US Raises Concerns Over Alleged ASML EUV Shipment to China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has raised concerns with senior executives of Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML that one of its most advanced chipmaking machines may have been shipped to China, potentially breaching long-standing export controls. ASML has firmly denied the allegation.

The discussions, which took place in recent meetings, centered on ASML's extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines. These systems, the only ones of their kind in the world, are essential for manufacturing the most advanced semiconductors and have been barred from sale to China since 2019. Senior U.S. officials have reportedly cited evidence of EUV-related components and transport equipment being sent to China, though they have not publicly disclosed this evidence or presented it to ASML, according to reports.

In response, ASML stated it has never shipped an EUV machine or any components specifically designed for such a machine to China. The company emphasized its compliance with all export control regulations and maintains a system to track every machine it has ever produced. ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet, in a recent interview, explained that the company has built internal...