US tells ASML it's concerned one of its chipmaking tools may be in China, Bloomberg News reports
US Concerns and ASML's Response Over Chipmaking Tools in China
US Commerce Secretary's Warning to ASML
June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has told ASML that Washington is concerned that one of its top chipmaking machines may have found its way to China in violation of U.S.-led export restrictions, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.
Lutnick expressed these concerns to senior leaders of the Dutch firm in a series of meetings, the report said.
ASML's Position on EUV Lithography Tools
ASML's Pushback Against US Concerns
ASML has pushed back against those concerns, noting that EUV, or extreme ultraviolet, lithography tools used to print tiny chip circuits are made in small quantities and require constant upkeep from ASML employees, according to the report.
Technical Details of EUV Systems
ASML's most advanced EUV systems are roughly the size of a school bus and weigh 180 tons.
Official Statement from ASML
"ASML has never shipped an EUV machine to China nor have we shipped to China any component, module or equipment specially designed to be used in an EUV machine," Bloomberg quoted an ASML spokesperson as saying.
Reactions and Additional Context
Comments from US and ASML
The U.S. Commerce Department, ASML and the White House were not immediately available for comment outside business hours when contacted by Reuters.
Background: China's EUV Development Efforts
Reuters reported in December that Chinese scientists have developed a prototype of an EUV machine that was built by a team of former engineers from ASML, an effort described as China's version of the Manhattan Project.
(Reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Edwina Gibbs)
