SiCarrier of China Shocks Chip Industry with Major Launch of Chip Equipment at SEMICON 2025, Challenging ASML’s Lead

SiCarrier, China’s leading company in chipmaking equipment, recently showcased an impressive array of tools designed to elevate the country’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.

As China ramps up its efforts to reduce reliance on foreign technology, SiCarrier has emerged as a significant player, quietly contributing to this national ambition. The firm, reportedly supported by Huawei, has taken bold steps forward, particularly at SEMICON 2025 in China, where it introduced its latest line-up of chipmaking tools, signaling its determination to advance in this highly competitive field.

A Twitter user, @zephyr_z9, highlighted SiCarrier’s extensive new range through a tweet, which included innovations like Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) systems crucial for fabricating integrated circuits. While their new offerings cover various areas, there’s a notable absence of lithography tools. This suggests that SiCarrier might be keeping certain aspects of their development under wraps as they seek to rival established giants like ASML and Applied Materials. However, it remains unclear just how effective these tools are for the domestic market in China.

At the SEMICON event, Du Lijun, President of SiCarrier, revealed that the company’s equipment is capable of producing 5nm chips, albeit with the challenge of using non-optical technology. This results in higher production costs compared to their global counterparts. Nonetheless, partnerships with SMIC and Huawei are in place to overcome these hurdles, as achieving semiconductor self-sufficiency is a top priority for China.

Du Lijun noted that there might be potential in leveraging non-optical technologies to address some lithography challenges, a promising direction for SiCarrier.

The overarching ambition for SiCarrier appears to be shifting the power dynamics in the semiconductor industry, traditionally dominated by countries like the Netherlands. Collaborating with Huawei and the Shenzhen government, they aim to pioneer custom EUV prototypes based on laser-induced discharge plasma (LDP). This initiative marks a critical step toward China developing its own EUV lithography tools, which are essential for creating state-of-the-art semiconductor nodes. This progress could potentially remove the last remaining barrier to full domestic chip production capabilities.