China’s state-backed lithography champion Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE) has reshuffled its business, divesting a manufacturing arm as it sharpens its focus on research in Beijing’s push for chip self-sufficiency.
SMEE – widely seen as China’s best chance of closing the gap with Dutch lithography giant ASML – had transferred 100 per cent of its subsidiary Shanghai Weiyao Industrial to AMIES Technology, according to updates on corporate database Qichacha.
The deal was priced at 228.5 million yuan (US$32 million) and was updated on Tuesday.
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Founded in 2003, Shanghai Weiyao’s business scope includes the processing of metal components and materials – a move that effectively shifts part of SMEE’s production footprint to AMIES, a spin-off established in early 2025.
The transaction signalled a strategic pivot for SMEE as it concentrated more heavily on the “front-end” development of lithography tools as part of China’s broader move to catch up with ASML.
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AMIES, meanwhile, has accelerated the commercialisation of equipment for domestic chipmakers, according to Chinese media reports cited by industry observers.
