Huawei EUV lithography machine a breakthrough
EUV lithography machine announced a breakthrough, Chinese Academy of Sciences fulfilled its promise, ASML did not expect it to be so fast
iMedia News • May 5, 2025 ~ Huawei Central WinBuzzer Globalsmtasia
Chip manufacturing has always been the biggest shortcoming of the domestic semiconductor industry, and most of the chips we use, about 50% are purchased from the United States at high prices. According to statistics, from 2019 to 2020, Chinese chips, the total amount of imports exceeds 300 billion, accounting for about 40% of the global semiconductor consumer market, far exceeding oil!
After Huawei was cut off, Ren Zhengfei visited the Chinese Academy of Sciences for help. The two sides reached a clear consensus: the key to breaking the ice of domestic chips is the EUV lithography machine.
In order to realize the rise of “China Core,” the Chinese Academy of Sciences took the initiative to take over the task and established a special EUV core technology research team, which is bound to complete the breakthrough in the shortest time.
Huawei has been striving to improve its chip production, and seems that the China-made EUV equipment could help the company with this goal. A piece of information says that the Chinese tech giant is testing a new in-house EUV chipmaking machine.
X tipster @MaWooKong (via WCCFtech) reveals that Huawei started testing a China-made EUV chip-making equipment. A Chinese firm issued a patent for the respective machine in 2023. Perhaps the equipment might have received approval.
The tipster added that Huawei is testing the new semiconductor-producing equipment in its Dongguan facility. It is built with LDP (Laser Discharge induced Plasma) tech.
What’s the difference between LPP and LDP?
ASML’s LPP (Laser-Produced Plasma) uses high-energy lasers and complex Field Programmable Gate Array-based controls. These are highly-efficient and expensive techniques that help in developing powerful as well as advanced chips.
LDP, on the flip side, has a simpler and smaller design. This eventually leads to lower power consumption and cost-effective semiconductor manufacturing.
Inputs reveal that LDP can generate 13.5nm EUV radiation via vaporizing the tin between electrodes and converting it to plasma using high-voltage discharge with electron-ion collisions thus, producing the required wavelength.
EUV vs DUV
Huawei and the Chinese chip industry have been relying on early-generation (DUV) lithography systems with 248nm and 193nm wavelengths. It is not only used to increase wafers manufacturing cost but also took lengthy processes.
However, with the new China-developed EUV machine, chip production will become easier than before. Chinese companies would be able to manufacture better chipsets regardless of the US sanctions. It will likely be a great help for Huawei and SMIC.
X tipsters said the new Chinese EUV chip-making tool will undergo trial production in the third quarter of this year, while it could initiate mass production next year; that is 2026.
Conclusion: a potentially disruptive development
If China commercializes LDP-based EUV lithography, it could represent a major technological shift, cutting reliance on ASML and altering the global semiconductor landscape. However, challenges remain in scaling production, enhancing power output, and navigating Western trade restrictions.
By 2030, if China establishes an independent EUV supply chain and achieves 3nm or 2nm chip production, it could challenge ASML, TSMC, and Samsung in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
China’s Harbin Institute of Technology has successfully developed an EUV light source based on discharge plasma, producing 13.5nm radiation. Once dismissed as speculation, this breakthrough suggests that China’s semiconductor advancements may be underestimated by Western analysts.
The next few years will determine whether China’s EUV ambitions translate into reality or remain a long-term objective constrained by geopolitical and technical barriers.
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