It's because it's not easy to catch up. In some cases, it can actually be impossible. Particularly if issues such as embargoes, sanctions and/or blockades can

It's because it's not easy to catch up. In some cases, it can actually be impossible. Particularly if issues such as embargoes, sanctions and/or blockades can functionally block access to required equipment or talent. For example, it'd be hard to bring a new fab online when the ships or planes carrying the fabrication equipment get blown up. Take a look at how Russia attempted and failed to scale up semiconductor fabrication into the 1980s and 1990s. They weren't 2 nodes back. They were WAY further back than that, and even today are still struggling to bring online nationally-developed fabrication technology of which the equivalent has existed elsewhere for 20-30 years. China's SMIC is going to be bringing on "7nm" soon, despite being unable to purchase EUV equipment due to sales embargo. I can't imagine the effort that was required to make 193nm DUV machines produce chips reliably with a "7nm" feature size. EUV isn't required, but it surely makes things much easier.