Plans for China's invasion of Taiwan could be thwarted by a leading European chipmaker's "kill switch," which can remotely deactivate sophisticated chipmaking equipment

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Chipmakers ASML and TSMC address concerns about the Chinese invasion of Taiwan with a remote switch for advanced chipmaking machines.

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(Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • In November 2023, the US government imposed exportation rules preventing NVIDIA and AMD from supplying China with AI chips due to security concerns. 
  • Top semiconductor brands ASML and TSMC have reportedly disclosed that they can hinder China's chipmaking machines remotely should they manage to invade Taiwan.
  • The Biden-Harris administration is mounting pressure on the Netherlands to implement measures that will prevent ASML from exporting AI chips to China.

Generative AI is quickly taking over the tech world, owing to its fast adoption across organizations and companies. The rapid growth of the technology is raising security concerns among major stakeholders, including the Biden-Harris administration. This has prompted exportation rules that prevent chip brands like NVIDIA and AMD from shipping AI chips to China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

In the past, the US government explained that stringent exportation rules weren't in force to weaken China's economy. It's more of a safeguard and preventative measure that mitigates the misuse of sophisticated AI technology that could potentially be used to foster military advances.

But there's a better and more effective way to approach this issue. According to a Bloomberg report, ASML and TSMC have a super secret way to remotely access and disable high-tech chipmaking machines. This would especially come in handy in the event that China decides to pursue Taiwan.

Two sources with knowledge about the matter disclosed to Bloomberg that the US government has privately expressed security concerns to its Dutch and Taiwan partners.

For context, Taiwan is the world's hub for semiconductor chips, which are used in a wide array of devices, including smartphones and laptops. China wants to invade Taiwan, claiming the island is part of its territory and wants to reclaim it. If this were to happen, the imminent damage that would occur is unimaginable.

RELATED: Chinese GPU recycling factories have a workaround for the US government's newly imposed export rules

Luckily, the new revelation that both ASML and TSMC's tech has a "kill switch" will make it easier to control and prevent China from manufacturing sophisticated chips that can be used for military advances. 

Elsewhere, the US government is mounting pressure on the Netherlands to implement measures that will prevent ASML from exporting AI chips to China. Likewise, the chip brand has indicated that it'll no longer service equipment that it was previously shipping to China.

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Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • fjtorres5591
    China's intent to take over Formosa has nothing to do with economics or tech. Even if TSMC were vaporized tomorrow, the CCP would not change their plans one bit.

    The motivation is rooted in internal politics and nationalism rather than any rational need; when the CCP took over the mainland territories, the existing government evacuated to the island of Formosa and for decades pretended to be the legitimate government of China. In the logic of the CCP, their regime will not be fully legitimized until they incorporate the island, as they did Hong Kong and Macao. Under that outlook, the worse the Chinese economy and demographics get, the greater the need to invade to demonstrate the CCP retains "the mandate of heaven".

    The outside world may fret over TSMC all they want but its presence or absence will not factor into the uncrowned emperor's decision to go or hold back. That will happen or not based on his internal calculus, not the outside world's.

    And the outside will intervene or not based on their own calculus at *the time*.

    Rather than deter China, a Kill switch on the TSMC fabs will actually offer the west an excuse *not* to intervene.
    Reply
  • Chassit
    This is not good news at all. Where is TSMC based eh? Once China sees this "kill switch" for real, they'd blitz Taiwan before anyone could activate it. And they won't hesitate to blast TSMC to smithereens. If that setback the whole world, China and everywhere else, equally by 10 years, it's not really a loss. In that case it's a move that effectively levels the playground.
    Reply
  • TheFerrango
    Unless their secret kill switch comes in the form of an inside man sabotaging the production lines, this is basically them admitting they have embedded backdoors into the production machines (I’m assuming since they themselves manufactured them?).
    This should be seen as anything but good news
    Reply
  • hax0red
    Short of a bomb, nothing software wise would stop them, only delay. I know ASML/TSMC thinks it's their code that powers the machine, but once you see how it's put together the code can be broken down and rewritten. Doubting China at this point is a bad idea. EDIT: ASML more so then TSMC who is probably going on what ASML believes.
    Reply
  • fjtorres5591
    hax0red said:
    Short of a bomb, nothing software wise would stop them, only delay. I know ASML/TSMC thinks it's their code that powers the machine, but once you see how it's put together the code can be broken down and rewritten. Doubting China at this point is a bad idea. EDIT: ASML more so then TSMC who is probably going on what ASML believes.
    Actually, EUV lithography is extremely finicky and a "miraculous" technology in that it is a miracle it works at all. It relies on human expertise, SOA software and inputs (wafers, lenses, and tin droplet generators among other tech) that are decades beyond anything China can natively bring to the table. Don't forget China depends on the outside world more than the outside world depends on China.

    So yes, technically anything software might do would only delay bringing the Fabs back online...

    ...but the delay would be a decade or two and, even if China survives its demographic crisis, by the time they get EUV working again it would be less useful than the 90nm+ chips that are the limit of China's native semiconductor tech without foreign supplies, personnel, and designs.

    But as I said, TSMC is not the driving force for the invasion.
    Neither is economics, demographics, or even geography.

    In real world terms, Formosa is as critical to China's economy as Gibraltar to Spain or the Falklands to Argentina/UK in the 80's. (This last has changed a bit as the Falklands now have offshore oil but, more importantly, Argentina has *shale* which makes offshore oil barely relevant.)

    Nations rarely go to war over rational matters.
    Reply