Nikon Fields ‘Remarkable’ Demand for Older Chip Tools in China
- China’s mobilizing resources to build own chip supply chain
- Japanese firm’s revamping decades-old tech to win new clients
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Nikon Corp. is fielding strong demand for its legacy chipmaking machines in China, which is mobilizing resources to build its own semiconductor supply chain.
Inquiries for the Japanese precision maker’s lithography tools have surged in China, according to Nikon President Muneaki Tokunari. The company is set revamp a lithography machine geared for decades-old manufacturing processes. Its NSR-2205iL1, launching this summer, will serve the market for mature chip technology and Nikon expects to sell more than 10 units of the machine annually, said Tokunari, who’s also chief operating officer and chief financial officer.