That it has been, is in large part down to the ingenuity of a relatively obscure Dutch company - ASML.

It pioneered a way to carve circuitry patterns into silicon via a process called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

Its machines cost a cool $123m (£92m) each, which is high even in relation to other semiconductor industry tools.

But it's currently the only company making them. And they are still more cost-effective than alternative options, in part because of a low defect rate.