US raises concern about ASML chipmaking tool possibly in China

In short: The US government says it is concerned ASML’s most advanced chipmaking machine may have ended up in China, and ASML denies it.

What happened

Bloomberg reported that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told senior executives at ASML that the US is concerned an extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography machine might be in China. EUV lithography is the step used to print tiny patterns onto computer chips (like using an ultra precise stencil to draw circuits too small to see).

US officials told Bloomberg they have evidence that EUV related components and transport equipment were shipped to China. They did not publicly share evidence of a complete EUV machine being on Chinese soil. Bloomberg also reported that the Commerce Department did not answer questions about whether it has proof of a full EUV system in China.

ASML, a Dutch company, said no EUV machine exists in China and that none has ever been there. ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet has said the company tracks every EUV machine it ships, either it is in monitored use or it has been dismantled and returned.

The report comes as US export controls continue to limit what advanced chipmaking equipment can be sold to China. A separate bipartisan bill in Congress would reportedly go further by restricting ASML’s less advanced deep ultraviolet, or DUV, tools, which ASML is still allowed to sell to China.

Why it matters

These machines matter because they are a key bottleneck for the most advanced chips used in AI systems. If an EUV machine did reach China, it could weaken export rules meant to limit access to the tools needed to make top end chips.

Source: TechCrunch AI