The dilemma of lithography machine business reflects the road of independent innovation of science and technology
Recently, Dutch lithography machine manufacturer ASML announced their record revenue data for 2023 - 215.3 billion yuan, with 450 lithography machines delivered. This blockbuster news has caused a lot of shock in the semiconductor industry, and it also reflects that China still faces many challenges in the independence and controllability of key core technologies. As a key equipment for chip manufacturing, lithography machine is related to the development of China's semiconductor industry and the prospect of the entire industrial manufacturing industry, which deserves our attention and deep thought.
The importance of lithography machines
What is a lithography machine, and why is it so much concerned? It starts with the manufacturing process of chips. Chip manufacturing is a delicate process, including throwing, lithography, etching, ion implantation and other links. Photolithography is the most critical step, like the process of precisely "drawing" a circuit pattern on a silicon wafer. The higher the accuracy of the lithography machine, the smaller the process process of the chip can be, the more transistors and circuits can be integrated on the chip, and the more powerful the performance of the chip.
For example, ASML's EUV lithography machine uses 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet light to reduce the wire width to less than 7 nm at one time. In contrast, the current lithography machine that Chinese companies can manufacture is about 28 nanometers, which is still far from the industrial-grade 7 nanometer standard. It can be seen that the lithography machine plays a decisive role in the improvement of chip performance, and whoever masters the core technology of the lithography machine will master the commanding heights of the industry.
The current situation and challenges of China's chip industry
China's chip industry started late and is currently in a critical stage of catch-up development. According to estimates, although China's chip self-sufficiency rate will reach 20% in 2023, there is still a big gap with the global average of 60%. From the perspective of product structure, China is mainly concentrated in the field of low-end chips, and the dependence on high-end chips is as high as more than 80%, especially in the core links such as CPU, memory, and lithography machines.
This state of affairs is not only related to the level of China's economic development, but also inseparable from the long-term technological blockade imposed by Western countries on China. Whether it is the "Entity List" sanctions during the trade war, or the Netherlands being forced to "comply" and refuse to export advanced lithography machines to China, it highlights China's severe challenges in the independence and controllability of key core technologies.
This not only affects the industrial upgrading of China's domestic chips, but also restricts the entire industrial development process, resulting in the embarrassing situation of being stuck in the "neck". It can be said that the development of China's chip industry has become a major strategic issue related to national security and development interests. How to solve this dilemma is a challenge that China urgently needs to solve.
The road of independent innovation has a long way to go
In recent years, the Chinese government and enterprises have attached great importance to the development of the chip industry and invested a lot of money and manpower in it. Driven by Huawei, Yangtze River Storage, Zhongtian Yingli and other enterprises, the mainland's chip design and manufacturing capabilities have made great progress, and breakthroughs have been made from scratch in some fields.
In August 2022, Huawei announced the first Mate50 mobile phone based on nanochip process technology. In 2024, Huawei Mate60 will use the self-developed Kirin chip for the first time, marking the entry of Huawei chips into the era of 7nm process. China's Yangtze River Storage has also completed a technological leap from 28nm to 19nm and then to 14nm.
However, compared with international giants such as Intel, Qualcomm, and Taiwan's TSMC, there is still a certain gap between Chinese chip companies. Chinese companies should be cautiously optimistic about whether they can finally achieve the independence and controllability of "stuck neck" technology.
On the one hand, in the face of technological blockade, China must adhere to the path of independent innovation. Only by persistently increasing investment and constantly conquering key core technologies can we break the technical blockade artificially set by the outside and truly grasp the leading power in the development of the chip industry.
On the other hand, the road to innovation has a long way to go, and it requires the joint efforts of all parties: the government will increase support, enterprises will bravely shoulder the heavy responsibility of innovation, and schools and institutes will strengthen basic research to form a benign interaction between industry, university and research; At the same time, it is also necessary to create a good innovation ecology, establish and improve the intellectual property protection system, and create a favorable environment for innovators.
In this process, China is fully capable of achieving independence and control, but it also requires arduous efforts. Any great cause is not achieved overnight, we must strengthen our confidence, maintain patience and determination, and stride forward towards the goal of independent innovation in a down-to-earth manner.
Adhere to the general direction of openness and cooperation
We need to fully realize that scientific and technological innovation is essentially the crystallization of the progress of human civilization and requires the cooperation of all countries to promote it. Blockade and protectionism are not conducive to scientific and technological progress, nor are they conducive to the orderly operation of the global industrial chain.
China has always adhered to the concept of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation in science and technology. Although ASML, a lithography machine company, is constrained by the pressure of the United States and has difficulty selling top products to China, it still attaches great importance to cooperation with Chinese companies. Because of China's huge market demand and continuous innovation vitality, it has created a broad space for cooperation between the two sides.
For those enterprises that are unable to cooperate with China under objective conditions, we also uphold the principle of openness and mutual benefit, and are willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with them. China is not only willing to purchase the most advanced technology and equipment, but also hopes to integrate into the tide of global innovation, continuously improve its scientific and technological strength, and make due contributions to the international community.
In the development of China's chip industry, foreign-funded enterprises such as ASML and TSMC have played an important role. On the basis of cooperation with them, some Chinese enterprises have gradually mastered the core technology. This shows that openness and cooperation is a win-win option for both sides. China is fully expected to move towards complete independence and controllability in open cooperation and achieve high-quality development of the chip industry.
At the same time, for Chinese enterprises that have made breakthroughs in some fields, they should uphold an open mind, expand cooperation and exchanges with international industries, and contribute Chinese solutions to global technological innovation and industrial upgrading.
China is by no means seeking a technology monopoly that "outshines anyone", but insists on attracting the world's top talents and advanced technologies with an open attitude, promoting self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, and achieving integrated development of science and technology. We must always adhere to the concept of "peace, development, cooperation and win-win", and promote the formation of a new pattern of science and technology that is more open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and win-win.
The important weapon of the country should be revitalized independently
There is no doubt that the chip industry is an important embodiment of a country's industrial strength and scientific and technological innovation capabilities. Strategic, basic and leading science and technology basic industries are related to whether a country can truly improve its industrial competitiveness.
In the face of the technological blockade of Western countries, we have indeed encountered the challenge of continuous development. However, we should not be hindered by this, but should have the courage to rise to the challenge and respond positively. "Tianxingjian, a gentleman is constantly striving for self-improvement". We must adhere to the development path of independent innovation, self-reliance and self-reliance, unswervingly increase investment in science and technology, strive to break through the core environment of the bottleneck, and consolidate the basic capabilities of science and technology in the fields of chip manufacturing and semiconductor materials.
At the same time, we need to promote a new round of high-level opening-up, deeply integrate into the global innovation network, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with international advanced enterprises and scientific and technological talents, and jointly promote the development of human scientific and technological civilization. With the help of global talents and intelligent resources, we will be able to realize the independence and controllability of China's chip industry, promote the integrated development of a new round of industrial revolution and scientific and technological revolution, and contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The important weapon of the country cannot be controlled independently. Only by mastering the "key" of science and technology can we truly gain a firm foothold and develop independently, and then write a new chapter in China's scientific and technological innovation.