The race is on to build the most complex machine

EUV lithography machines are borderline science fiction. I mean if you look at all the steps included it's mind boggling. Shooting tiny droplets of tin with two lasers at a speed of 50k times/second, harvesting uv light through atomic precision mirrors, moving wafers with nanometer precision and all that in perfect vacuum. You watch the video demos and seems like you're watching a sf movie.

Oh man oh man, can we get some more pictures of crazy machines? Here&#x27;s another <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.extremetech.com&#x2F;computing&#x2F;report-intel-bought-all-of-asmls-high-na-euv-machines-for-2024" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.extremetech.com&#x2F;computing&#x2F;report-intel-bought-al...</a>

<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.is&#x2F;vPdvM" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.is&#x2F;vPdvM</a>

&gt; For NIL to become a mainstream chipmaking technology, it must overcome several challenges. Defects are a big concern—tiny particles or imperfections on the mould can create repeating flaws across entire wafers. Alignment is another hurdle. Since chips are built in layers, the circuit patterns of every layer must line up precisely.<p>The one major advantage NIL has over optical techniques is that it does not require multiple patterning to address edge cases:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Multiple_patterning" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Multiple_patterning</a>

&gt; To prevent China from building whizzy AI chips, America has barred ASML from selling its most advanced gear to Chinese chipmakers.<p>Isn&#x27;t that the craziest thing? America can prevent the Netherlands selling goods to China. Isolationist America? What did they threaten the Netherlands with, I wonder?

Whoever is planning on building a self-sufficient off-world colony for the survival of the human race, don’t forget to invite ASML along for the trip! How many decades away are we from being able to manufacture high-end consumer-grade silicon somewhere other than on earth? It makes the challenges of safe habitation and providing other essential resources seem much simpler by comparison.

Not one mention of Zeiss? Those mirrors are quite the story themselve. The light source also isn&#x27;t actually being done by asml, it&#x27;s trumpf

It is funny how “the race is on” when we have ASML&#x2F;ZEISS monopoly in this sector.

Could this fail in some way and cause a resonance cascade?

Interesting $350M similar price to an Airbus 380 when it was sold new. Still no where near Ford class Aircraft carrier at $13 billion each.

Remind me again why we&#x27;re in an AI arms race? What&#x27;s the end goal. Market dominance for a few years?

Good luck cloning that machine.