{
  "id": 16196289,
  "title": "China can make advanced chips without EUV, but the bill keeps growing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/china-can-make-advanced-chips-without-euv-but-the-bill-keeps-growing",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-23T13:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/china-can-make-advanced-chips-without-euv-but-the-bill-keeps-growing-duv-multiple-patterning-means-bigger-dies-lower-yields-and-longer-manufacturing-times"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China's chipmaking industry has been producing advanced chips without the use of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography, relying instead on DUV (Deep Ultraviolet) machines. While DUV machines are less capable than EUV machines, they still allow for the production of performant silicon. However, this comes with trade-offs such as longer manufacturing times, higher production costs, and a higher likelihood of defects. According to lithography expert Chris Mack, using multiple patterning techniques on DUV machines can compensate for the lack of EUV, but each additional exposure increases the risk of errors. The cost of manufacturing chips also rises with each additional exposure, making larger chips less efficient and more expensive. Despite these challenges, China has made significant progress in chip production, as demonstrated by Huawei's Kirin 9000S processor, which was made using SMIC's second-generation 7nm-class manufacturing process without EUV. Some analysts estimate that Chinese DRAM manufacturer CXMT is producing only around one-third as many bits per wafer as Western competitors, attributing this gap to the lack of EUV technology. However, there is evidence that DUV can be stretched to produce competitive chips, as seen with Micron's 1-alpha generation of DRAM chips, which were developed without EUV. Some experts believe that advanced packaging technologies could help Chinese firms make the most of DUV and produce the latest generations of DRAM chips, even without access to EUV lithography.",
  "summary": "China has stretched older DUV lithography far further than expected, using multiple patterning to approach 5nm-class without EUV. But experts say the trade-offs in cost, yield, and die size mean further advancements are unlikely to be economically viable.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}