China plans to build a giant chip factory driven by particle accelerator

China is exploring new avenues to bypass restrictions on lithography machines, which are used in the production of microchips. Using particle accelerators to create a novel laser source, researchers are laying the foundation for the future of semiconductor fabrication.

Plans are now under way to construct a particle accelerator with a circumference between 100-150 metres (328-492 feet) – roughly the size of two basketball courts. The accelerator’s electron beam will transform into a high-quality light source for on-site chip manufacturing and scientific inquiry.

The team from Tsinghua University is in active discussions with authorities in Xiongan New Area to select a construction site for the cutting-edge project.

Contrary to commercial players such as Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography (ASML), which favours reducing the size of chip-making machines for export, the Chinese project aims to localise manufacturing by building a colossal factory housing multiple lithography machines around a single accelerator.

This innovation could foster high-volume, low-cost chip manufacturing and potentially propel China into a leadership role in the industrial production of advanced chips, known as 2nm (nanometre) chips, and beyond.