AMEC launches six chipmaking machines at Wuxi event, broadening beyond core etching tools

Wuxi launch centers on six tools across etching, deposition and silicon-carbide production

Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) unveiled six new semiconductor chipmaking machines at an industrial event in Wuxi on September 7, 2026, the company's second major series of product releases in six months after debuting four machines at Semicon China earlier this year. The newly announced line covers multiple stages of chip production, including advanced etch tools that use complex chemical processes to form circuit patterns on silicon wafers and deposition systems that layer thin films onto wafers. The portfolio also includes dedicated equipment for producing silicon-carbide power semiconductors used in electric vehicles and power transmission.

Deposition push targets segments held by Lam Research, Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron

Four of the six machines are deposition tools aimed at segments historically dominated by U.S. and Japanese suppliers such as Lam Research, Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron. By moving into deposition alongside its traditional etching franchise, AMEC is positioning itself as a broader chip-equipment supplier. Etching removes material to pattern chips, while deposition adds nanometer-scale layers of conductors, insulators or semiconductor material, and modern chips cycle through hundreds of deposition, patterning and etching steps during fabrication. AMEC's total product range now includes 26 etching machines, 24 thin-film deposition machines, and polishing and measuring systems, with over 20 additional machines under development across six equipment types.

Compressed development timeline and rising R&D spending underpin the rollout

Speaking at the Wuxi investor meeting, AMEC management said new products are now developed in roughly two years or less, compared with a prior three-to-five-year cycle. The company spent 2.04 billion yuan ($303.5 million) on research and development in the first half of 2026, a 37 percent year-on-year increase representing about 30 percent of total revenue. Chairman Yin Zhiyao said AMEC aims to cover more than 60 percent of the high-end integrated-circuit equipment market over the next five years through internal R&D and acquisitions.

Commercialization stages, factory buildout and policy backdrop remain open questions

The six machines are at different commercialization stages, and not all have entered large-scale factory deployment, reflecting the lengthy qualification cycles that chipmakers impose on new tools. AMEC currently operates around 600,000 square meters of factory space and is expanding toward 900,000 square meters over five years, with major new manufacturing centers under construction in Shanghai's Lingang area. The launch comes as China continues pushing to substitute domestic chip equipment for foreign suppliers amid U.S. and allied export restrictions on advanced semiconductor technology. AMEC's overall equipment footprint already spans more than 30 percent of all categories of front-end chip production.