While Chinese chipmakers, such as SMIC, cannot procure advanced deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems from ASML due to restrictions from the U.S. and Dutch governments, they can still use their existing DUV tools to produce rather advanced chips. This is not exactly appreciated by the U.S. government, so next week, it will try to urge the Dutch government to prohibit ASML from servicing already-installed tools at facilities in China, according to Reuters.
Alan Estevez, a top U.S. official for export policy, will meet with Dutch officials and ASML representatives to discuss the matter next week. The report says the discussion may also include the possibility of expanding the list of Chinese chip factories that are barred from receiving Dutch equipment. If the U.S. and the Netherlands agree to limit the servicing of ASML's machines in China, this could hurt or even disrupt China's abilities to produce advanced chips using lithography equipment that its chipmakers already have.
