Chinese chipmaking tool roadmaps examined — Beijing's nascent lithography tools target DUV production at five machines a year, and an EUV prototype with no chips

(Image credit: Getty Images) China has started low-volume production of domestically developed immersion DUV lithography machines, with around five systems planned for this year and roughly 20 in 2027, according to a report from July 27, which wiped roughly $44 billion off ASML's market value.The manufacturer was named as Shanghai Aishengna Electronic Technology Group by Reuters the following day, a state-owned company established in August 2023 with 7 billion yuan (around $1 billion) in registered capital that absorbed engineering teams from Huawei-affiliated startup Yuliangsheng and state scanner maker SMEE. The first units are due at SMIC, Hua Hong, and CXMT this year for production-line validation rather than volume output, but the machines are far from matching ASML's models and still require further testing. Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist. Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory.