Dutch government minister talks about China's military advantage — May point to stricter sanctions in the future

Intel
(Image credit: Intel)

Although the Dutch government banned exports of some of ASML's most advanced deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography tools to China, the company still ships lithographic systems worth tens of billions of dollars to its Chinese customers. But a recent note from the Dutch trade minister highlights fears that ASML's tools could be used to advance Chinese military, reports Reuters.

"China focuses on foreign expertise, including Dutch expertise in the field of lithography, to promote self-sufficiency in its military-technical development," wrote Geoffrey Van Leeuwen, trade minister of the Netherlands, in a note seen by Reuters. "[Advanced chips made using ASML's tools can be used for] high-value weapons systems and weapons of mass destruction."

As a result, the Dutch government should center its attention on "the risk of undesirable end use" when reviewing export licensing decisions said Van Leeuwen. This may indicate that the country is reassessing its stance about China and may further restrict sales of chipmaking tools to the People's Republic.  

Despite the licensing requirement introduced in September, the Dutch government has approved several licenses for exporting advanced semiconductor equipment to China (and revoked some others). It is anticipated that around 20 such requests will be made this year, although it is unclear how many will be from China. 
Recently ASML warned that further restrictions against China's chipmakers will have an impact on its business.

Chinese companies are building dozens of new fabs and 18 of them are expected to come online in 2024. Many will focus on mature process technologies, but some of them are set to adopt fairly advanced 28nm-class production nodes. Meanwhile, there are rumors that the U.S. government was looking into banning the export to China of tools that could be used to build 28nm chips. If the U.S. makes such a decision, it will need support from its allies from Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and South Korea, which may force these countries to reassess their stance on development of China's semiconductor sector.

It is noteworthy that some of the Dutch politicians question economic risks associated with ASML's business with Chinese chipmakers. 

"The perception is also that besides the security risk, that there are also economic reasons behind it." lawmaker Femke Zeedijk told Reuters without elaborating which economic risks he mentioned.

TOPICS
Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

Read more
ASML EUV machine
Netherlands tightens export controls on sanctioned semiconductor equipment — move made in line with U.S. limitations, ASML will apply for licenses from the Dutch government
Nvidia Hopper HGX H200
Trump wants tighter AI chip export restrictions but may face staffing shortage and other issues
TSMC
Japan tightens chipmaking export controls amid US-China tech tensions
SMIC
China will likely reduce purchase of chipmaking tools this year as homegrown toolmakers ramp up
China
China doubles US research output on next-gen chips amid export bans — trade war fuels a research wave
China
China's mature chips to make up 28% of world production, creating oversupply — Western companies express concern for their survival
Latest in Manufacturing
ASML origins
ASML recalls its humble origins in a ‘leaky shed’ in Eindhoven, circa 1984 — it now makes the most cutting-edge chipmaking tools on the planet
TSMC
TSMC's Arizona chip fab production is sold out through late 2027
eFabless closure affects Tiny Tapeout 8, 9, and 10
Efabless shuts down, fate of Tiny Tapeout chip production projects unclear
Former President Donald Trump
Taiwan's Economy Ministry responds to Trump's threat of up to 100% tariffs on chips, including those from TSMC
GlobalFoundries
India set to launch its first semiconductor chip based on 28nm this year
TSMC fab
TSMC's Arizona Fab 21 is already making 4nm chips — yield and quality reportedly on par with Taiwan fabs
Latest in News
RX 9070 XT Sapphire
Lisa Su says Radeon RX 9070-series GPU sales are 10X higher than its predecessors — for the first week of availability
RTX 5070, RX 9070 XT, Arc B580
Real-world GPU prices cost up to twice the MSRP — a look at current FPS per dollar values
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 AMP Extreme Infinity
Zotac raises RTX 5090 prices by 20% and seemingly eliminates MSRP models
ASRock fixes AM5 motherboard by cleaning it
ASRock claims to fix 'burned out' AM5 motherboard by cleaning the socket
ChatGPT Security
Some ChatGPT users are addicted and will suffer withdrawal symptoms if cut off, say researchers
project-g-assist-nvidia-geforce-rtx-ogimage
Nvidia releases public G-Assist in latest App to provide in-game AI assistance — also introduces DLSS custom scaling factors
  • Notton
    I didn't know that 28nm was considered "fairly advanced".

    Meanwhile, GloFlo's fairly dated 12nm is losing customers.
    Reply