US Flags Possible Transfer of ASML Semiconductor Equipment to China
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has raised concerns with Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML over reports that one of its advanced chipmaking machines may have reached China despite U.S.-led export restrictions.
According to reports, Lutnick discussed the issue with senior ASML executives during a series of meetings, reflecting Washington’s continued efforts to prevent China from gaining access to cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing technology.
The concerns center on ASML’s extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, which are regarded as the most advanced chipmaking machines in the world.
These highly sophisticated tools are used to produce the smallest and most powerful semiconductor chips and are subject to strict export controls imposed by the United States and its allies.
ASML has strongly rejected any suggestion that its EUV machines or related components have been shipped to China.
The company emphasized that EUV systems are produced only in limited quantities and require continuous maintenance and support from ASML personnel, making unauthorized transfers difficult. The machines themselves are enormous in scale, roughly the size of a school bus and weighing about 180 tons.
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“ASML has never shipped an EUV machine to China nor have we shipped to China any component, module or equipment specially designed to be used in an EUV machine,” according to reports.
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The issue comes amid growing geopolitical tensions surrounding advanced semiconductor technology and efforts by Western governments to restrict China’s access to critical chipmaking equipment.
Those concerns intensified after reports emerged in December that Chinese scientists had developed a prototype EUV machine.
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The project was reportedly led by a team that included former ASML engineers and has been described by some observers as China’s equivalent of the Manhattan Project, highlighting Beijing’s determination to achieve self-sufficiency in advanced semiconductor manufacturing and reduce its reliance on foreign technology amid tightening global export controls and restrictions.