Asml: The United States will continue to press its Allies to put more restrictions on Chinese exports

Christoph Fouquet, chief executive of Dutch semiconductor company ASML Holdings, expects growing pressure from the United States to further restrict the sale of semiconductor technology to China. China is the biggest market for the Dutch chipmaker.

Christophe Fouquet said in an interview at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in London on Tuesday (October 22) : "If you look at the geopolitical landscape, it's clear that the U.S. is going to continue to put pressure on its Allies to take more restrictive measures." "The question is what is right for the Netherlands? What is right for Europe?"

Washington has for years aimed to limit China's rise in the semiconductor industry through multiple rounds of export controls targeting sales of advanced artificial intelligence chips and chipmaking equipment. The Dutch government has struggled to find a middle ground between its US ally and the biggest market for its biggest companies.

Fouquet noted that much of ASML's business with China is focused on mature technologies that are less relevant to national security issues. "A lot of the focus in China today is on mainstream semiconductors... That's very different from artificial intelligence."

Asml is well positioned in lithography to help the world's largest semiconductor companies produce the most advanced chips. China has been unable to buy ASML's state-of-the-art machines using extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology.

The Netherlands has also restricted ASML from selling to China most of its second most advanced infiltrating deep ultraviolet lithography (DUV) system, and in September published new export control rules requiring ASML to apply for an export license in The Hague.