China’s Future in the Chip Industry Rests on a Single, Almost Unknown Company: SiCarrier

SiCarrier isn’t just another Chinese company. When you think of China’s semiconductor industry, names like Huawei, SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor, and Naura Technology come to mind—but not SiCarrier. Until recently, this company remained virtually unknown outside China. Now, it has captured the global IC industry’s attention in record time.

And it has done so for one compelling reason: it plays a crucial role in China’s ability to produce cutting-edge chips. Although founded in 2021, SiCarrier kept a low profile for its first four years. Its origins remain unclear, but reliable sources suggest it’s likely a spin-off of Huawei. What is known: SiCarrier is a state-owned company overseen by the Shenzhen government.

The Heart and Soul of SiCarrier Are Experienced Engineers From ASML and Applied Materials

SiCarrier designs and manufactures photolithography equipment and wafer processing machines. The company’s more than 30 products, unveiled just weeks ago at SEMICON China 2025, rival offerings from ASML of the Netherlands, Tokyo Electron of Japan and Applied Materials of the U.S. It’s remarkable that a four-year-old company already competes in the chip-manufacturing equipment market—but it earned its spot.

This success didn’t happen by accident. The core team includes engineers with more than two decades of experience at ASML and Applied Materials. These engineers are likely behind the technology Huawei and SMIC used to produce 7 nm integrated circuits. That same technology stems from a patent aimed at enabling 5 nm chip production using deep ultraviolet lithography equipment—a move that may soon draw scrutiny from the U.S. government.

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Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines are the most coveted by Chinese chipmakers. ASML is the only company that manufactures them, but U.S. sanctions prevent it from selling them to Chinese firms. This equipment is necessary to produce large-scale, cost-effective 7 nm semiconductors and more advanced technologies.

SiCarrier didn’t showcase EUV photolithography equipment at SEMICON China 2025. It’s unclear whether the company has such a machine in development, but it’s reasonable to assume its engineers are working on one. So far, the company has officially revealed a 28 nm immersion lithography machine, etching equipment for advanced nodes below 7 nm, diffusion machines for fast thermal processing, chemical vapor deposition tools for nodes ranging from 28 nm to 5 nm, and verification and testing machines for advanced ICs.

The list of lithography and wafer processing tools SiCarrier brought to SEMICON China 2025 is long. As noted earlier, these products compete with those from ASML, Applied Materials, and Tokyo Electron. However, the company’s true test will come if it succeeds in developing an EUV lithography machine.

SiCarrier President Du Liqun said the company’s strategy focuses on developing advanced lithography systems, selective deposition tools and next-generation transistor technologies like gate-all-around—already part of the portfolios of TSMC, Intel, and Samsung. It’s still too early to tell whether SiCarrier will meet the expectations it has set. But there’s no doubt that a new player has emerged in the IC industry—and it’s one worth watching.

Image | SiCarrier

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