Key facts
- The US has expressed concerns to ASML regarding a potential violation of export controls.
- The concern is that an advanced chipmaking machine from ASML may have been sent to China.
- U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick communicated these concerns to ASML leaders.
- ASML denies shipping EUV machines or related components to China.
- ASML noted that its advanced EUV systems are large, require constant upkeep, and are produced in small quantities.
The United States has communicated concerns to ASML, a leading supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, regarding a potential breach of export controls. These concerns center on the possibility that one of ASML's advanced chip-making machines may have been illicitly supplied to China, thereby contravening established trade restrictions. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed these concerns to ASML executives in a series of meetings. ASML has pushed back against these concerns, stating that its EUV lithography tools are made in small quantities, require constant upkeep by ASML employees, and that the company has never shipped an EUV machine or related components to China. The most advanced EUV systems are described as being roughly the size of a school bus and weighing 180 tons.