Piecemeal batch production to continuous roll-to-roll production is most definitely a step change.

Continuous production allows for mass production, quality monitoring, and progressively increase in width, in a way that is not possible with batch process

That said wasn't the state of the art production previously measured in single digit square centimeters?

This might just be my confirmation bias speaking, but MIT seems to put out a lot of moverblown and clickbait-y headlines about their research.