By Christina Kyriasoglou and Stephen Engle<\/p>\n
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China is about a decade and a half behind in developing cutting-edge chipmaking tools, according to a top executive at Germany\u2019s Zeiss Group, a key supplier in the global semiconductor industry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a \u201creasonable assumption\u201d that Beijing will need 15 years to develop extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography machines, Frank Rohmund, who leads the semiconductor division at Zeiss, said on Bloomberg TV, while noting that the country\u2019s progress is hard to quantify.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Chipmaking technology is a key target of US efforts to prevent China from acquiring top-flight artificial intelligence chips as the two biggest economies compete to develop cutting-edge models. The US bars Zeiss shareholder ASML Holding NV from shipping its most advanced machines to the country, while Beijing is pouring money into its domestic semiconductor sector in a bid for self-sufficiency.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zeiss is the exclusive supplier of optics used in ASML\u2019s EUV machines, and the Dutch company is the world\u2019s only manufacturer of such equipment. EUV technology is essential for producing the most advanced chips used in Nvidia Corp.\u2019s artificial intelligence accelerators.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rohmund\u2019s estimate comes after UBS analysts led by Francois-Xavier Bouvignies wrote this week that China is likely at least a decade away from developing domestic EUV technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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China is one of ASML\u2019s top markets for the previous generation of chipmaking machines that use deep ultraviolet, or DUV, technology. The US also requires export licenses for several of the Dutch company\u2019s more sophisticated immersion DUV models.<\/p>\n
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Any plan to expand export controls to include legacy DUV machines would be bad for business, according to Rohmund. \u201cWe don\u2019t believe in the positive impact of these export restrictions because it accelerates innovation in China,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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China has made strides in producing immersion DUV lithography tools. A Shanghai-based company is making such equipment, the Information reported in July, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Beijing has been working on such technology for decades, according to Rohmund. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really come as a surprise and now we need to see how capable these tools really are,\u201d he said of reports of recent advances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are still way ahead,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Zeiss says its components are used to produce around 80 per cent of the world\u2019s chips. ASML bought a minority stake in the Oberkochen, Germany-based company\u2019s semiconductor division in 2017 for 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion).<\/p>\n
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To accommodate AI-driven demand, Zeiss has expanded its Oberkochen headquarters to add production. It\u2019s also constructing a factory on another site.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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