After the Chinese side launched the counter measure, the foreign media said that Asma would provide Stepper to Huate, and the Dutch giant responded

#Headlines on current events and hot topics#After China released the news of export controls on gallium and germanium, Wei Jianguo, former Vice Minister of Commerce, bluntly stated that this is only the beginning of countermeasures, and China has some countermeasures. The Netherlands, as a major semiconductor country that will restrict the export of semiconductor equipment to China, has shown extraordinary anxiety and anger

#Headlines on current events and hot topics#

After China released the news of export controls on gallium and germanium, Wei Jianguo, former Vice Minister of Commerce, bluntly stated that this is only the beginning of countermeasures, and China has some countermeasures. The Netherlands, as a major semiconductor country that will restrict the export of semiconductor equipment to China, has shown extraordinary anxiety and anger. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the European Union to respond to this in a statement on the same day. There is no news from the EU, but the Dutch Stepper giant Asma has been exposed to be planning to launch a "Chinese special edition" DUV to meet its business needs. Asme denied this news.

Not long ago, the Dutch government announced that it will require chip manufacturing equipment companies, including Asme, not to export advanced chip manufacturing equipment without authorization until obtaining an export license. The relevant measures will be officially implemented on September 1st. After the news was announced, Asme released a statement on its official website, saying that after the implementation of this new measure, the export restrictions will be extended from the more advanced EUV Stepper to some DUV Stepper. That is, the two new products launched by Asme and the DUV Stepper to be launched later are prohibited from exporting to China. The 1980Di version previously released is not restricted.

Although Asme stressed that the export of advanced EUV Stepper has been restricted before, it is expected that this measure will not have an impact in the short term. But in the context of the United States persistently treating China as the "greatest threat" and attempting to encircle China from various fields, the "chip ban" initiated by the Biden administration will become increasingly strict, and Asma will also be forced to make a choice. So it is only a matter of time before the Chinese side takes precautions and no longer imports chip manufacturing equipment from Asma.

According to foreign media reports, in order to retain Chinese customers and supply the Stepper previously ordered by China on time, Asma decided to export the "special edition" DUV Stepper to China, that is, to transform the unrestricted DUV Stepper so that the machine does not have the ability to produce chips below 28nm, so as to prevent technology leakage.

If the news is true, in the short term, it is indeed a compromise solution that can avoid US restrictions and is beneficial to China. However, Asma quickly denied the reports from foreign media. Asme responded in an interview with Observer. com that Asme has always complied with applicable laws and regulations, and has not launched a special version of Stepper for the Chinese market.

Of course, even if Asma did not launch a special version of Stepper, it would certainly not give up the Chinese market, and would also increase investment. Data shows that the Chinese market accounts for 16% of Asma's global revenue, ranking third in the market. For this reason, Asma has always been unwilling to join forces with the United States.

Asma has always been angry about the US leading export restrictions on semiconductor equipment to China. As early as the end of last year, Wenningke, the CEO of Asma, complained that American chip manufacturers could sell the most advanced chips to Chinese customers, but Asma could only sell outdated equipment to China, and now even outdated equipment is subject to restrictions, which makes him puzzled. Wenningke also pointed out that under the pressure of the United States, Asma will no longer sell the most advanced Stepper to China since 2019, which will undoubtedly benefit some American peers.

Wenningke's complaint is not unreasonable. The US has always set double standards in the formulation of rules, constantly modifying them, and starting a small business for its own company, regardless of the survival of Asma. Previously, Nvidia's A100 and H100 high-end models of GPUs could not be supplied to China, so it launched a revised A800 replacement. Its performance not only met the needs of Chinese customers, but also did not violate the relevant ban. The Biden government also ignored this.

Wenningke has raised his concerns that China currently needs European technology, and Europe also needs China's vast market and resources, which was originally a mutually beneficial and win-win situation. But now Europe's unilateral suppression of China is equivalent to forcing China to accelerate its independent research and development. He speculates that China will be able to complete technological innovation within 15 years. If the West continues its policy of suppressing China, it will only be themselves who will suffer.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is sourced from the internet. The copyright of the text, images, and other materials belongs to the original author. The platform reprints the materials for the purpose of conveying more information. The content of the article is for reference and learning only, and should not be used for commercial purposes. If it infringes on your legitimate rights and interests, please contact us promptly and we will handle it as soon as possible! We respect copyright and are committed to protecting it. Thank you for sharing.(Email:[email protected])