The
Netherlands’
government
on
Wednesday
said
it
plans
new
restrictions
on
exports
of
semiconductor
technology
to
protect
national
security,
joining
the
United
State’s
effort
to
curb
chip
exports
to
China.
The
US
in
October
imposed
sweeping
export
restrictions
on
shipments
of
American
chipmaking
tools
to
China,
but
for
the
restrictions
to
be
effective
it
needs
other
key
suppliers
in
the
Netherlands
and
Japan,
who
also
oversee
key
chipmaking
technology,
to
agree.
The
allied
countries
have
been
in
talks
on
the
matter
for
months.
Dutch
Trade
Minister
Liesje
Schreinemacher
announced
the
decision
in
a
letter
to
parliament,
saying
the
restrictions
will
be
introduced
before
the
summer.
Her
letter
did
not
name
China,
a
key
Dutch
trading
partner,
nor
did
it
name
ASML
Holding
NV,
Europe’s
largest
tech
firm
and
a
major
supplier
to
semiconductor
manufacturers,
but
both
will
be
affected.
It
specified
one
technology
that
will
be
impacted
is
“DUV”
lithography,
the
second-most
advanced
machines
that
ASML
sells
to
computer
chip
manufacturers.
“Because
the
Netherlands
considers
it
necessary
on
national
security
grounds
to
get
this
technology
into
oversight
with
the
greatest
of
speed,
the
Cabinet
will
introduce
a
national
control
list”
the
letter
said.
ASML
said
in
a
response
it
expects
to
have
to
apply
for
licenses
to
export
the
most
advanced
segment
among
its
DUV
machines,
but
that
would
not
impact
its
2023
financial
guidance.
ASML
dominates
the
market
for
lithography
systems,
multimillion
dollar
machines
that
use
powerful
lasers
to
create
the
minute
circuitry
of
computer
chips.
ASML
has
never
sold
its
most
advanced
“EUV”
machines
to
customers
in
China,
and
the
bulk
of
its
DUV
sales
in
China
go
to
relatively
less
advanced
chipmakers.
Its
biggest
South
Korean
customers,
Samsung
and
SK
Hynix,
both
have
significant
manufacturing
capacity
in
China.
The
Dutch
announcement
leaves
major
questions
unanswered,
including
whether
ASML
will
be
able
to
service
the
more
than
8
billion
euros
(A$13
billion)
worth
of
DUV
machines
it
has
sold
to
customers
in
China
since
2014.
Schreinemacher
said
the
Dutch
government
had
decided
on
measures
“as
carefully
and
precisely
as
possible
…
to
avoid
unnecessary
disruption
of
value
chains.”
“It
is
for
companies
of
importance
to
know
what
they
are
facing
and
to
have
time
to
adjust
to
new
rules,”
she
wrote.
Japan
is
expected
to
issue
an
update
on
its
chip
equipment
export
policies
as
soon
as
this
week.
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