// chip production capacity

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Oct 4

China acquired 343 advanced chip tools despite US export controls

Source: Scmp

China's stockpile of deep ultraviolet lithography machines—nearly 80% sourced from ASML before tightening restrictions—shows export controls lag behind actual enforcement. These tools can produce 7nm chips and high-bandwidth memory. The question for Western semiconductor advantage is no longer whether China can access frontier equipment, but whether accumulated inventory allows sustained indigenous production without new imports. The timeline for US-China semiconductor decoupling compresses, and unilateral export bans face limits in containing Chinese chipmaking.

theme-connected semiconductor manufacturing chip production capacity hardware economics

May 11

TSMC delays advanced chip equipment, signaling Moore's Law slowdown

Source: Azeem Azhar, Exponential View

TSMC's decision to shelve ASML's High-NA EUV machines until 2029 exposes a hard economic reality: the cost of maintaining chip density improvements has become prohibitive even for the world's largest foundry. The decades-old assumption that each generation of chips gets smaller, faster, and cheaper is breaking. When the leading edge becomes too expensive to chase, the industry splits between premium players who can afford cutting-edge nodes and a broader market stuck on mature processes. This shifts both competition and investment patterns in semiconductors.