Semiconductor Supply Chain Explorer — Chokepoints and Dependencies
Interactive sunburst visualization of the semiconductor supply chain showing 12 critical chokepoint nodes across 3 tiers. Tier 1 covers equipment suppliers like ASML (100% EUV lithography monopoly), Applied Materials, Lam Research, KLA, and Tokyo Electron. Tier 2 reveals hidden material dependencies: Japanese companies control over 90% of EUV photoresists (TOK, JSR, Shin-Etsu), 93% of EUV mask blanks (AGC, Hoya duopoly), and Ajinomoto holds a 95%+ monopoly on ABF substrate film. Tier 3 exposes critical sub-components: Carl Zeiss SMT has a 100% monopoly on EUV optics, and TRUMPF is the sole supplier of EUV drive lasers. Japan dominates 8 of 16 material categories. Explore country concentration, chokepoint rankings, and historical disruption case studies including the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, 2019 Japan-Korea trade dispute, and TSMC photoresist contamination events.
Supply Chain Explorer
Interactive visualization of semiconductor supply chain chokepoints. Drill from Tier 1 equipment through Tier 2 materials to Tier 3 sub-components.
12 critical upstream nodes where a single company controls >50% of supply
3 absolute monopolies (ASML, Zeiss, TRUMPF) · Japan controls 8 of 16 material categories · See Country Risk tab for foundry & memory concentration
Tile size = market share within this segment. Click a tile to see details. Click again to drill in.
Click a tile in the treemap to explore supply chain details
Tile size = market share within the segment
Data Sources
Data as of 2026-02-17. Market share figures are best available estimates from cited sources. Where sources conflict, ranges are used. See full research report for methodology.
Understanding Semiconductor Supply Chain Risk
The semiconductor supply chain is one of the most complex and concentrated industrial ecosystems in the world. While headlines focus on TSMC, ASML, and Nvidia, the deepest vulnerabilities lie in Tier 2 materials and Tier 3 sub-components where market concentration is even more extreme. Japan alone controls over 90% of EUV photoresists, 93% of EUV mask blanks, and 95% of ABF substrate film — three categories where no alternatives exist at scale.
This tool visualizes these dependencies as an interactive treemap, allowing users to drill from the well-known equipment layer into the hidden material and component layers. Each node shows the dominant suppliers, country concentration, risk level, and whether alternatives exist. Historical disruption data from events like the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, 2019 Japan-Korea trade dispute, and the 2022 neon gas crisis illustrate the real-world consequences when these concentrated supply nodes are disrupted.
Semiconductor Supply Chain FAQs
- What are the biggest chokepoints in the semiconductor supply chain?
- The most critical chokepoints are: ASML (100% of EUV lithography), Carl Zeiss SMT (100% of EUV optics), Ajinomoto (>95% of ABF substrate film), AGC+Hoya (93% of EUV mask blanks), and Japanese companies controlling >90% of EUV photoresists. These nodes have no viable alternatives and lead times of 12-24+ months.
- Why does Japan dominate semiconductor materials?
- Japan controls 8 of 16 major material categories including photoresists (~70% overall, >90% EUV), silicon wafers (~51%), EUV mask blanks (~93%), ABF substrate film (>95%), and ultra-high purity chemicals (~70% of semiconductor HF). This dominance stems from decades of specialization in high-purity chemical manufacturing and close relationships with equipment and fab customers.
- Can China replace these supply chain dependencies?
- China's semiconductor equipment self-sufficiency reached ~14% in 2024, with three companies in the global top 20. Progress is strongest in etch and cleaning equipment. However, gaps remain enormous in lithography (15+ years behind ASML), inspection (no KLA alternative), and EUV photoresists (10+ years behind Japan). China's Big Fund III ($47B) is accelerating efforts.
- What happens when a semiconductor material supplier is disrupted?
- Historical disruptions have been severe: A single bad batch of photoresist cost TSMC $550M in 2019. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake disrupted 20% of global wafer supply for 6-18 months. The 2019 Japan-Korea trade dispute weaponized photoresist and HF exports. Most fabs carry 1-3 months of critical material inventory — enough to survive brief disruptions but not extended supply cuts.