Technology
Netherlands lobbies US to exempt ASML from chip export restrictions
Dutch trade officials are pushing back against the MATCH Act, which would tighten semiconductor equipment controls that threaten ASML's China business.
TechCrunch — AI
Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma traveled to Washington this week to lobby Congress against the MATCH Act, legislation designed to block Chinese chipmakers from accessing advanced Western semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The bill poses a particular threat to ASML, the Netherlands-based company that dominates the market for lithography machines essential to producing cutting-edge AI chips.
A high-stakes fight for ASML#
China currently represents 19% of ASML's net system sales. The MATCH Act would expand existing export controls beyond the long-standing ban on its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines, now targeting the company's deep ultraviolet immersion systems—tools first developed over a decade ago that remain among the older-generation equipment China is permitted to purchase.
"The stakes for the Netherlands may be very high," Sjoerdsma told Bloomberg after his meetings with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and congressional members.
ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet emphasized the distinction in May, noting that equipment China can currently access represents generations-old technology, not the cutting-edge systems already restricted.
The bill, introduced in April, awaits a floor vote in either chamber and would likely require incorporation into a broader legislative package to advance.
Read more: Original reporting from TechCrunch
