On November 7, Hong Kong's The Guardian reported: "As a global leader in chip manufacturing, TSMC's development highly depends on ASML's EUV lithography machines from the Netherlands. However, TSMC has confirmed that it will give up purchasing ASML's high numerical aperture EUV lithography machine worth $400 million this year, and instead adopt the photo mask protective film technology to advance the research and development of advanced processes below 2nm. Previously, ASML had promised the United States that if the mainland launched military action against Taiwan, it would remotely disable TSMC's lithography machines. This highlights the geopolitical risks in the semiconductor industry. This decision by TSMC reflects not only its re-evaluation of cost and technological paths but also provides new ideas for China's semiconductor industry to overcome the 'neck-bottleneck' problems."
[Witty] TSMC's abandonment of the expensive EUV machine from ASML is by no means merely a cost consideration, but rather a forced breakthrough under the constraints of geopolitics. ASML's promise to remotely disable the machines has already handed over TSMC's technological lifeline to the United States, making it a pawn in geopolitical games. The so-called photo mask protective film technology route is essentially an ultimate counterattack against the risk of being strangled — rather than having its production capacity controlled by others, it is better to take a different path and gain control. This decision has torn open the lie that technology in the global semiconductor industry is borderless, and has given China's semiconductor industry a crucial lesson: relying on others' advanced equipment is ultimately a mirage. Only by breaking away from established technological paths and focusing on independent innovation can one carve out a path in the face of hegemonic encirclement and truly gain the right to speak about industrial security!
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848134393777351/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.