AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch authorities on Friday stated it could develop export licensing necessities for some ASML instruments, successfully retaking oversight over them from the United States and aligning the 2 international locations’ coverage.
The United States had beforehand unilaterally regulated these instruments, as a part of its marketing campaign to limit entry to superior know-how by Chinese chipmakers, to gradual Beijing’s technological and army advances.
ASML stated in a press release that it didn’t anticipate the change in oversight to influence earnings this 12 months or sooner or later.
“I’m making this decision for our safety,” stated Dutch Trade Minister Reinette Klever, saying the replace.
“We see that due to technological developments there are more safety risks in the export of these specific production machines.”
While the U.S. and Netherlands stay in talks over export coverage, Friday’s resolution is a sensible transfer that ought to relieve some rigidity between the governments.
The machines in query, ASML’s 1970i and 1980i DUV immersion lithography instruments, are roughly in the course of its product vary.
Under U.S. stress, the Dutch authorities has by no means allowed ASML to ship its easiest EUV instruments to Chinese prospects, whereas it started requiring a license for NXT:2000 sequence and higher of DUV instruments in Sept. 2023.
ASML warned Chinese prospects to not anticipate supply of these instruments beginning in 2024.
However in October 2023, the U.S. unilaterally started limiting ASML’s cargo of the 1970i and 1980i instruments, on the argument that they include some U.S. components.
Members of the Dutch parliament raised questions concerning the implications for the Netherlands’ sovereignty, whereas ASML, a Dutch firm, struggled to maintain up with separate licensing necessities within the U.S. and Netherlands.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling;Editing by Alison Williams and Philippa Fletcher)
