Chip making is a bunch of very very very specialized equipment, a lot of real black magic, and a few people who actually know what they're doing.
This makes it worth more to find existing, experienced manufacturers and try to get them to make more, than to reinvent a very complex wheel, with so much research involved, that the chip crises may be over, before the first devices reach production
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and 3 years later, the tool was being hacked apart and hauled off by a caravan of scrapyard haulers.
It still has to be proven that this can be done by a startup.
I am confused. What, exactly, has to be proven? Startups have already done both things [1] [2].
(also, correction from my op: s/fission/fusion)
(1) "Our engines produce some thrust, and our wings produce some lift".
(2) "We managed to take off and land!"
(3) A working aircraft - seemingly performant, reliable, and economical enough that actual commercial airlines want to buy it.
(4) Like (3), but you've made a bunch of 'em, delivered 'em to airlines, and they're in regular real-word use...without said airlines suffering from buyer's remorse.
My understanding is that both Boom Supersonic, and everyone trying to invent a fusion reactor...are all still in category (1).
Startups intend to do both things. ;-)
Next generation chip manufacturing is insanely expensive. EUV was already a moonshot that started in 1997 and is only really usable for production in 2019. Mainly invested by its customers where only two (TSMC, Samsung) succeeded in getting it ready for production, whereas others (who already paid) are still struggling.
However, building slower chips might be more feasible. But note that in this space there are multiple competitors.
I know it takes years to even get one out the door but crazier moonshots have been funded and the ROI potential to break up a relative monopoly must be huge