China won’t need ASML’s chip-building machines for long

The machine shown in this picture is probably the most-important one in the world. It’s from Dutch company ASML and it’s used to fabricate the most-precise computer chips.

Last year, the US began restricting their use and export into China.

Naturally, that caused some panic in Beijing and the country’s resources were marshalled at building a replacement. A report today from Reuters says they have at least partially succeeded. Citing sources, the report says researchers created a working prototype, not just now but in “early 2025” though it’s still undergoing testing and hasn’t produced a working chip.

That sounds a bit dubious but they’re extremely complicated machines. China’s aim is to produce its own chips by 2028.

If that’s the case, the US will then lose whatever moat it has in chips. The question is whether the US can be so far ahead in AI at that point that it won’t matter.

As for the market reaction, shares of ASML dipped on the headlines but it appears as though the market had largely priced in this development already.

This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.