tech
The US says ASML's top chip tool may be in China. ASML says it isn't
There's a commercial logic that cuts against the idea that ASML would risk its export license to arm a Chinese customer.
TL;DR
- U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly raised concerns that an ASML EUV machine might be in China, breaching export controls.
- ASML denies the allegations, stating they track all machines and none exist in China.
- The U.S. administration claims to have evidence of EUV-related components shipped to China but has not shared it.
- ASML's EUV machines are the only ones capable of printing the most advanced semiconductor patterns, making the company crucial for AI development.
- ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet explained the company's internal controls and the impossibility of reverse-engineering their machines.
- ASML sells older DUV tools to China but maintains a generational gap; risking EUV sales would jeopardize significant revenue.
- The Commerce Department is investing in xLight, a startup developing technology that could challenge ASML's EUV monopoly.
- A bipartisan bill in Congress proposes banning all ASML DUV shipments to China.