ASML’s new $400 million chip colossus transforms how semiconductors are made. CNBC got the first-ever on-camera look at the new machine, called High NA.

uflypro - stock.adobe.com News Ireland sets out chip plan Ireland has a long history of attracting high-tech firms. Building on the EU Chip Act, it now aims to be a leader in semiconductors By Cliff Saran, Managing Editor Published: 20 May 2025 14:45 The Irish government has unveiled a semiconductor strategy in alignment with the European Chip Act. Silicon island: A national semiconductor strategy sets out a clear roadmap to grow Ireland’s semiconductor sector by creating high-value jobs, attracting major investment and deepening the country’s leadership in cutting-edge technology as a key player in Europe’s semiconductor future. The Irish government aims to become a leader in the semiconductor industry by building on its track record in technology development, capitalising on existing strengths and taking proactive, strategic actions to address emerging challenges. In 2023, the European Union (EU) set out plans to secure the supply of semiconductors and drive chip development across the region. The EU Chip Act commits €43bn of policy-driven investment until 2030, funding a number of initiatives including next-generation technologies and providing access across Europe to design tools and pilot lines for the prototyping, testing and experimentation of cutting-edge chips. Ireland – which is home to over 130 semiconductor companies, directly employing 20,000 people and generating €13.5bn in annual exports – is building on the EU Chip Act. The Irish strategy aims to foster the further growth of Ireland’s semiconductor ecosystem over the coming decade in support of the European Chips Act and Digital Decade ambitions through three strategic strands: strengthening the existing ecosystem, ensuring a robust national talent pipeline, and seizing industry opportunities. Key deliverables include publishing a comprehensive mapping of Ireland’s semiconductor ecosystem, fostering connections between research and innovation clusters, and engaging the education system to meet growing talent demands. Read more semiconductor stories EU looks to ramp up sovereign tech as Trump trade war begins: Trump’s trade war is now looking at the EU, with tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. Could US tech be in the firing line? The challenges of securing a UK semiconductor supply chain: The UK’s national semiconductor strategy aims to establish the country's credentials as a leader in the sector. We look at how it stacks up. Speaking at the launch, minister for enterprise, tourism and employment Peter Burke said: “Ireland already has a strong semiconductor base. But with the right support, I believe we could do far more. By 2040, Ireland could support up to 34,500 new semiconductor roles.” The overall goal of the Irish chip strategy is to ensure there is a secure supply chain for semiconductors in Europe by building on Ireland’s already well-established semiconductor footprint. Integrated device manufacturers including Intel, Analog Devices and Infineon have facilities in Ireland. Fabless manufacturers including Apple, AMD and IBM also have sites in Ireland, as do firms like ARM, AutoCAD and Siemens, which provide chip design, and design and testing software for chipmakers. Photolithography equipment manufacturer ASML also has an Irish facility. The multi-faceted strategy involves securing major industrial investments, with ambitious plans to establish a leading-edge chip fabrication facility, two trailing-edge foundries and an advanced packaging facility. Ireland also aims to develop next-generation sites with the infrastructure needed to support large-scale manufacturing and support startups and spinouts with access to finance. The Irish government also aims to enhance research and development, by supporting both indigenous innovation and multinational collaboration and fostering an open ecosystem based on collaboration. Overall, it wants to ensure Ireland is regarded as a hub of excellence in semiconductor design, manufacturing and research. Ireland has established a national competence centre for semiconductors under the European Chips Act. It has also collaborated with Analog Devices and 14 EU member states as part of the EU’s €8.0bn Important Projects of Common European Interests initiative to support microelectronics and communications. In The Current Issue: UK critical systems at risk from ‘digital divide’ created by AI threats UK at risk of Russian cyber and physical attacks as Ukraine seeks peace deal Standard Chartered grounds AI ambitions in data governance Download Current Issue Starburst chews into the fruits of agentic – CW Developer Network Calm settles over digital identity market - for now... (Hark, is that Big Tech on the horizon?) – Computer Weekly Editors Blog View All Blogs

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy. Huawei's Ascend 910C chips are apparently good enough to give NVIDIA's H100 GPUs a run for their money, as per the publicized claims of China's star AI player. And, judging from the beating - albeit fleeting - that NVIDIA's shares received in the aftermath of this well-choreographed move from Huawei, the market seems to agree. Now, one analyst has made some startling claims regarding Huawei's Ascend series chips, and that too within a note dedicated to NVIDIA. To wit, Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh, while expounding on his bullish thesis for NVIDIA, took a startling detour to discuss the dynamics surrounding Huawei's Ascend 910 series chips: "In China, we estimate Ascend 910a/b/c potentially at 700k+ units in 2025E but yields at key foundry SMIC remain fairly low, we estimate ~30%." For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Huawei's 910C GPU has already been dubbed China's DeepSeek moment for its still-fledgling semiconductor sphere. As we detailed in a previous post, the Ascend 910C combines two older 910B chips to reportedly deliver 800 TFLOP/s of computing power at FP16, replete with a memory bandwidth of up to 3.2 TB/s. The chip is considered on par with NVIDIA's H100 GPU, and is expected to start hitting the proverbial shelves in China soon now that volume production is underway at China's largest contract chip manufacturer, SMIC. Do note, however, that Huawei's Ascend 910C chips leverage SMIC's 7nm DUV-based production process, which suffers from "fairly low" yields, as recently pointed out by Mizuho's Rakesh as well. Of course, Huawei continues to expand its own chip fabrication footprint in China, with a recent report identifying as many as 11 different foundries now working under Huawei's control. Interestingly, many of these foundries bear discrete names to obfuscate their connection to the Chinese giant, which appears to be on a quest to attain an unprecedented level of vertical integration. And, based on separate reports, it appears Huawei is also collaborating with SiCarrier to develop next-gen lithography machines. If these efforts attain commercial success, SiCarrier will become China's ASML, and allow the world's second-largest economy to break free of Washington's ever-tightening noose around its chips sector. As an illustration, consider the fact that the Trump administration recently imposed licensing requirements on NVIDIA's China-specific GPUs, the H20, and AMD's comparable offering, the MI308. What's more, the administration has also issued new guidance, which posits that the use of Huawei's Ascend 910 series chips anywhere in the world would violate US export controls. This move is intended to preclude Huawei's penetration overseas. Deal of the Day

Ali Niknam has built Dutch fintech Bunq into one of Europe’s biggest neobanks. But he fears the Netherlands is now driving entrepreneurs away. The Bunq founder and CEO is alarmed by the country’s business mindset. He believes risk-aversion, growing insularity, and hostility to ambition are pushing talent overseas. “Many of the best entrepreneurs I know have either left or are considering leaving,” Niknam tells TNW. Surveys back him up. A poll last year found that almost one in five Dutch entrepreneurs were considering relocating — up from nearly one in eight in 2023. The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!Another study found that 24% of large companies were contemplating moves abroad — nearly double the share from the year before.  Tech scaleups are also mulling exits. One of the country’s biggest — software unicorn Bird — recently announced plans to shift operations out of the country. The company’s CEO blamed “over-regulation” and a bad climate for tech businesses. Niknam — who’s set to speak at TNW Conference on June 20 in Amsterdam — has his own critiques of the Dutch business landscape. He calls its support for entrepreneurship “among the worst” he’s seen. Yet he still has deep faith in the country’s talent pool.  “There are very few countries I know that have such amazing, creative, smart people as the Dutch,” he says.  Those people have been integral to Bunq’s rapid growth. Building bridges at Bunq Niknam’s idea for Bunq emerged in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. One of the causes, he believes, was groupthink at incumbent banks. He founded Bunq in 2012 to create an alternative.  To create a new approach to banking, Niknam sought to embrace diverse ideas. He points to the company’s approach to proposals, which can be pitched anonymously — even to Niknam himself. “On the one hand, that’s better for the company — the best ideas win. And on the other hand, it makes it more fair, because all that counts is the quality of your idea, not who you know, where you’re brought up, or what school you attended.” The strategy delivered rapid results. In 2015, Bunq became the first Dutch company in 35 years to obtain a greenfield banking license. It then grew into Europe’s second-largest neobank after Revolut — and one of the few to achieve profitability. The company now boasts over 17 million users with more than €8bn in deposits. Outside Bunq, however, Niknam sees a country that’s becoming more closed. He believes the Netherlands is abandoning its internationalist roots, which is damaging its tech ecosystem and chasing talent away.  “Historically, the Netherlands has been very entrepreneurial, very international… when this country retreats and closes the doors is when things start to get worse.” Even the country’s vast pension funds, he notes, avoid backing Dutch startups. “They know the returns are going to be less,” he says. “Why are the returns less? Because it’s a small country, and it is retreating and starting to focus within its own borders.” He contrasts the mood with developments in the Baltics. The region’s tech ecosystem has attracted admiring glances for its optimism, openness, and rapid growth. Niknam feels that many people in the Netherlands take their rights for granted. “It’s maybe a little bit of an entitlement disease — that we have forgotten that all these wonderful things that we enjoy today, somebody worked for them really, really hard,” he says. Born in Canada to Iranian parents and with homes in the Netherlands and the US, Niknam has diverse cultural experiences. Image: OLSjopera Niknam feels the Netherlands has become too risk-averse and inward-looking. Despite the liberal stereotype, Dutch society can be surprisingly conservative.  That caution, Niknam says, is embedded in the culture — even in local proverbs. One goes: “Steek je kop niet boven het maaiveld uit.” Loosely translated: “Don’t stick your head above the mowing line.” If you do, it might get chopped off. In Niknam’s eyes, that mentality thwarts ambitious entrepreneurs. “Success is not only not celebrated, but you’re almost faulted for being successful,” he says.  The international return The Netherlands is also losing its appeal to international talent. Over nine in ten expats and migrant workers no longer even consider coming to work in the country, according to research from last year. Tech firms have raised major concerns over losing access to global talent. The chip equipment maker ASML — the largest company in the Netherlands — has threatened to move abroad because of the country’s hardening stance on migrants. Peter Wennink, ASML’s former CEO — who will also speak at TNW Conference — recently warned against losing access to skilled workers. “If we cannot get those people here, we will get those people in Eastern Europe or in Asia or in the United States,” he said. Still, Niknam believes the tide can turn. For change to come, he believes the “silent majority” — those who value openness and diversity — must speak up.  Despite its problems, Niknam remains upbeat about the future for tech businesses in the Netherlands. “The people are great. The schooling is great. The infrastructure is great,” he says. “It is simply changing the attitude and mindset — which can happen in a relatively short amount of time — that will make all the difference.” If you want to catch the talks by Niknam and Wennink — or anything else on the agenda for TNW Conference — we have a special offer for you. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the checkout to get 30% off your ticket. Story by Thomas Macaulay Managing editor Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he e (show all) Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse). Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with

Menu Home News Hardware Gaming Mobile Finance Deals Reviews How To Wccftech MobileSemiconductor Huawei’s Chipmaking Partner SiCarrier Reportedly Seeks $2.8 Billion In Funding As It Attempts To Compete With ASML; Most Products Have Yet To Enter Production Omar Sohail • May 14, 2025 at 01:07am EDT SiCarrier was previously reported to have a trade link with Huawei, with the Chinese firm said to be developing next-generation chip manufacturing tools that would allow it and the region to compete with ASML and severely reduce dependency on overseas firms. Unfortunately, realizing these goals is going to be a costly venture, and even with financial backing from China, it appears that SiCarrier’s plans cannot reach fruition without some funding to catalyze its plans, which is why the company is said to acquire capital of a whopping $2.8 billion to make this possible. The funds will be used for research purposes, with various entities interested in investing in SiCarrier During SEMICON, SiCarrier unveiled a host of cutting-edge chipmaking machines aimed at breaking ASML’s monopoly and giving China the edge in this highly competitive industry. Unfortunately, Reuters reports that most of the products showcased by the Huawei partner have yet to enter production, and the lack of funds could be a major indicator. This is likely why the company is apparently looking to raise capital, with sources familiar with the matter claiming that SiCarrier wants $2.8 billion, with the firm valued at $11 billion.. The fundraising could conclude in a few weeks, with multiple entities such as domestic venture capital companies interested in investing in SiCarrier. Interestingly enough, the report mentions that the required funding did not include the chipmaker’s lithography assets, but there is a possibility that interested parties will want a piece of this pie. After all, the entire goal for China, and by extension, Huawei, is to stop relying on the older DUV equipment and focus on building ‘state of the art’ EUV machinery so that a host of companies can move past the 7nm barrier. Currently, China’s largest semiconductor manufacturing company, SMIC, is limited to mass manufacturing 7nm wafers because transitioning to the 5nm technology requires multiple patterning steps, which increases costs and lowers yields. SMIC was previously mentioned to have successfully developed its 5nm node, but plans to mass producing wafers on this lithography is still a distant dream. China was also said to be developing in-house EUV machines that would enter trial production in Q3 2025, but there are no follow-ups regarding these plans, which only means that the majority of China’s ambitions could rest on SiCarrier’s shoulders. News Source: Reuters Deal of the Day Subscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inbox Follow us on Topics Sections Company Some posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com © 2025 WCCF TECH INC. 700 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada