US Pressured Netherlands to Block China-Bound Chip Machinery

  • ASML canceled shipments of a limited number of devices
  • Biden is cracking down on Beijing’s semiconductor industry
WTCH: ASML canceled some shipments of its machines to China. Jill Disis reports.Source: Bloomberg

ASML Holding NV canceled shipments of some of its machines to China at the request of US President Joe Biden’s administration, weeks before export bans on the high-end chipmaking equipment came into effect, people familiar with the matter said.

The Dutch manufacturer had licenses to ship three top-of-the-line deep ultraviolet lithography machines to Chinese firms until January when new Dutch restrictions take full effect. However, US officials reached out to ASML to ask them to immediately halt pre-scheduled shipments of some of the machines to Chinese customers, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were confidential.