The US looks to kill Chinese chipmaking ambitions with ASML sales ban

[Endymio]

If they are so good at stealing why they are still a few generations behind?

I'm glad you asked. Because the semiconductor industry is a rapidly moving target. Take a Chinese firm like Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation. It was only founded in 2016, yet by 2019 -- three short years time -- it was producing 20nm chips, a feat that took Western firms 50 years of research and development to reach. How? It stole the technology outright.

In that same year, China's SMIC began producing 14 nm chips -- again, by stealing the technology directly from TSMC. TSMC has repeated and successfully sued SMIC for this theft -- but because SMIC is protected by China, the theft still continues.

 

[MaitieS]

I'm glad you asked. Because the semiconductor industry is a rapidly moving target. Take a Chinese firm like Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation. It was only founded in 2016, yet by 2019 -- three short years time -- it was producing 20nm chips, a feat that took Western firms 50 years of research and development to reach. How? It stole the technology outright.

In that same year, China's SMIC began producing 14 nm chips -- again, by stealing the technology directly from TSMC. TSMC has repeated and successfully sued SMIC for this theft -- but because SMIC is protected by China, the theft still continues.

Thanks!

 

[MaitieS]

I'm glad you asked. Because the semiconductor industry is a rapidly moving target. Take a Chinese firm like Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation. It was only founded in 2016, yet by 2019 -- three short years time -- it was producing 20nm chips, a feat that took Western firms 50 years of research and development to reach. How? It stole the technology outright.

In that same year, China's SMIC began producing 14 nm chips -- again, by stealing the technology directly from TSMC. TSMC has repeated and successfully sued SMIC for this theft -- but because SMIC is protected by China, the theft still continues.

Just a follow up. If they are only good at stealing they won't be able to evolve it further because they are lacking the experiences. Or at least it will be much harder than for e.g. US right?

 

[yannus]

Don't know which is more disturbing - the article - or the comments. I'm not from the US but it makes me mad when people compare the US state to China. There really is no comparison. For a start if you were in China you would be 'disappeared' for just making these remarks. You probably wouldn't have been able to read this article at all because it would be firewalled off. If you happen to belong to any ethnic minority you would have been taken away to camps and if you try to protest they would run you over with a tank. Comparing Joe Biden to Ji Xinping is like comparing a Labrador to a Rottweiler.

I think that people mean they are the two sides of the same coin : one is ultra conservative and the other one ultra woke. Both lead to destruction of human life in their own way. Western countries are being torn apart by racial, ideological, economical, religious and other aspects and this division is the best tool to legitimate totalitarian responses. And LITTLE by LITTLE, here comes the dictatorship. For example, I have never seen such an intervention in European's peoples' life : what they are allowed to say, to wear or to do.

 

[rmcrys]

The way I see it as soon as China invades Taiwan all the chip plants need to be totally destroyed beyond repair, there scientist's and workers from them plant's welcomed into the United States to start fresh in newly built chip plant's, China will be left with nothing...

Most "extreme" governments / dictatorships just play on limit, which means "everything or nothing", they don't care what happens to people (see Russia vs. Ukraine). On china's side, if they jump to that route, soldiers and people of Taiwan are just (for the government) pawns/ants that if they die, the guilty are the western countries, if they win, it's on the "good" Chinese government.

China or Russia could get along with rest of the world but they would have to wait decades to achieve good results (as every country to get a good development, invest in universities, good teaching and investigation,...); but as the government just seeks glory fast, they have to get shortcuts... (= steal blueprints, data, reverse engineering, people working 14h/day for a misery salary, copy stuff, etc.). If you give to such people enough weapons (= money and tech), the world is in danger. China would have the tech, minerals, energy and world's monopoly. The USA tries to limit it, the EU and many other countries sadly don't...

 

[bviktor]

Good. Anything that hurts China is good for the rest of the world.