U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has raised concerns with ASML executives about one of the company’s extreme ultraviolet lithography machines possibly being in China. This would breach export controls that have barred ASML from selling EUV tools to China since the first Trump administration. Senior officials told Bloomberg they have evidence of ASML shipping EUV-related components and transport equipment to China, though they have not shared it with Bloomberg or ASML. The Commerce Department has not confirmed whether it has proof of an actual EUV system in China.
ASML, a Dutch company, is the sole manufacturer of EUV lithography machines, which are essential for producing the most advanced semiconductor chips. These machines are critical for companies like TSMC, which fabricates chips for Nvidia and Apple. ASML’s market capitalization has reached around $700 billion, reflecting its dominance in the semiconductor industry. The U.S. export controls aim to prevent China from gaining access to advanced AI capabilities through these tools.
ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet stated the company tracks every machine it has ever shipped, either in active use or returned. He emphasized that China-based staff are kept separate from those with access to EUV technology. Fouquet also noted that the development of EUV machines took 20 years, with 80% of the technology already existing from prior knowledge. He argued that without access to a working EUV machine, China cannot reverse-engineer it.
Source: techcrunch
