ASML’s Chinese customers could lose access to nearly all of its chipmaking gear under pressure Washington is putting on the Dutch government, according to a report from Dutch outlet NU.nl carried this week by TechPowerUp and NL Times.
The company, which holds a monopoly on extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, is being pushed to stop selling machinery to Chinese clients. A wider ban would extend beyond existing rules that already block EUV exports and restrict the most advanced DUV immersion tools.
US lawmakers have been moving in the same direction. The MATCH Act, introduced in July, would outlaw DUV immersion exports to China and bar servicing of machines already installed there, letting older equipment slowly fall out of use.
China has ranked among ASML’s biggest markets in recent years, though its share of company revenue has narrowed as controls tightened. ASML shares slipped on the report, adding to the uncertainty hanging over a chip sector bracing for stricter rules.
A full halt would likely accelerate China’s homegrown lithography push and deepen the self-reliance drive Washington has spent years trying to contain. The Dutch government now faces a familiar choice between commercial ties and alliance pressure, and its answer will echo through global chip supply chains.
