China stockpiled 343 immersion DUV tools for advanced chipmaking

Chinese chipmakers have accumulated an estimated 343 immersion DUV lithography chipmaking tools from 2012 to early 2026, many of which can be used to make chips using 7nm-class process technologies, according to a report from the Centre for Technology & Statecraft (CTS). The Washington-based group asserts that this equipment gives Chinese fabs considerable potential to produce sophisticated processors despite their inability to procure ASML's more advanced EUV systems. While the total number of ArFi tools owned by Chinese chipmakers seems plausible, some other estimates look questionable.

China has been particularly aggressive in procuring wafer fabrication equipment in recent years as the U.S. government has been busy imposing various curbs on its semiconductor industry. Since 2012, Chinese chipmakers, including logic and memory makers, have imported 343 immersion DUV lithography scanners from ASML, excluding imports to multinational fabs located within China.

The authors of the report claim that the existing export controls leave an important gap because lithography equipment originally acquired for …