The ASML icon is displayed on a smartphone with the ASML chip visible in the background.
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The Dutch government announced on Friday expanded export restrictions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, ASMLThe machine is on the roadside.
More types of wafer fabrication tools are now required, meaning the company must apply for a license from the Dutch government to export its equipment abroad.
“I have taken this decision for security reasons. We see that technological advances have led to increased security risks associated with the export of this specific manufacturing equipment, especially in the current geopolitical context,” Foreign Trade Minister Rene Reinette Klever said.
The Dutch government last year imposed the first major export restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductor equipment and has since expanded the restrictions.
ASML is one of the world’s most important semiconductor companies, headquartered in the Netherlands. The company makes the machinery needed to produce state-of-the-art wafers.
Amsterdam’s latest measures come after the United States on Friday introduced new export controls on key technologies such as quantum computing and semiconductor products.
At the end of 2022, the United States launched comprehensive rules aimed at cutting off the export of key chips and semiconductor tools to China and sought allies to follow suit. Washington has pressured countries such as the Netherlands to tighten export restrictions on key chipmaking tools. ASML’s key role in advanced chips has put the Netherlands in the spotlight for U.S. policymakers.
In its latest statement, the Netherlands did not name any countries of particular concern due to chip restrictions.
“The Netherlands has a unique leading position in this field. This comes with certain responsibilities, which we take seriously. The Dutch semiconductor industry needs to know what it can expect. We proceed in a cautious and targeted manner to minimize global Trade flows and value chains are disrupted,” Clever said.
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