Overview
- Reuters cites sources saying a factory-scale prototype was completed in early 2025 in Shenzhen, is undergoing tests, and has not yet produced working chips.
- The effort is described as a state-led program with Huawei coordinating companies and institutes and with former ASML engineers involved in the build.
- Sources say the team used older ASML components acquired on secondary markets and worked inside a high-security facility that enforced strict secrecy.
- Beijing’s goal is to tape out chips by 2028, whereas many experts point to around 2030 given gaps in light-source power and precision optics compared with ASML’s commercial systems.
- Market reports noted pressure on chip-related stocks, including AMD and Arm, as ASML reiterated that no EUV system has ever been sold to a customer in China.