Seoul, April 15 -- China faces a significant uphill battle in its pursuit of domestic extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools, according to a report by The Korea Herald. It noted that developing mass-production systems within this decade remains highly unlikely despite intense state-backed efforts.

While Beijing aims to circumvent US-led export controls by reverse-engineering older equipment, the transition from laboratory prototypes to commercial-scale manufacturing presents technical hurdles that have historically thwarted even the most established industry giants.

As per the report, China built a prototype EUV machine intending to start mass production by 2028. However, bridging the gap between a one-off demonstration and the hig...