Faster, cooler, smaller, cheaper, they bypass US embargoes. And 2D fabs are 100% Chinese IP. The chip war we started is going as well as the Vietnam War after eight years.
China’s pilot production line for 2D semiconductors (atoms-thick materials like molybdenum disulfide) is a big deal¹, especially since no other country has a commercialized pilot or full production line for 2D semiconductors. The good news is,
-
- Chips can keep getting smaller and better – Silicon chips are hitting their physical limits. 2D materials allow sub-1 nm. transistors, packing more power into less space for faster, smarter devices.
- Gadgets get more efficient, powerful – Less energy and heat switch faster. For phones’ battery life, AI without melting computers. 2D tech handles radiation so well that the first 2D chips to come off the production line are undergoing certification for space/satellite use right now..
- Bypasses US export controls on advanced lithography. Puts the patent shoe on the other foot because China holds 60% of global IP on 2D materials. It boosts self-reliance,
- Superior scalability over 3D silicon stacking and potential cost savings suggests rapid uptake and equally rapid fab scale-up, which is China’s strong suit.
- 2D fabrication uses different methods and materials, like graphene, MoS₂ andother TMD²s.
Commercialization. China’s is the first industrial-grade testing and scaling production line and, for anyone but the Chinese, commercial, high-volume chip fabrication would be years away. But China solves urgent problems like this by working in parallel.
They break each obstacle to commercialization into parts then farm out the parts to thousands of scientists at the world’s best research institutes, below. I’m guessing that 2D materials qualify for the fast track, with even President Xi updated monthly.
NOTES:
1 The breakthrough includes the world’s first full-featured 2D flash chip (October 2025) and a wafer-scale 2D FPGA with radiation immunity, now entering industrial-grade testing.
The post China’s 2D Chip Fab Leads The World – And Freaks It Out first appeared on Dissident Voice.2 transition metal dichalcogenides, TMD.
This content originally appeared on Dissident Voice and was authored by Godfree Roberts.