Breaking

Report: US Tells ASML It Fears China Obtained a Top Chip Tool

June 19, 2026 at 01:38 EDT

Infra & Chips
Policy & Regulation

The Trump administration has reportedly told Dutch chip-equipment maker ASML it is concerned China may have obtained one of the company's most advanced chipmaking tools. The account is described as "reportedly" and remains unconfirmed; the specific product and how it was acquired have not been disclosed, and no direct confirmation from ASML or the administration is available at this time.

June 18, 2026 · US–ASML

US Warns ASML It Fears Its Most Advanced Chip Tool May Have Reached China

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ASML executives that export-controlled EUV lithography machines — banned from China since 2019 — may have illegally been obtained. ASML is the world's sole commercial maker of these systems.

~$400M

Cost of a single High-NA EUV system (EXE:5000)

165 t

Weight of one machine — about a single train car

185+

Wafers processed per hour by the EXE:5000

EUV machines delivered to China under controls

China's reliance on older DUV tools

Blocked from EUV, China leans heavily on prior-generation DUVi systems. Share of ASML's 2024 DUVi shipments by destination:

70%

China

30%

Rest of world

The EUV lineup at the center of the concern

No specific model was disclosed — reports point to ASML's "top-of-the-line" EUV tools.

Standard EUV · NA 0.33

TWINSCAN NXE

For existing volume production.

High-NA EUV · NA 0.55

TWINSCAN EXE

Next generation: ~70% better resolution, ~60% higher transistor density, ~30% lower power vs. prior.

Aggressive adopter

Intel accepted its first High-NA unit in late 2023 and is pushing ahead on next-generation processes — betting on it to extend Moore's Law.

Cautious stance

TSMC & Samsung cite the ~$400M cost and complexity, pushing volume deployment to 2027 or later.

Why it matters

EUV has long blocked China's self-sufficiency in advanced chips below 7nm. Domestic efforts via firms like SMEE continue, but commercialization is seen as unlikely before 2030 — and the leakage concern may now trigger even tighter controls.

Continue reading

The rest of this article is for AI News Blitz readers. Choose an option below to keep reading.