China could develop advanced chipmaking machines by 2030, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says
China currently does not have lithography machines as advanced as those made by ASML, as these tools are crucial for making advanced computer chips.
- Sep 17, 2026,
- Updated Sep 17, 2026 3:26 PM IST
China is one country that is significantly expanding its AI efforts across semiconductors and other advanced technologies. While the country is technologically self-reliant, it lacks key technologies required to manufacture the most advanced chips.
China currently does not have lithography machines as advanced as those made by ASML, as these tools are crucial for making advanced computer chips. They use highly precise light-based processes to print tiny circuit patterns onto silicon wafers.
This limits China’s ability to manufacture the most advanced semiconductors domestically. However, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says China could overcome this gap very soon, predictably in the next 3 to 4 years.
“They are going to get there by 2030,” Huang said in an interview with The All-In Podcast.
“2030 is just around the corner. The way to think about China is that it is really good at high-volume production. It is just a matter of time[...] so two or three years is just a click; it is nothing. So as far as they are concerned, they are already there,” he added.
China’s top domestic lithography equipment maker is Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), which currently mass-produces a type of lithography machine called a 193-nm ArF dry scanner. These machines are capable of making chips using a 90nm-class manufacturing process. However, it is not as advanced as today’s cutting-edge chips.
The company has reportedly developed a more advanced ArF immersion scanner capable of producing 28nm chips, but there is no public evidence of the development.
Therefore, while China can develop more advanced lithography technology, it has not yet demonstrated that it can produce and deploy those machines at the scale needed for high-volume advanced chip manufacturing.
Huang shows enthusiasm for China’s pace of advancing its technology for developing advanced computer chips. He also refers to China's AI industry being 'right behind' frontier labs in the US.
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China is one country that is significantly expanding its AI efforts across semiconductors and other advanced technologies. While the country is technologically self-reliant, it lacks key technologies required to manufacture the most advanced chips.
China currently does not have lithography machines as advanced as those made by ASML, as these tools are crucial for making advanced computer chips. They use highly precise light-based processes to print tiny circuit patterns onto silicon wafers.
This limits China’s ability to manufacture the most advanced semiconductors domestically. However, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says China could overcome this gap very soon, predictably in the next 3 to 4 years.
“They are going to get there by 2030,” Huang said in an interview with The All-In Podcast.
“2030 is just around the corner. The way to think about China is that it is really good at high-volume production. It is just a matter of time[...] so two or three years is just a click; it is nothing. So as far as they are concerned, they are already there,” he added.
China’s top domestic lithography equipment maker is Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), which currently mass-produces a type of lithography machine called a 193-nm ArF dry scanner. These machines are capable of making chips using a 90nm-class manufacturing process. However, it is not as advanced as today’s cutting-edge chips.
The company has reportedly developed a more advanced ArF immersion scanner capable of producing 28nm chips, but there is no public evidence of the development.
Therefore, while China can develop more advanced lithography technology, it has not yet demonstrated that it can produce and deploy those machines at the scale needed for high-volume advanced chip manufacturing.
Huang shows enthusiasm for China’s pace of advancing its technology for developing advanced computer chips. He also refers to China's AI industry being 'right behind' frontier labs in the US.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine