Zeiss Executive Warns Sanctions Could Narrow China’s EUV Gap

Frank Rohmund, CEO of Zeiss’s semiconductor business, said China could be roughly 14 to 15 years behind current Western chip-manufacturing technology. He also warned that restrictions on China could accelerate the country’s innovation and help it narrow the gap more quickly.

Rohmund made the remarks to Bloomberg during the SEMICON conference in Taiwan. His comments concerned extreme ultraviolet (EUV) chip technology and China’s progress in deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography.

The executive said China’s advances in DUV lithography should be assessed across several parameters before being compared with non-Chinese technology. The remarks come as developments in Chinese lithography receive intense scrutiny because of Western restrictions on technology exports.

Zeiss is a German lens manufacturer whose semiconductor business supplies equipment used in chip production. Rohmund’s assessment describes a potential technology gap while cautioning that sanctions and other restrictions could influence the pace of China’s progress.