimensions of the semiconductors and of the generation in which they are at the level of benefits and efficiency. These machines could even achieve 5 Nm chips although more likely that the rhythm of production of reliable chips falls. China is still linked to UVP machines. The new YulianSheng UVP machines are apparently more advanced than those already worked in some Chinese manufacturers. This also limits Chinese innovation capacity, which depends on machines that were bought before Restrictions entered into force. These UVP machines are the ones that for example They are used for Huawei Ascend chips. Sicarrier advances. The YuliangSheng matrix It is none other than Sicarrierwhich was created in 2021 and that began to be known in March. It was then that he showed advanced microchips production machines that rivaled those of Tokyo Electron or Applyed Materials. This company has a project to develop an EUV machine, which has as its name “Monte Everest”. Care, Asml. Until now, Chinese semiconductor manufacturers, like many others worldwide, have depended on the advanced photolithography machines of the Dutch company ASML. The veto for the commercial war between China and the US had notably limited the access of Chinese companies to these machines, which prevented them from competing in equal cnditions. Although there were some options – Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment also had DUV machines – these were less advanced. And what about EUV machines? Although the project is an important step forward for the Chinese semiconductor industry, there is an even more important leap to the machines of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE), which are those used to produce the most advanced chips of companies such as NVIDIA. At present, ASML cannot sell EUV teams to China, but be careful: the Asian giant He is already working to access this technology. China will continue a step back. Not being able to access EUV machines is still very important to slow down Chinese innovation capacity. TSMC and other companies already They make use of EUV Machines of ASML Able to work with photolithographic nodes of 2 Nm, something that significantly increases the chip density and the efficiency and power of all types of processors, including those used for AI accelerators that sell NVIDIA. In Xataka | This is China’s big problem with chips: Huawei will manufacture its Kirin X90 for PC using the 7 Nm of SMIC

The undisputed winner of the aggressive competition of TSMC, Intel and Samsung is a European company: ASML

by

Integrated 2 nm circuits are about to disembark in the market. Users know that nanometers have lost much of their usefulness, and that, in reality, They represent a category of semiconductors. In fact, they no longer faithfully reflect the length of logical doors or other physical parameter, such as the distance between transistors. Each chips manufacturer He manages them with freedomwhich prevents us from directly comparing the lithographs that try to “sell us.” Whatever the important thing is that TSMC, Intel and Samsung are about to engage in a new battle that seeks to capture the maximum possible number of customers for their 2 Nm or comparable line nodes. Whatever happens we can be sure that the great beneficiary of this contest will be The Dutch Company ASML. And it will be because it is the only manufacturer on the planet that produces the equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) and haute opening that are necessary to go beyond the 2 Nm reaching the optimal performance. Digitimes Asia He has just confirmed that those responsible for the Samsung semiconductors manufacture are weighing the possibility of increasing the number of Uve haute opening machines that will buy at ASML. And, according to this Asian medium, it will do it because it needs to reduce the technological and commercial gap that separates it from TSMC, which leads the chip market with A fee close to 60%. The Uve High Opening machines are still in the test phase, but there are no doubt that they will be the authentic protagonists of the semiconductor industry in 2026 and successive years. ASML Haute Opening Lithography Machography is an engineering prodigy It weighs as much as two Airbus A320 and incorporates more than 100,000 pieces, 3,000 cables, 40,000 bolts, and also more than 2 km of electrical connections. The photolithography team Twinscan Exe: 5000 Designed and manufactured by ASML is the most sophisticated integrated circuit production machine that exists. And also the most expensive. The most up -to -date information we have reflects that only one of these teams costs 350 million euroswhich will surely cause some chips manufacturers think twice Before buying it. ASML plans to deliver to its customers annually from 2025 about 20 Uve Haute Opening teams ASML engineers have invested a decade in the development of the technology necessary to set up this machine, which, in reality, is a team of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) second generation. This company of the Netherlands plans to deliver to its customers annually From 2025 about 20 teams of this type with a purpose: put in their hands the possibility of producing chips of 2 nm and beyond. Interestingly, to develop this machine, ASML engineers have made a very advanced optical architecture that has an opening of 0.55 compared to the 0.33 value that the first -generation UVE lithography equipment has. This refinement of the optics allows to transfer to the wafer patterns of greater resolution, hence it is possible to manufacture chips using more advanced integration technologies than those currently used in the nodes of 3 Nm. However, this is not all. ASML has also improved the mechanical systems that are responsible for the manipulation of wafers with the purpose of making it possible for a single UVE Machine to be able to produce more than 200 wafers per hour. The cover photography of this article allows us to intuit the extreme complexity and sophistication that one of these teams has, which, by the way, would not be possible without the cooperation of other companies, such as the German Zeiss or Cymer, a company of American origin that is currently consolidated within the ASML structure. Somehow this last company Delivery to ASML the raw material that need their photolithography machines. And that raw material is none other than the ultraviolet light that is responsible for transporting the geometric pattern described by the mask so that it can be transferred with great precision to the surface of the Silicon wafer. Image | ASML More information | Digitimes Asia In Xataka | The great covered in the War of Critical Minerals is Tungsten. The US needs it and 83% have it China

It cannot be allowed penalizing with Asml tariffs

by

The commercial agreement signed by Donald Trump, the US president, and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, at the end of last week states that the majority of the products imported by the US and manufactured by Europe will have a 15% tariff. However, strategic products will not be subject to any tariff. And the photolithography equipment that designs and manufactures The Dutch Company ASML They have a strategic role for both Europe and the US. “We have agreed to zero tariffs for zero for a series of strategic products,” Clarifies the European Commission statement. “In this agreement all aircraft and their components are included, as well as some chemicals, generic components, semiconductor equipment, agricultural products, natural resources and critical raw materials. And we will continue working to add more products to this list.” The US is a very important market for ASML, so this exemption from tariffs benefits it. Intel, Globalfoundries, Micron Technology, Texas Instruments, Samsung and TSMC are some of its clients in the country led by Donald Trump. These last two companies are not Americans, but They have chips factories in the US. In fact, the exemption of tariffs is so important for these companies as for ASML because the latter is the only company that produces extreme ultraviolet lithography machines (UVE). And they need them in some of their plants to produce avant -garde chips. For Asml your effective monopoly is everything ASML has no competition since its first UVE photolithography team placed on the market. Japanese Canon and Nikon companies, their natural competitors, also tried to develop this machine, but failed in the attempt. The technical and economic resources that were necessary to make it possible were so large that they decided to retire from the struggle with ASML. Free road. Today the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing machines that we can find in the TSMC, Intel, Samsung or SK Hynix plants It produces them ASML. Currently his reign seems imperturbable. Canon has developed a team of nano -impression lithography that it seeks to compete from you to you with the UVE machines of ASML, but for the moment it is not clear that this technology will be able to rival The most advanced team of the Dutch company: the machine of High Opening Photolithography (UVE). Presumably thanks to it they can produce chips of less than 1 nm before this decade expires. The most advanced chips manufacturing machines that we can find in the TSMC, Intel, Samsung or SK Hynix plants produce ASML UVE photolithography equipment is extraordinarily sophisticated. The GPUs for artificial intelligence more advanced from Nvidia; The most powerful soc that Apple or the CPUs with the highest AMD performance are possible thanks to them. Of course, none of these companies make their own chips. They design them, but they are produced by the Taiwanese company TSMC using ASML UVE lithography machines. However, this European Corporation has not developed solo all innovations that have made its most advanced integrated circuit production equipment possible. One of its most important allies is the American company Cymer. This company founded in 1986 specializes in the manufacture of lasers and deep ultraviolet light sources (UVP) and extreme (UVE). It has a very close relationship with ASML for many years; In fact, the role that Cymer manufactures in lithography machines is so relevant than in 2013 ASML bought this company of San Diego with the purpose of investing in it to accelerate the development of the technologies involved in UVE lithography. Anyway, the transport of ultraviolet light from the fountain that produces it to the wafer is only possible thanks to the intervention of the mirrors that the other great ally of ASML designs and manufactures: the German company Zeiss. The role of Zeiss’s optical elements in these lithography equipment is crucial. And it is because they are responsible, leaving aside the most complex details, of moving the UVE light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm from the source that is responsible for its emission to the mask contained in the geometric pattern that is necessary to translate into the silicon wafer. Image | ASML More information | European Commission In Xataka | The US is softening its pressure on China. He has realized that the margin has ended with his maximum rival

The US is throwing blows to China. Many of them are fitting the European chips giant ASML

by

ASML It is going well, but it could go much better. This Dutch company is the most important photolithography equipment manufacturer on the planet. And it is because it is the only one that can offer its customers the machines of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) that are necessary to MANUFACTE INTEGRATED VANGUARD CIRCUITS. Even so, during the last three years this company is constantly undergoing all types of fluctuations. In fact, in the last hours his actions They have dropped to 7.1% Due to the threat that the very likely US tariffs represent the importation of foreign lithography equipment. And also to the uncertainty that looms over the growth of ASML In full struggle between China and the USA. Christophe Fouquet, the general director of this company, has the obligation to defend the interests of his company. And currently the tension held by the US and China does not make it easy. The sanctions that They have deployed US and the Netherlands They prevent Asml selling Your most advanced lithography teams To its Chinese clients. And neither can some maintenance and after -sales services services provide. In 2022 the sales of this company in China amounted to 2.9 billion euros, which represented 13.8% of its annual sales. At that time Taiwan was a more important market for Asml than China. However, in 2024 the country led by Xi Jinping was consolidated as The largest market for ASML with total sales of 10.2 billion euros. Asml’s rebellion Christophe Fouquet has removed the growth forecast that he and the board of directors of this company had set by 2026. This movement has contributed, as I mentioned a few lines above, to the fall of ASML’s actions. Anyway, it is understandable that this executive has taken this path: “We continue to observe a growing uncertainty promoted by macroeconomic and geopolitical events,” He has declared Fouquet In a statement. “Although we continue to prepare to grow in 2026, we cannot confirm it yet.” The evolution experienced by the actions of this company supports its prudence. In fact, 33% have fallen during the last year. This behavior is anomalous in a company that not only leads the market of photolithography equipment; In addition, it is the only one that markets UVE machines. At the end of last March Christophe Fouquet declared that he was convinced that the US would continue to put pressure on his partners to even more harden the sanctions that seek to stop the development of the Chinese industry of the integrated circuits. “Although we continue to prepare to grow in 2026, we cannot confirm it yet” However, Fouquet’s statements did not end here. He also defended that Europe “should decide for itself what you want” and “should not be dictated by anyone else.” Otherwise, He warnedleading European companies in strategic technologies, among which are ASML, could consider moving outside the old continent. His tone reflected a certain degree of helplessness, but in practice his company would be very difficult to relocate out of Europe. Anyway one of the figures in which we have repaired a few lines above gives us a very accurate track about how A ASML is dealing with prohibitions from the US and endorsed by the Government of the Netherlands that They could greatly degrade your business. As we have seen, in 2024 China was consolidated as its largest market. This success is because Chinese manufacturers of integrated circuits have bought A ASML many suitable photolithography equipment to produce mature semiconductors. On the other hand, currently TSMC, Intel, Samsung, Globalfoundries, Micron Technology and Sk Hynix are well building new chip manufacturing plants, they are well expanding some of those they have in operation. In any case, they all have something in common: they are buying the UVE and UVP equipment of ASML. And, in addition, TSMC, Intel and Samsung presumably will acquire for the next three years a large number of UVE Machines of Haute Opening. It is evident that even in the complicated current situation It is difficult to lie to ASML. At the moment his business in China endures, and will continue to do it at least until the moment when Chinese manufacturers of lithography equipment have their own UVE machines. Image | ASML More information | SCMP In Xataka | Japan wants to recover leadership as a manufacturer of lithography equipment. And he has a plan to end the Asml monopoly

ASML, Airbus and Mistral are planted before Brussels. They ask that the application of the law of AI and notify the risks delay

by

Europe already has its great artificial intelligence law. What is missing, according to several companies, are the concrete rules to apply it. Only one month after the first standards for the most advanced models, more than 45 large companies – among them ASML, Airbus or Mistral – enter into force – They have signed an open letter asking Brussels to “stop the clock” and postpone their entry into force two years. They point to an unrealistic calendar and the difficulty of competing with the United States or China. What exactly is EU’s artificial intelligence law? The European Union Artificial Intelligence Law entered into force on August 1, 2024after having been politically approved by the European Parliament and the Council in December 2023. It is the first comprehensive regulation of the world focused on this technology, and regulates from how the models are trained to what contexts can be used. The key is in its approach to risk levels: the greater the potential impact, more legal obligations. And what exactly Asml, Airbus, Mistral and the rest ask? They demand a pause two years before the most demanding parts of the law enter into force, especially those that affect high -risk systems and the general purpose models, whose first section is scheduled for August 2025. The reason: The standard is too complex, overlaps with other regulations and still lacks key guides for its application. ASML headquarters in Veldhoven Among those guides is the code of good practices, that had to have been published in spring and still does not be ready. Companies argue that without that document, and with this level of uncertainty, the law can become a brake for European innovation. “This situation puts at risk not only the development of European leaders, but the ability of all industries to deploy the scale required by global competition,” They warn. They also ask that regulatory quality prioritize against speed, and warn that continuing without changes would send a wrong message to the seriousness of Europe in its commitment to technological competitiveness. The names behind this initiative. The request does not arise from an isolated startup or from an informal group of companies. Behind is the EU AI Champions Initiative, a group that groups more than 60 European companies that claim to be committed to the development of a competitive AI and aligned with the EU values. Among its members are names such as ASML, Airbus, Mistral AI, Mercedes-Benz, BNP Paribas, Siemens Energy, Lufthansa, Philips or Publicis. Of course, not all members of the US Ai Champions Initiative signed the letter published this week. Images | Sigmund | Rawpixel | ASML In Xataka | After strictly regulating AI, the European Union has identified a problem: it has been too European Union

These are the chips that are capable of manufacturing without resorting to the most advanced Machine of ASML

by

TSMC is not the largest semiconductor manufacturer on the planet by chance. Morris Chang He founded this veteran Taiwanese company in 1987, but his leadership took several years to consolidate. At that time the most important integrated circuit manufacturer was Intel, but The TSMC domain In this industry during the last two decades it is irrefatable. Today monopolizes approximately 60% of the market of the manufacture of integrated circuits, and nothing indicates that in the short term Intel or Samsung, its two main competitors, will be able to dispute your leadership. The success of this company has mainly based on its ability to manufacture large -scale chips using the most advanced integration technologies available and with a very high wafer performance. Here lies its very high competitiveness. And, in addition, he has managed to preserve this position for many years, which has helped him transmit confidence to his solid clients such as a rock. His economic performance is nothing other than a consequence of his career: in 2024 he entered 34% more than in 2023. TSMC claims to be able to bring asml UVE lithography equipment to the limit This integrated circuit manufacturer has confirmed that the tests of its 2 Nm node are being successful, so you can start the large -scale manufacture of semiconductors using this photolithography during the second semester of 2025. However, its medium -term plans do not end here. And is that at the end of last April advance During his North American Technological Conference that is also testing his next avant -garde integration technology. It will call it A14 (1.4 Nm), will enter large -scale production in 2028 and we already know some of its most interesting characteristics. Kevin Zhang ensures that TSMC does not need the ASML UVE High-Nna lithography team to make 1.4 Nm One of its most important spots will consist that you will use transistors Nanosheet Gaa (Gate-alall-around) Second generation. The first generation will arrive next to the Lithography N2 (2 Nm) this year. In addition, this integration technology will land with the promise to make possible the manufacture of integrated circuits with higher performance, higher energy efficiency and a more flexible design. The usual. However, TSMC, fortunately, has been wet and in its event some figures made public that allow us to assess to what extent the arrival of the A14 node will be important. And, according to this company, the integrated circuits produced with the A14 lithography will be 15% faster than the chips manufactured in the NEN N2 with the same consumption; They will reduce energy expenditure by 30% at the same speed, and, in addition, they will put on the table the possibility of increasing the density of logic by 20%. According to Kevin ZhangSenior Vice President and Deputy Director of Operations of TSMC, the A14 node will be attractive to make chips for consumption devices and for strictly professional applications, such as, for example, GPU for artificial intelligence (AI). There is no doubt that TSMC’s promises about their lithography A14 sound good, but there is more that we should not overlook. Zhang says that they will not use the equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) and haute opening (High-na) that manufactures the Dutch company ASML in this node. This is a technical capacity exhibition. These machines, the most advanced that currently exist, are suitable for producing integrated circuits of 2 nm and beyond. In fact, The lithography 14a (1.4 Nm) It will be the first in which Intel will use the Uve High opening equipment of ASML. However, as we have just seen, TSMC says it can produce chips capable of dealing with comparable semiconductors of Intel and Samsung using conventional UVE equipment. 2025 will be the year in which the lithographs of 2 nm will start, and, therefore, it will be the prelude to a presumably even more bloody battle: that of the 1.4 Nm. Image | ASML More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | ASML’s new lithography team divides chips manufacturers. TSMC considers not using it until 2030

The global tension cannot with ASML. It will build a huge campus equivalent to 50 soccer fields

by

ASML is going to expand. And he will do it in a very ambitious way. This company of the Netherlands has been a lot of pressure by Dutch and American governments because it is The only manufacturer of planet’s lithography equipment capable of producing extreme ultraviolet machines (UVE). These equipment are those used to manufacture the most advanced semiconductors that exist with integration technologies of 7 nm or less. The tension held by the US and China has seriously compromised ASML business in the country led by Xi Jinping. In fact, the sanctions that US administration has deployed and that the Netherlands government has supported them have prevented him from giving his Chinese clients his UVE teams. In addition, since the beginning of 2024 he can not sell in China either Your deep ultraviolet lithography machines (UVP), nor can you provide some support and maintenance services to your Chinese clients. ASML trusts its future despite the delicate situation in which it is located In 2022 the sales of this company in China amounted to 2.9 billion euros, which represented 13.8% of its annual sales. At that time Taiwan was a more important market for Asml than China. In fact, in 2023 the clients of the island bought lithography equipment for a total value of 8,100 million euros, while its Chinese clients disbursed 7.3 billion euros. And, curiously, in 2024 China consolidated as the largest market for ASML with total sales of 10.2 billion euros. ASML has no competition in the manufacture of avant -garde lithographic equipment To understand where this figure comes from, we need to keep in mind something important. As we have seen, ASML cannot sell its most advanced teams to its Chinese clients, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography machines (UVE) or deep ultraviolet (UVP), but at the moment you can give them the solutions that allow them produce chips with mature integration technologies. These are the semiconductors that are mostly used in cars, appliances or electronic devices, among other products, and usually occur in nodes of 28 nm or less advanced. Whatever it is evident that the commercial and technological war that are pouring the US and China in full struggle for world supremacy It is seriously harming both the ASML business and that of many other technology companies, such as Nvidia, AMD, Applyed Materials or Tokyo Electron. In these circumstances it seems reasonable to think that the future of this Dutch company is uncertain, but it is very important that we do not overlook something that we have already addressed in this article: ASML has no competition in the manufacturing market of vanguard lithographic equipment. This favorable circumstance has caused its capacity to produce UVE machines and Haute Opening UVE Be lower than demand, so ASML managers have made a decision: they will build a new campus near Eindhoven (Netherlands) that will allow them continue growing and responding to the growing demand They have their semiconductor manufacturing equipment. According to the newspaper Edthat, precisely, it is housed in Eindhoven, initially these facilities were going to be ready in 2030, but will finally be prepared for the first 20,000 additional employees to be installed in them in 2028. Image | ASML More information | Ed In Xataka | Japan wants to recover leadership as a manufacturer of lithography equipment. And he has a plan to end the Asml monopoly

No one is safe from tariffs. Not even one of the most powerful and necessary companies for the US: ASML

by

ASML occupies a privileged position. This company of the Netherlands is the only company on the planet capable of producing equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) that are necessary to manufacture avant -garde chips. In fact, these are the machines that use TSMC, Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Technology to create Your most advanced integrated circuits. It is currently not exaggerated to affirm that a very important part of the semiconductor industry is supported About Asml’s shoulders. And, despite its indisputable relevance, it is not immune to tariffs. Or, at least, to the uncertainty that has triggered the government’s tariff strategy led by Donald Trump. In fact, According to Reutersthe investors of this Dutch company are very concerned about the impact that US taxes will have on the company’s economic performance. The next tariffs on chips have plunged Asml in uncertainty The US administration has excluded manufacturers of lithography equipment from the base tariff of 10% announced just a few days ago. However, ASML, Tokyo Electron, Canon and other companies that produce these machines have reason to be expectant. And worried. A little over 24 hours ago Donald Trump confirmed that during the next few days will announce the tariff rate with which it will finally tax the imported integrated circuits. He also anticipated that some companies in the semiconductor industry will have some flexibility, although he did not specify either what will be those organizations or to what extent they can continue to import integrated circuits avoiding tariffs. The problem is that with these statements has plunged the entire semiconductor industry in uncertainty. This is the problem facing ASML and the other machine manufacturers to produce integrated circuits. If the US government finally decides to impose tariffs on the importation of lithography equipment manufactured abroad, the semiconductor sector will suffer If the US government finally decides to impose tariffs on the importation of lithography equipment manufactured abroad, the semiconductor sector will suffer. ASML is in a more comfortable position than other chips processing equipment manufacturers because, as I mentioned in the first lines of this article, it is the only company that produces UVE lithography machines. And not having competition in this segment helps. In addition, Intel and TSMC are equipping, or, at least, they plan to do it in the short or medium term, Its new plants of manufacture of semiconductors in the US. And it is impossible to start them Without ASML machines. However, the panorama is gloomy even if the US administration decided to exclude tariffs definitively to the manufacturers of lithography equipment, which is something that can happen. If this last scenario was given, but the US government decides to impose tariffs on imported chips, which right now seems most likely, the business of some of the best ASML customers, such as TSMC, Samsung or SK Hynix, presumably will resent to a greater or lesser extent. And, consequently, it is reasonable to assume that ASML’s economic performance will degrade. This is what worries your investors. TSMC and Samsung They already have factories in the USand SK Hynix is ​​building a plant in West Lafayette (Indiana), but in the short term they will hardly be able to meet the needs of the US market Only with your US plants. We will see what happens finally, but whatever happens is evident that uncertainty is already hurting even an industry as robust as that of integrated circuits. Image | ASML More information | Reuters In Xataka | Nvidia will continue to sell its H20 GPU in China. It has cost a dinner of 1 million dollars per diner

Europe wants to lead chips research of less than 2 nm. ASML is the cornerstone of your plan

by

None of The main semiconductor manufacturers The planet is European. TSMC, the company that leads this industry, is from Taiwan. Samsung and Sk Hynix are South Korean. Intel and Micron Technology are Americans. AND SMIC is China. This panorama invites us to accept that Europe has lost the train of the production of integrated circuits, but, in reality, it is not so. At least not at all. And it is that the old continent has ASMLthe Dutch company that leads the design and manufacture of photolithography equipment that is necessary to produce avant -garde semiconductors. And it also has IMEC, an integrated circuit research center founded in 1984 and housed in Leuven (Belgium). It is the most experienced laboratory in the tuning of new integration technologies that we have in Europe. IMEC and ASML work side by side to go beyond the 2 nm Europe does not have the expertise of the US, China, Japan or South Korea when it comes to the industry that develops in its laboratories. In what remains a global power is in border investigation. If we look beyond the semiconductors and look, for example, in Quantum computerswe will verify that the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics housed in Garching (Germany) and the Quantum Computing Center of Delft (Netherlands) are two leading institutions in the research in quantum computing. Europe seeks to develop the necessary integration technologies to produce semiconductors beyond the 2 Nm barrier IMEC has that same prestige, but in the field of innovation in integrated circuits. This is the reason why in May 2024 The European Union decided deliver a subsidy 2.5 billion euros To put a pilot line that will allow the manufacture of avant -garde semiconductors. This subsidy will be part of the ‘Chips Act’ program and has a very specific purpose: to develop integration technologies that are necessary to produce semiconductors Beyond the 2 Nm barrier. This is, in short, the European plan. And it is that IMEC intends to put its technology in the hands of European companies that are dedicated to automotive, telecommunications or the manufacture of medical devices, among other sectors. Diversification can play in your favor because it will contribute to developing the European technological ecosystem on a large scale. However, this research center is not addressing this project alone; He is working side by side with ASML. In fact, this company of the Netherlands has a crucial role in this plan. And he has it because he will deliver to IMEC the photolithography teams that his researchers need to bring to fruition the production of integrated circuits of less than 2 nm. ASML will install in this laboratory even your machine extreme ultraviolet (UVE) and haute openingwhich is the most advanced semiconductor production team it currently has. In fact, the technology of this machine is the only one that is capable of take us beyond the 2 nm. One more note to conclude: the collaboration of IMEC and ASML also seeks to develop integration technologies for DRAM chips, the Fotonic silicon and advanced packaging techniques of integrated circuits. Image | IMEC More information | IMEC In Xataka | China prepares the mate to the US: it will have its own UVE lithography team to make chips in 2025

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.