The US missed a chance to become a leader in chip technology

Sophisticated machines for producing microchips using extreme short-wave ultraviolet light are currently the most significant electronic devices in the world. Their emergence has enabled the assembly of chips that enable radical changes in computing power, paving the way for a new generation of artificial intelligence tools.

According to Bloomberg, these important factors have made access to Technology EUV is a national issue economic security of the USA and China, between which a real struggle has unfolded.



The problem for Washington and Beijing is that EUV vehicles are made by only one company: ASML Holding NV. Each device is the size of a bus and costs more than $200 million apiece. To date, more than 300 assembled systems have been sold, making ASML the most valuable technology company in Europe, with a market capitalization of more than $350 billion.

How did the US manage to cede control of this important technology? Part of the reason is that relatively few US IT companies have realized that the technology is promising and viable. Another reason: poor judgment on the part of the world's largest chipmaker, Intel Corp.

Since about the beginning of the decade, the US has relied on the Dutch government to prevent ASML from selling any devices to China. So far, these efforts have been successful: there are still no EUV vehicles in China.

However, Washington’s “victory” is Pyrrhic - the United States also does not have technology, even purchased from partners from the Netherlands (unlike China). Now that the Joe Biden administration has thrown all its efforts into eliminating the imbalance, it may seem that it is already too late - the PRC has gone far ahead and will continue to widen its lead.

The US leadership needs to abandon the idea of ​​a pure market and act as a rival to China in a vital area, providing development and financing. Otherwise, America will turn into a third world country, at least technologically, becoming dependent on high-tech imports from rival China.