U.S. Commerce Department concerned China has obtained EUV lithography equipment; ASML denies and says rumors are false and reputation-damaging.

ASML has informed Tom's Hardware that claims one of its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems was shipped to China despite export restrictions are both inaccurate and damaging to its reputation. This follows reports that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick questioned executives over concerns that one of the machines was shipped to China in violation of export restrictions.

According to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with negotiations between U.S. officials and ASML executives, the company is refuting recent allegations that the U.S. government believes one of ASML's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems may have managed to reach China. ASML denies any misconduct and claims it knows the location of every EUV tool it has built.

According to reports, this issue emerged during a meeting between U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and ASML executives. According to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the discussions, Lutnick questioned whether an EUV system might have entered China. Such a development would represent a major violation of export controls, as under the Wassenaar Arrangement, ASML cannot ship EUV lithography equipment to Chinese customers. In fact, the only EUV tool purchased by China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) remains in the Netherlands. Therefore, ASML calls these allegations "baseless" and "harmful."

"In recent years, ASML has refuted multiple baseless rumors regarding non-compliance with export controls in China, which are inaccurate and have damaged our reputation," an ASML spokesperson told Tom's Hardware.

The U.S. government has not yet publicly provided evidence that a complete EUV scanner is operating in China. However, several senior government officials told Bloomberg that information they possess indicates ASML exported equipment related to EUV systems, including specialized systems for "transporting EUV machines." These officials refused to disclose any evidence, citing sensitivity concerns.

"ASML has never shipped an EUV machine to China, nor has it ever shipped any components, modules, or equipment specifically designed for EUV machines to China," the spokesperson told us.

ASML's EUV scanners consist of 100,000 components and weigh 180 tons. They are air-shipped only via multiple aircraft, making it impossible to intercept such cargo without causing an international scandal. Meanwhile, given the machine's complexity, it is impossible to manufacture one using spare parts or scrap, or to reverse-engineer it through its components as we reported in December.

Bloomberg claims ASML released an internal presentation titled "No Evidence Any ASML EUV System Is in China," which allegedly pointed out that 314 EUV systems are currently in operation globally, with another 26 decommissioned. According to the document, none is located in China. The presentation further noted that EUV scanners continuously communicate with ASML, allowing the company to detect interruptions, abnormal activity, or connectivity issues. Furthermore, due to specialized logistics and handling requirements, customers cannot simply disassemble, transport, and reinstall EUV scanners without direct assistance from ASML.

ASML certainly understands Western concerns about China, and therefore claims it has never shipped EUV tools to the People's Republic of China, initially due to the Wassenaar Arrangement, and subsequently due to recently implemented export controls.

"ASML regularly engages in transparent, open dialogue with government leaders worldwide," ASML told us. "We recognize the national security considerations behind U.S. and Dutch export control regulations. As a company, we are fully committed to complying with all laws and regulations applicable to our business activities, including all relevant export control regulations, and we continuously adjust our business in line with developments in export controls to ensure compliance with any new rules."