Topic: American Abnormal Behavior: Lithography Machine Dumping and Breakthrough in Continental Semiconductors
China's semiconductor industry has made great strides in recent years, while the abnormal behavior of the United States has sparked speculation. This article will unravel the mystery by exploring why the United States suddenly allowed lithography machines to be dumped in China, as well as potential breakthroughs in China's semiconductor industry.
Introduction: America's anomalous behavior raises suspicions
The U.S. lockdown policy on China's semiconductor industry has been in the spotlight. Recently, however, the actions of the United States have attracted widespread attention. Why they suddenly allowed ASML to sell lithography machines to China is a puzzling move.
U.S. Lockdown Policy: Antecedents and Consequences
Before reviewing the semiconductor blockade policy of the United States, let's take a look at the status of semiconductors in China. In 2019, China spent at least $200 billion a year on U.S.-related chips, while mainland China had less than 30% chip self-sufficiency. This makes China highly dependent on imports in the chip sector, and it is also vulnerable to US sanctions and embargoes.
The rise of China's semiconductor industry
However, China's semiconductor industry has not stopped there. In recent years, China's chip localization rate has been increasing year by year, chip imports have been declining, and it is actively striving to achieve the goal of 70% chip localization within 25 years.
At the same time, the low-key launch of the Huawei Mate60 series marks a significant breakthrough in China's high-end chips.
ASML's role in the Chinese market
ASML, as a giant in the field of lithography machines, plays a key role in semiconductor manufacturing. Recently, the United States has increased its restrictions on ASML, and even asked the Netherlands to restrict the shipment of some of ASML's DUV lithography machines to China. The move threatened China's chip production capacity to some extent, but the United States suddenly issued a license allowing ASML to sell restricted chip-making equipment to China.
ASML's "Reverse Operation"
After obtaining a license in the United States, ASML began selling lithography machines to Chinese mainland, and its sales climbed rapidly. ASML has explained to the world: it has sold a large number of lithography machines to Chinese mainland and has set up a large number of employees in China. What's more, the president of ASML China revealed the new lithography machine developed by the Chinese team, which means that China's semiconductor industry is ushering in a greater breakthrough.
The intentions of the United States
As can be seen from Qualcomm's financial report, the United States learned early on that China had made a breakthrough in the field of chips.
Therefore, the United States may have deliberately allowed ASML to dump lithography machines in China in order to seize the market in advance, thereby suppressing the development and promotion of domestic lithography machines. This abnormal behavior is manifested as: I will dump what you have, and I will block what you don't have.
Conclusion: The future of China's semiconductors
China's semiconductor industry is facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. With the continuous improvement of the localization rate of semiconductors and the breakthrough of domestic enterprises in the field of high-end chips, China is expected to get rid of its dependence on imported chips and further strengthen its independent innovation capabilities.
The recent "reverse operation" may be that the United States feels the rise of China's semiconductor industry, so we can expect more good news for China's semiconductor market in the future.