The US says ASML's top chip tool may be in China. ASML says it isn't

Key Points:

• U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has expressed concerns to ASML executives that one of the Dutch chipmaker’s exclusive extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines may have been shipped to China, violating longstanding export controls.
• ASML denies that any EUV machine exists in China and states it tracks every machine it ships, maintaining strict internal controls to prevent unauthorized access, especially by its China-based staff.
• The EUV machines are critical for producing the most advanced semiconductors used by major tech companies like Nvidia and Apple, and ASML currently holds a monopoly on this technology, making the export control breach highly significant.
• The U.S. government claims to have evidence of EUV-related components sent to China but has not publicly shared this proof or shown it to ASML, leaving the allegations unverified.
• Meanwhile, the Commerce Department is investing in startups like xLight and Substrate that aim to develop next-generation or rival lithography technologies, while Congress considers legislation to further restrict ASML’s sales of less advanced tools to China.