Has China obtained ASML's EUV machine? The Dutch giant fights US claims
On 19 June 2026, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ASML that Washington believes one of its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines may have made its way into China, in violation of US-led export controls. According to people familiar with a series of bilateral meetings, senior administration officials said they have evidence that ASML is not acting in good faith.
ASML strongly denied the claim. “ASML has never shipped an EUV machine to China nor have we shipped to China any component, module or equipment specially designed to be used in an EUV machine,” a spokesperson said. Europe’s most valuable company told American officials it knows the exact location of all 340 EUV machines it has produced — including 26 decommissioned ones — and that none is in China. Only ASML can transport the highly sensitive systems, which it monitors online, and the components it ships are handled by ASML engineers inside customers’ fabs. The most advanced units are as large as a school bus and weigh around 180 tonnes — not the kind of machine that can be moved unnoticed. Despite repeated requests, ASML says it has been provided with no evidence to support Mr Lutnick’s allegation.
The Dutch government is pushing back too. On a late-June visit to Washington, trade minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma sought to convince Mr Lutnick, other officials and members of Congress that the Netherlands strictly enforces its export controls, including on EUV. Speaking to The Economist on 2 July 2026, he said the Dutch government is not, at present, investigating the American allegation — “if there were things to be investigated or perhaps even to be prosecuted, then obviously we would do so.” Some people briefed on the claim describe it as “unverified” yet “not unfounded”. Many industry experts consider it highly unlikely that an entire EUV machine was shipped to China; some believe related components could have moved via ASML’s suppliers or third parties, while others think the more likely issue is ASML’s exports of older deep ultraviolet (DUV) tools and services, most of which are not covered by export controls. DUV-related exports to China accounted for about a third of ASML’s revenues in 2025.
ASML holds a monopoly on EUV, the world’s most advanced lithography technology, used to etch the smallest features onto chips. Exports of EUV systems to China have been banned for years. The exchange comes as the US tightens controls further: the MATCH Act, introduced by US lawmakers in April 2026, would also ban exports of DUV immersion machines and the servicing of existing machines in China. China accounted for 36% of ASML’s system sales recently, falling to 19% in the first quarter of 2026 under stricter controls. ASML says it complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
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