Explained: How China Is Using Old Chips, New Designs And Robots To Beat The Blockade

China’s semiconductor industry is adapting to Western restrictions on advanced chipmaking technology by finding new ways to maximise existing tools and build a domestic supply chain. Chinese manufacturers are using older DUV lithography machines, multi-patterning, advanced chip design and packaging techniques to produce increasingly capable chips, although they still face gaps in efficiency, yield and access to EUV technology. At the same time, China’s rapidly developing humanoid robotics sector highlights its ability to combine chips, sensors, batteries, motors and AI at scale. The semiconductor race is increasingly about engineering, packaging and manufacturing capacity—not just having the smallest transistor.