Source: Financial Times (paywall)
Huawei is moving beyond procurement into direct investment and customer matchmaking for domestic lithography suppliers, effectively bridging China's persistent gap in semiconductor equipment manufacturing. Lithography tools remain the hardest piece of China's self-sufficiency puzzle—ASML dominates globally and U.S. export controls limit access—so Huawei is using its scale and fab relationships to create a viable market for homegrown alternatives, even if they're less advanced. The strategy trades short-term performance for long-term resilience and reduces leverage points for Western export restrictions.