A secretive Silicon Valley startup has secured over $100 million to challenge semiconductor giants with revolutionary x-ray lithography technology. Substrate claims it can reduce advanced chip manufacturing costs from $100,000 to $10,000 per wafer. The ambitious timeline targets production by 2028.
A secretive startup called Substrate, backed by Peter Thiel, is attempting to upend the semiconductor industry’s most critical process. Using particle acceleration instead of traditional lithography, they’re taking direct aim at ASML’s monopoly on advanced chipmaking equipment.
Europe’s tech giant ASML expects Chinese demand for its semiconductor equipment to plummet next year as Beijing pushes domestic alternatives. Despite this, the company remains optimistic about global AI investments driving advanced chip production.
Europe’s technology standout ASML Holding has projected a substantial downturn in Chinese demand for its semiconductor manufacturing systems, according to recent financial disclosures. The Dutch firm reportedly anticipates 2026 sales in China to decline significantly compared to strong performance in 2024-2025, as Beijing accelerates domestic equipment development in response to U.S. export controls.
ASML Holding reports consistent €7.5 billion quarterly sales despite Chinese market challenges. The semiconductor equipment leader sees strong EUV demand and ships first advanced packaging system while forecasting growth acceleration in 2026.
ASML Holding has reported its second consecutive quarter of stable financial performance, maintaining €7.5 billion in net sales despite significant market headwinds from China. The Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer demonstrated resilience through continued strength in Extreme Ultraviolet lithography systems and the milestone shipment of its first advanced packaging product.
CNBC’s Jim Cramer identifies Dutch company ASML as the key player in understanding escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. With its monopoly on extreme ultraviolet lithography machines essential for advanced chip production, ASML sits at the center of the technological standoff between the world’s two largest economies.
As U.S.-China trade tensions intensify, Jim Cramer of CNBC has identified an unexpected European company as critical to understanding the technological standoff. ASML Holding, the Netherlands-based manufacturer of advanced lithography machines, has become the focal point in the battle for semiconductor dominance between the world’s two largest economies. According to Cramer, “Without ASML, they can’t do what Nvidia does… ASML is the key” to understanding why China cannot match U.S. chip technology capabilities despite massive investment in domestic semiconductor development.
China’s sweeping restrictions on rare earths exports have triggered alarm across European industries and governments. The EU faces critical supply chain disruptions as trade tensions between Washington and Beijing intensify, with European officials urgently coordinating responses.
The European Union faces a rare earths supply crisis as China implements sweeping export restrictions, weaponizing Europe’s dependency on critical minerals amid escalating US-China trade tensions. The move has sent shockwaves through global semiconductor supply chains and triggered emergency coordination among EU officials, with businesses facing weekslong delays in crucial shipments according to industry monitoring reports.
