Center for Technology & Statecraft: Chinese fabs had acquired ~343 DUVi tools by early 2026, with ~270 from ASML; DUVi can be adapted to make 7nm chips and HBM
DUV tools, though not as advanced as EUV, can be adapted to manufacture 7-nm logic chips and advanced memory for AI processors, report says.
The reported tool base places those domestic efforts alongside a substantial installed fleet, rather than leaving advanced-chip production dependent solely on new domestic equipment or EUV.
First-order effects
Chinese fabs can use their installed DUVi systems for 7nm logic and HBM production processes, extending the range of AI-chip components they can pursue without EUV.
ASML’s roughly 270-tool share makes its installed base a material input to Chinese fabs’ advanced-node and memory ambitions.
Second-order effects
Export-control debates shift from the availability of EUV alone to whether continuing access to DUV immersion tools and their support preserves advanced-chip manufacturing capability.
China’s domestic DUV suppliers enter a market where fabs already have experience adapting and operating foreign DUV systems, raising the value of compatibility with existing process flows.
Third-order effects
If domestic DUV production matures, China’s lithography resilience will rest on both an installed foreign-tool base and local replacement capacity, making tool-by-tool restrictions less decisive on their own.
The ability to adapt DUV for both logic and HBM ties lithography policy more directly to the full AI hardware supply chain, not only to leading-edge processors.
The trend: AI hardware competition is broadening from restrictions on the most advanced lithography to control of the mature-tool installed base and the memory supply needed for AI systems.
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