The Commerce Department awarded SandboxAQ $500 million to use physics-based AI for semiconductor materials discovery. The target is not a new chip, but the chemicals, magnets, catalysts, and backup-power systems that fabs need to run.
U.S. officials reportedly raised concerns that ASML EUV-related equipment may have reached China, a claim ASML denies. The dispute shows why chipmaking tools, servicing, and allied export controls are becoming central to the AI hardware race.