ASML China Claims Trigger Major US-Dutch Chip Dispute
The US government has told ASML, Europe’s most valuable technology company, that one of its most advanced chip-making machines may have reached China. That would breach export controls in place since the first Trump administration. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delivered this concern directly to senior ASML executives across a series of recent meetings. ASML flatly denies it.
The machine at the centre of the ASML EUV chip tool China dispute is an extreme ultraviolet lithography system. EUV machines are the only tools on Earth capable of printing the most advanced semiconductor patterns. TSMC, Samsung, and Intel all use them to manufacture processors for Nvidia and Apple. ASML has never been permitted to sell an EUV system to China.
The Dutch company tracks every machine it has ever shipped. According to an internal document, ASML began circulating in Washington after the April meeting with Lutnick, titled “No indication of any ASML EUV System in China.” 314 EUV machines are operating worldwide, and 26 are decommissioned. The document, reviewed by Bloomberg, states that none of those machines is in China and has never been. The Commerce Department did not respond to questions about whether it has evidence of an actual EUV system on Chinese soil.
The US government has not publicly provided evidence to support its claims, nor has it shared proof with ASML. However, Bloomberg reports that senior officials believe ASML shipped EUV-related components and transport equipment to China, a claim ASML denies. Those officials have also refused to release evidence, citing sensitive sources.
Meanwhile, ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet says sales of older DUV tools to China are intentional, not a loophole. He argues this approach maintains a technology gap while preserving business ties.ASML expects about 20% of its 2026 revenue from permitted DUV sales. At the same time, US lawmakers are pushing a bill to ban all DUV exports to China, though the administration has not taken a position.
For Huawei, the lack of EUV access remains a major constraint. As a result, it is exploring alternative chip designs, including the Tau Scaling Law. If EUV tools reached China, it would represent a major export control breach.
