The Unlikely Winners in the Middle
The obvious players caught in this tug-of-war are giants like Taiwan’s TSMC and the Dutch equipment maker ASML. On the surface, their position looks precarious, balancing the demands of American tech firms with the needs of their Chinese clients. Yet, look closer. The restrictions on ASML’s most advanced EUV machines have, rather amusingly, sparked a surge in demand for their older, less restricted equipment. It’s the commercial equivalent of a vinyl record revival.
This pressure to innovate within limits is creating a whole new ecosystem. It’s a fascinating reshuffle, and if you're looking for a scorecard, the list of companies in the China AI Chip Market: 18 Stocks Facing 2025 Shifts basket is a rather good place to start. It highlights firms across the supply chain, from designers to materials suppliers, who are finding new ways to thrive not in spite of the new rules, but because of them.