US and Netherlands set to hit China’s chip makers with one-two punch
- The Dutch government plans to announce new regulations on Friday with a licensing requirement for the top tier of ASML’S second-best product line
- The planned US rule will require licenses to export equipment to about a half-dozen Chinese facilities, including a fab operated by SMIC
The United States and the Netherlands are set to deliver a one-two punch to China’s chip makers this summer by further restricting sales of chip-making equipment, part of the countries’ ongoing effort to prevent their technology from being used to strengthen China’s military.
While the Dutch are planning to curb certain equipment from national champion ASML, and other companies, the US is expected to go one step further and use its long reach to withhold even more Dutch equipment from specific Chinese wafer fabs.
The Dutch government and ASML declined to comment, as did the US Commerce Department, which oversees export controls.
The US in October imposed export restrictions on shipments of American chip-making tools to China from US companies like Lam Research and Applied Materials on national security grounds, and lobbied other countries with key suppliers to adopt similar curbs.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu in Washington decried the move and said the US “has deliberately blockaded and hobbled Chinese companies and forcibly relocated industries and pushed for decoupling”, and said China would “closely follow the developments and firmly safeguard our own interests”.
Japan, home to chip equipment makers Nikon Corp and Tokyo Electron Ltd, has since adopted rules to restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment that will take effect July 23.
