China's Chipmaking Breakthrough: Smic's 5nm Process Defies Sanctions

https://www.ihadnoclue.com/article/1090544173537558529

China's largest chip manufacturer, SMIC, has reportedly achieved 5-nanometer chip production capabilities, marking a significant technological breakthrough despite U.S. export controls designed to limit Chinese semiconductor advancement beyond 14nm. This achievement is particularly remarkable because SMIC accomplished it without access to ASML's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, which were previously considered essential for manufacturing below 7nm. Industry experts believe SMIC used innovative multiple patterning techniques with older deep ultraviolet (DUV) equipment, though likely with lower yields and higher costs than competitors like TSMC and Samsung. The development represents a significant step toward China's semiconductor self-sufficiency goals and challenges the effectiveness of export controls as a containment strategy. However, SMIC still faces substantial challenges in efficiency, scaling, and keeping pace with global leaders as they move to even smaller nodes, potentially accelerating the fragmentation of global technology ecosystems into competing spheres of influence.