Netherlands imposes new restrictions on chip exports

On Friday, the Dutch government announced that it had been expanding export restrictions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

The Dutch government said that exports of more types of advanced manufacturing equipment would now be subject to national licensing requirements.

The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade cited national security concerns when announcing the decision.

In the Netherlands, ASML manufactures advanced semiconductor production equipment.

Its equipment is capable of producing a new generation of High-NA chips in extreme ultraviolet (EUV).

The ASML High-NA Twinscan EXE lithography tools represent the pinnacle of the company’s technology.

The ASML High-NA EUV Twinscan EXE instrument is capable of 8 nm resolution, which is a significant improvement over existing Low-NA EUV scanners that can only reach 13 nm in a single exposure.

This will enable the creation of transistors about 1.7 times smaller, leading to a nearly threefold increase in transistor density. The ability to achieve 8nm critical dimensions is vital for chip manufacturing.

Pressure from the United States

The United States has been pressuring the Netherlands and Japan to take more measures to keep advanced chip-making technology out of suspicious hands, mainly Chinese businesses.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that the Dutch government would not likely enew ASML’s license for exporting DUV machine maintenance and reserve parts to China.

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet criticized the US-led campaign to restrict its exports to China, saying it had become “economically motivated” over time.

As previously reported, Russia has at least one Dutch chipmaking machine, chips of which are used in drones, tanks, and missiles.