The irony is that the entire true purpose for this war was to thwart China’s global dominance efforts, disincentivise them from invading Taiwan, by starving them of their oil, and to kill Iran’s nuclear bomb plans (which they never had anyway), but the end result has been the complete opposite outcome than intended on all counts! Own goal much? 🤦🏻♂️ #EpicFury #IranWar
In April 2025, ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet confidently told investors China would need "many, many years" to develop EUV lithography technology. The previous CEO said China was "light-years behind. Light-years!" Industry analysts agreed-ten to fifteen years minimum.
Early 2025 the reality hits: A secret Shenzhen laboratory completed a working EUV prototype. The massive machine fills nearly an entire factory floor and successfully generates extreme ultraviolet light.
China targets working chips by 2028. The secret weapon? Former ASML engineers-including Lin Nan, ASML's former head of light source technology-were recruited with up to seven-hundred-thousand-dollar signing bonuses to reverse-engineer the machines they once built. They worked under false identities inside a secured compound classified under national security.
Teams purchased older ASML, Nikon, and Canon equipment through Alibaba auctions and dismantled them piece by piece. One hundred graduates reverse-engineered components under individual camera surveillance, receiving cash bonuses for successful reassembly.
This is China's "Manhattan Project" for semiconductors-a six-year national initiative led by Xi Jinping's close ally, coordinated by Huawei, involving thousands of engineers and billions in near-infinite state subsidies.
ASML won an eight-hundred-forty-five-million-dollar judgment against a Chinese engineer in 2019 for stealing secrets. He declared bankruptcy and continued operating in Beijing with state protection.
The judgment was never enforced.
In April 2025, ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet confidently told investors China would need “many, many years” to develop EUV lithography technology. The previous CEO said China was “light-years behind. Light-years!” Western analysts unanimously agreed; ten to fifteen years minimum.
Early 2025: A secret Shenzhen laboratory completed a working EUV prototype. The massive machine fills an entire factory floor and successfully generates extreme ultraviolet light. China targets working chips by 2028, realistic estimate 2030, either way, the CEO’s timeline was off by fifteen to twenty-five years.
The secret weapon? Former ASML engineers, including Lin Nan (ASML’s former head of light source technology), were recruited with signing bonuses up to seven hundred thousand dollars plus housing subsidies. They worked under false identities, classified under national security. Lin Nan’s team filed eight EUV patents in eighteen months.
China purchased older ASML, Nikon, and Canon equipment through Alibaba auction listings as recently as October 2025. One hundred graduates dismantled machines piece by piece under individual camera surveillance, receiving cash bonuses for successful component reassembly.
ASML won an eight hundred forty-five million dollar judgment in 2019 against a Chinese engineer for trade secrets theft. He declared bankruptcy and continued operating in Beijing with state support. The judgment was never enforced.
Former CEO Peter Wennink warned in 2023: “You’re forcing them to become very innovative. They’re coming up with solutions we haven’t thought of.” His prophecy proved correct.
Saw Harry Milas’s The Unfair Advantage tonight…BRILLIANT! 👍🏻 His show is very unique, very zen, very meditative. Really positive vibes, really loved it ❤️! And, speaking as a magician, his skill level is INSANE! 🤯🙇🏻♂️
I had the pleasure to attend Cabaret vs Cancer’s wonderful Ashes to Ashes David Bowie tribute show, to raise money for cancer victims/charities. And it was marvellous! 👍🏻 @cabaretvscancer@wiltonsmusichall
