Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 54 minutes ago
If you look at the headlines, it seems like China is winning the semiconductor war. When Huawei released the Mate 60 Pro smartphone featuring a domestically produced 7-nanometer chip, shockwaves rippled through Washington. Armed with unlimited state capital and a history of reverse-engineering everything from high-speed rail to stealth fighters, it feels inevitable that China will eventually catch up.
But this is an illusion. Building a modern semiconductor ecosystem is not a problem you can solve simply by throwing billions of dollars at it. This video breaks down the two insurmountable walls standing in Beijing's way: The physical impossibility of copying ASML’s EUV lithography machines, and the invisible, absolute software monopoly of Nvidia's CUDA platform. It reveals why trying to catch the US and its allies in the chip war is like trying to hit a target that is accelerating away from you at the speed of light.
Footage: Shutterstock
Monetization ID AMC01C7EH0IPFG9A
Inquiries: behindasian@gmail.com
Brought to you by the Behind Asian Team.
If you look at the headlines, it seems like China is winning the semiconductor war. When Huawei released the Mate 60 Pro smartphone featuring a domestically produced 7-nanometer chip, shockwaves rippled through Washington. Armed with unlimited state capital and a history of reverse-engineering everything from high-speed rail to stealth fighters, it feels inevitable that China will eventually catch up.
But this is an illusion. Building a modern semiconductor ecosystem is not a problem you can solve simply by throwing billions of dollars at it. This video breaks down the two insurmountable walls standing in Beijing's way: The physical impossibility of copying ASML’s EUV lithography machines, and the invisible, absolute software monopoly of Nvidia's CUDA platform. It reveals why trying to catch the US and its allies in the chip war is like trying to hit a target that is accelerating away from you at the speed of light.
Footage: Shutterstock
Monetization ID AMC01C7EH0IPFG9A
Inquiries: behindasian@gmail.com
Brought to you by the Behind Asian Team.
