New Dutch curbs on the export of semiconductor technology to China are planning to block sales of three additional models of ASML Holding NV’s lithography machines, according to people familiar with the matter.
(Bloomberg) — New Dutch curbs on the export of semiconductor technology to China are planning to block sales of three additional models of ASML Holding NV’s lithography machines, according to people familiar with the matter.
Export restrictions announced this week will prevent shipments of the TWINSCAN NXT:2000i, the NXT:2050i and the NXT:2100i models, which are immersion deep ultraviolet lithography machines, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.
A spokesperson for ASML referred to a company statement from earlier in the week.
ASML said Wednesday that while it didn’t have information about the new export controls beyond the government’s public statements, the company “interprets” the language to mean the ban could include anything “critical” starting from its TWINSCAN NXT:2000i machine.
ASML is already prohibited from selling its most cutting-edge technology, known as extreme ultraviolet lithography, to Chinese companies.
A spokesperson for the Dutch government declined to comment.
The Netherlands announced plans to expand restrictions on semiconductor equipment under heavy pressure from the Biden administration as the US seeks to undermine growing Chinese chip production capacity. However, the Dutch are hesitant to cut off one of the biggest markets for ASML, which is the most valuable tech company in Europe.
Immersion machines, when paired with other technology, can be used to produce advanced semiconductors, which are used in everything from military hardware to smartphones.
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