TechCrunch AIJun 19, 2026, 7:59 AMConnie Loizos

US Claims ASML's Top Chip Tool May Be in China; ASML Denies It

Original: The US says ASML’s top chip tool may be in China. ASML says it isn’t

The US government alleges ASML's most advanced chip tool reached China; ASML flatly denies it.

U.S. authorities have raised concerns that ASML's most advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment — critical for producing leading-edge chips — may have ended up in China, potentially violating export controls. ASML, the Dutch lithography monopoly, denies the allegation. The company's argument rests on commercial self-interest: risking its export licenses to serve a Chinese customer would be existentially damaging to its global business.

A notable dispute has surfaced between U.S. authorities and ASML, the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker that holds a near-total global monopoly on advanced lithography machines, over whether ASML's most sophisticated chip-manufacturing tool has found its way into China — a scenario that would represent a serious violation of export control law.

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