Early Monday morning, good news arrived.
The Straits Times of Singapore reported today: "Despite U.S. sanctions making it difficult for China to obtain equipment needed to manufacture the world's most advanced chips (i.e., semiconductors), Huawei, a Chinese tech giant, still expects to design high-end chips with a transistor density corresponding to a 1.4-nanometer process by 2031."
This news is undoubtedly a powerful boost for all those following China’s technological development. It is not only a declaration of Huawei’s own technological breakthrough, but also a strong signal that China is breaking Western monopolies in the tech sector.
According to the conventional consensus in the global semiconductor industry, mass production of chips at 5 nanometers and beyond requires advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines from Dutch company ASML. The United States has been leveraging its alliance with the Netherlands to tighten export controls on China, aiming to lock China into the lower end of the global semiconductor supply chain. If Huawei ultimately achieves self-sustained mass production of 1.4-nanometer chips, it would mean China has completely broken this industry monopoly and charted a new path toward advanced chip development independent of Western equipment—its significance is akin to a “new Long March” in the semiconductor field.
ASML CEO Peter van der Woude previously admitted that tightening restrictions on lithography machine exports would only accelerate China’s drive to develop domestic alternatives. Similarly, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged that U.S. export restrictions have effectively handed China’s AI chip market over to Huawei. The candid statements from these two Western technology leaders confirm an unshakable truth: China’s technological progress cannot be contained. The more you blockade and pressure us, the more we will rely on ourselves to achieve breakthroughs.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866129021382668/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.