China surprised the world with its new invention, advanced chip making machine ready

China has achieved a new achievement by giving a big blow to semiconductor technology. Chinese scientists have made a prototype of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Lithography Machine in a high security lab in Shenzhen.

This machine will help in making advanced chips, which are used in AI, smartphones and military systems. According to Reuters report, this prototype was completed in early 2025 and is now undergoing testing.

Machine specifications and sizes

This prototype is huge, taking up almost the space of an entire factory floor. In this, a team of former ASML engineers worked, who did reverse engineering using parts of old machines.

The good thing is that the machine is producing EUV light, which is necessary for making precise circuits on the chips. However, chips that work with this have not been made yet. Parts of old ASML, Nikon and Canon machines were collected from the secondary market.

What does a lithography machine do?

Lithography machines print very small circuits on silicon wafers. These circuits are thousands of times thinner than a human hair. This creates fast and powerful chips, which are used in high-end phones, AI and defense. Currently, only ASML company of Netherlands manufactures and sells EUV machines in the world. The cost of one machine is around Rs 2075 crore.

American sanctions and China’s efforts

Since 2018, under pressure from the US, the Netherlands banned ASML from selling EUV machines to China. ASML never sold these machines to China. The CEO of ASML had said in April that it would take many years for China to develop this technology.

But now this prototype shows that China is moving faster than expected. Huawei is playing a big role in this project by creating a network of thousands of engineers.

future expectations

China wants to make chips from it by 2028, but experts believe that 2030 is more realistic. By then the world will reach high-NA EUV. Nevertheless, this achievement is a big step towards making China self-reliant in chips. The world’s tech companies are now keeping an eye on this.