A worker standing on a cable inside an ASML TwinScan XT1000 lithography machine during production at the ASML factory in Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
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“Considering the technological developments and the geo-political context, the Government has come to the conclusion that the existing export control framework for specific equipment used for the manufacture of semiconductors needs to be expanded in the interests of national and international security, Lisje Schreinmacher, the country’s foreign trade minister, said in a letter to parliament on Wednesday.
Though the letter does not mention China, it has come after pressure from China white House, which imposed export controls through 2022 that block Beijing from accessing certain semiconductor chips. At the time, US officials considered export controls to be effective if other countries did not impose similar restrictions. will lose effectiveness for longer.
since 2018, the US is reportedly asking the Dutch government to stop ASML from shipping its extreme ultraviolet lithography machines to China. ASML has not shipped equipment to China yet.
In the wake of the Dutch government’s announcement, ASML said in a statement that, “It will take time for these controls to be translated into law and become effective.”
“Based on today’s announcement, our expectation of the Dutch government’s licensing policy and current market conditions, we do not expect these measures to have any material impact on our financial outlook,” the company said on Wednesday. Not all immersion lithography devices are related, but only the ‘most advanced’ are said to be.”
ASML said it was unclear what the Dutch government meant by the “most advanced” machines.
However, it said the rules meant it would have to apply for a license to export its so-called immersion deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine, which is used to make memory chips. These chips are used in a range of devices from smartphones to laptops and servers, and may eventually be used for artificial intelligence applications.
Last month, ASML said that a ex employee in china had misused data relating to its proprietary technology.
China is working to strengthen its domestic semiconductor industry, but it lags behind Taiwan, South Korea and the US
According to Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it opposes the politicization of economic and trade cooperation and hopes that the Netherlands will maintain an objective stance.
Speaking on CNBC’s “street signs europeOn Thursday, Anna Rosenberg, head of geopolitics at the Amundi Institute, said the Netherlands’ latest announcement is “a big deal” for the president. Joe Biden,
“The US has been trying to get the EU to side with its policies towards China for a while, and it has more leverage with the EU now than ever before.” [Ukraine] WarningSimply because the EU is now completely dependent on the US for its security,” she said.