Precision and volume are the key metrics. They have precision here, but it looks like they won’t get volume.

“E-beam lithography machines cannot produce chips at a large scale like Dutch company ASML’s DUV and EUV lithography systems, but they excel in the testing stage of production, offering high-precision circuit patterning and design flexibility. Priced lower than imported machines, Xizhi can pattern circuit lines as narrow as 8 nanometres, with a positioning accuracy of 0.6 nanometres – matching international standards.”

E-beam lithography has been around since the 1970s and it’s not that big a deal by today’s technological standards. Are they using the e-beam to write directly on the wafer instead of making masks? That gives them finer lines, but is slow.