Chapter 1628 Confident ASML

Driven by both capital will and administrative power, the efficiency of the American media has shown astonishing explosive power.

Just twenty-four hours later, CBS's flagship news program "60 Minutes" aired a highly anticipated exclusive interview during its prime time.

In front of the camera, Peter Winkoning, president and CEO of Dutch company ASML, wore a well-tailored dark suit and sat calmly in front of the camera in CBS Europe studio.

"Mr. Wenkoning, in your opinion, what position do lithography machines, especially extreme ultraviolet lithography machines (EUV), occupy in the global technology landscape?"

After a brief exchange of greetings, veteran host Mike Downs quickly asked the first question.

Winköning leaned forward slightly, trying to make his words simple and understandable.

"It is no exaggeration to say that EUV lithography is the brightest and most unattainable pearl at the top of the pyramid of human industrial civilization."

His tone was up and down, making people feel full of confidence:

"It brings together the latest achievements in dozens of cutting-edge fields such as optics, precision machinery, materials science, and control engineering... ASML and our strategic partner Zeiss, after decades of unsparing investment and unimaginably complex technical breakthroughs, finally turned EUV technology from a laboratory concept into a mass-produced industrial reality."

Winköning paused and looked directly into the camera, as if looking through the screen at the global audience:

"In short, we are not simply producing a machine, but have established absolute advantages in both technology and patents, which will be unshakable in the next 10-15 years at least..."

"..."

As a professional, Wenkkonen's remarks seemed a bit out of control.

If he continues to say this, ASML seems more like the company that needs to be investigated for antitrust violations...

So, Towns quickly interrupted:

"Recently, China's communications equipment giant Juchang and its upstream partner Huaxing Technology issued a statement emphasizing that no matter how the external environment changes, they will ensure stable supply to global customers, which has triggered some speculation."

Then, the core topic was introduced at the right time.

"So, in your opinion as a professional, is it possible to produce 5-nanometer process chips for 7G equipment and other fields without relying on ASML's EUV lithography machine?"

A very faint, almost pitying smile passed across Wenkonen's face.

He leaned back and crossed his hands elegantly on his knees. "Mr. Downs, I must first state that ASML is a purely commercial technology company. We respect the rules of all markets. We will not comment on the so-called 'ban' that has not yet been finalized and its political background, and we have no intention of participating in the discussion."

Seems like a very pertinent start.

However, he immediately changed the subject, speaking with unquestionable authority:

"But purely from the perspective of technical feasibility, based on the comprehensive industry information we have, we can very clearly conclude that it is impossible."

In the script prepared in advance by the program team, the word used here is "absurd".

But Wenkonen felt that this statement was too unprofessional, so he changed it slightly.

Just bite the word "impossible" very hard.

"Based on Huaxia's current public technology route and R&D progress, even if the latest deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine they are working on succeeds, its comprehensive performance indicators are only equivalent to the NXT:1950i model launched by ASML seven years ago."

He shook his head slightly:

“There is still a generational performance gap between the NXT:1950i and our most advanced DUV product, the NXT:2000i, and this gap cannot be made up through simple engineering optimization…”

"At best, China can use multiple exposure technology to produce a handful of 7-nanometer chip samples in a laboratory environment, but it is certainly impossible to achieve large-scale mass production that meets commercial standards."

Towns accurately posed the final and most provocative question:

"So, can we assume that Huaxia has the potential to bypass ASML's patent wall and technology blockade and develop its own EUV lithography machine?"

This question seems to touch upon some absurd bottom line.

The corners of Wen Koning's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and he uttered a short but clear sneer:

"Mike, please allow me to make a bold assumption - even if ASML makes the most complete set of EUV lithography machine design drawings and process manuals available to the world for free without reservation tomorrow..."

He adjusted his sitting posture, his eyes filled with undisguised arrogance stemming from his absolute technical advantage:

"China is absolutely incapable of manufacturing a qualified machine that can run stably and meet mass production standards... This has nothing to do with willingness, but only with ability - it is an absolute gap that is difficult to cross, created by a sophisticated industrial system, top talent pool, and decades of technological accumulation..."

"..."

……

Later in the day.

Thousands of kilometers away, in a solemn meeting room of Changguang Group, the large LCD TV screen hanging on the wall was silently replaying the CBS interview clip.

Researcher Fan Hongjie, deputy leader of the photolithography objective lens R&D group, stared at Wen Koning's face with an arrogant smile on the screen, his knuckles turning bluish-white from being clenched so tightly.

The air around him seemed to freeze, with only the sound of suppressed breathing coming and going.

The other core technical personnel sitting around the long conference table also had resentment written all over their faces.

But in the end, he couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal.

Engineer Kong Xuewu opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to angrily refute something.

However, his eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of the larger projection screen in front of the conference room.

A series of complex design drawings are displayed on it.

Moreover, they are all marked with the eye-catching words "ArF-1800".

A deep feeling of powerlessness instantly gripped him, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth, leaning dejectedly against the back of his chair.

Kong Xuewu knew very well that although Wen Kening's words were arrogant and harsh, they were the cruel reality.

When the ArF-1800 project was first launched, the benchmark was ASML's previous generation main model NXT:1950i.

This is no secret within Changguang Group or even among wider industry observers.

As the other party said, the performance limit of NXT:1950i is indeed unable to support the large-scale, high-yield production of 7nm chips.

The generation gap in technology lies before our eyes, cold and real.

A suffocating silence spread in the conference room, with only the teeth-grinding voice of Wenkkonen on TV still echoing.

After a long time, Fan Hongjie, who was sitting in the first seat, took a deep breath, as if he was trying to use all his strength to suppress his surging emotions.

He loosened his clenched fists, his voice was hoarse and deliberately suppressed:

"Comrades, we... must admit the gap." His eyes slowly swept across the depressed faces, "Backwardness is an objective reality. But precisely because of backwardness, we must not be discouraged, and we must not lose our composure!"

His voice gradually rose, trying to ignite a bit of fighting spirit: "ASML has also come step by step. What we need to do now is to calm down, be down-to-earth, understand every technical detail, and make up for every shortcoming!"

"Only by producing solid products can we finally break the high wall of technological monopoly built by the West in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment! Today's frustration is the driving force for tomorrow's progress!"

Fan Hongjie's words were like a shot in the arm, slightly boosting the low morale in the meeting room.

Several young researchers straightened their backs and refocused their eyes.

However, the heavy, suffocating feeling of being crushed by reality still hangs over everyone's heads like an invisible haze.

"Team Leader Fan," Kong Xuewu's voice broke the brief silence. In addition to fatigue, it seemed to contain some complaints: "Team Leader Zhang is on a business trip... It's been several months, right?"

The "Zhang Team" he mentioned naturally refers to the leader of the engraving lens R&D team, Zhang Runing.

There was a burst of discussion all around.

Seeing that there were people supporting it and Fan Hongjie did not organize it immediately, Kong Xuewu raised his voice a little:

"Moreover, it's not just Zhang himself, but also nearly half of the core members of our team... The project is now stretched in every direction. The new PhDs are good at theory, but their practical skills and engineering experience are far behind. The running-in period is much longer than expected. The verification work of many key nodes can only be put on hold due to lack of manpower..."

This topic seemed to open the floodgates of disaster instantly.

"Yeah, where did Team Zhang go? What business trip takes so long? Can't you even reveal the general direction?"

A senior optical designer couldn't help but ask, his tone full of confusion and puzzlement.

"Could it be..." Another younger engineer hesitated, his voice very low, but like a stone dropped into calm water, "Zhang team...could it be that he has already..."