China’s leading chip equipment manufacturer, SiCarrier, has introduced an impressive array of chipmaking tools, propelling the nation closer to achieving self-reliant semiconductor production.
### The Rise of SiCarrier: China’s Chipmaking Giant Challenging Global Leaders
In recent years, China has made significant strides in the semiconductor industry, driven by a determined effort to reduce reliance on global tech influences. Companies such as Huawei and SMIC have been pivotal in establishing China’s own chip production capabilities, achieving considerable success. A name that often flies under the radar is SiCarrier, a company allegedly backed by Huawei, specializing in the production of chipmaking equipment. At the SEMICON 2025 event in China, SiCarrier boldly revealed its latest portfolio of tools, signaling their intention to charge forward unobstructed.
A tweet from user @zephyr_z9 highlighted SiCarrier’s ambitious release, showcasing their commitment to advancing China’s chipmaking prowess. Among the newly introduced tools are RTP (Rapid Thermal Processing) systems, crucial in the creation of semiconductor devices. While a variety of tools were unveiled, lithography equipment was notably absent, possibly indicating strategic discretion on SiCarrier’s part. This new product lineup aims to compete with global industry giants like ASML, Applied Materials, and LAM. However, the true impact of these tools on the domestic market remains to be seen.
At SEMICON, SiCarrier’s President Du Lijun confidently stated that their domestic chipmaking tools could manufacture 5nm chips. Yet, due to the reliance on non-optical technology, they face challenges with yield rates, potentially leading to higher production costs compared to international counterparts. Nonetheless, collaborations with SMIC and Huawei are underway to address these hurdles, with high hopes for a breakthrough vital for China’s quest for chip production autonomy.
“There might be a path where we can use non-optical technologies, that is, using our process equipment to solve some of the lithography issues,” Du Lijun shared in an interview with Reuters.
SiCarrier’s main objective is to shift the semiconductor industry’s balance away from dependency on countries like the Netherlands, a prominent source of chipmaking equipment. A previous report revealed SiCarrier’s collaboration with Huawei and the Shenzhen government to develop specialized EUV prototypes utilizing laser-induced discharge plasma (LDP). This initiative marks a crucial step towards China creating its own EUV lithography equipment, potentially eliminating the last obstacle to developing state-of-the-art semiconductor nodes.
In summary, SiCarrier’s latest venture represents a bold move in China’s ongoing pursuit of semiconductor independence, poised to redefine global dynamics in the chipmaking arena.
