The Dutch company ASML, as basically the only company in the world that makes the lithography machines used to produce the most complex microchips, has again become a geopolitical pawn. The United States government is preparing to force the Netherlands to ban ASML from selling almost any chip-making machines to China, NU.nl reports.
Picture is more complicated as far as I understand.
China caught up to ASML. Not fully. Huawei even proceeded to propose innovation with vertical stacking and overall different chip designs.
Fine and dandy.
Machines ASML sell now took a fuck ton of time to even get to demo state.
Where this gets complicated, ASML is years into developing new generation machines, that will further chip design and production. In different materials than silicone.
And whether China will or can catch up to this is another question. Whether ASML delivers, is another one.
This is space race, but they are racing to different planets. All at the same time.
Painting this as A catching up to B appears extrimely simplistic.