Reports: U.S. eyes ASML DUV export ban
Trade press reports say U.S. lawmakers are discussing a ban on exports of ASML deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment to China, a move that industry analysts warn could disrupt Chinese semiconductor manufacturing. The coverage notes the sourcing is trade-press rather than an official government notice, so details remain unconfirmed. (wccftech.com) (fanaticosdelhardware.com)
U.S. lawmakers have proposed a bill that could cut off China from another crucial ASML chipmaking tool: deep-ultraviolet lithography machines. (usnews.com) The bill is called the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act, or MATCH Act. House backers announced it on April 2, 2026, and Senators Jim Risch, Pete Ricketts, Andy Kim and Chuck Schumer announced Senate legislation on April 8. (baumgartner.house.gov) (foreign.senate.gov) Reuters reported on April 3 that the draft measure would target immersion deep-ultraviolet lithography, a category dominated by ASML, and would also bar sales or servicing for named Chinese companies including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Huawei, Hua Hong, ChangXin Memory Technologies and Yangtze Memory Technologies. (usnews.com) Lithography machines are the tools that project circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, like a stencil for chip features. Deep-ultraviolet systems are older than extreme-ultraviolet systems, but they still matter because they are used across a wide range of mainstream and mid-tier chip production. (asml.com) (congress.gov) That gap is the center of this fight. Dutch rules already require export licenses for ASML’s extreme-ultraviolet systems and several immersion deep-ultraviolet models, including the TWINSCAN NXT:1970i, 1980i, 2000i and later systems, with the updated Dutch requirement taking effect on September 7, 2024. (asml.com) Even with those controls, older deep-ultraviolet lines have still been available to some Chinese fabs and to foreign chipmakers operating in China. Reuters reported that the new bill is aimed at closing that remaining channel. (usnews.com) (congress.gov) China is not a side market for ASML. Reuters reported that China accounted for 33% of ASML sales in 2025, and ASML said in January that it expected China’s share to fall to about 20% in 2026 even before this bill appeared. (usnews.com) (cnbc.com) The push fits a broader U.S. policy that has tightened since 2018 and accelerated with rules issued in October 2022. A Congressional Research Service report published on September 19, 2025, said U.S. controls have restricted advanced semiconductor technologies while leaving other parts of the supply chain open to China. (congress.gov) (gao.gov) Supporters say allied controls have not matched U.S. restrictions and have left loopholes for Chinese buyers. The Netherlands’ foreign ministry told Reuters it was not its place to comment on draft legislation proposed by lawmakers from other countries, and ASML declined comment on the April 3 report. (foreign.senate.gov) (usnews.com) For now, this is still a bill, not a new export rule or Dutch government order. The next test is whether Congress advances the MATCH Act and whether Washington can persuade the Netherlands and Japan to enforce the same line on the machines China can still buy. (foreign.senate.gov) (usnews.com)
