ASML export-control push
U.S. lawmakers are moving toward banning exports of key ASML DUV equipment to China under proposed legislation (the MATCH Act), tightening the flow of chipmaking tools that China still depends on and escalating geopolitical pressure on the semiconductor supply chain (wccftech.com) (digitimes.com).
United States lawmakers are pushing a new bill that would cut off ASML’s remaining deep ultraviolet chipmaking tools from China. (foreign.senate.gov) (money.usnews.com) The bill is the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act, or MATCH Act. Representative Michael Baumgartner introduced the House version on April 2, 2026, and Senators Jim Risch, Pete Ricketts, Andy Kim, and Chuck Schumer introduced the Senate version on April 8. (baumgartner.house.gov) (foreign.senate.gov) Lawmakers say the measure would block sales and servicing of covered equipment to Chinese companies including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Hua Hong, Huawei, ChangXin Memory Technologies, and Yangtze Memory Technologies. Reuters reported the proposal is aimed at tools China still imports because it cannot make equivalent systems at home. (money.usnews.com) (foreign.senate.gov) Deep ultraviolet lithography machines are the tools that project circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, like a stencil for chips. Reuters said lawmakers focused on immersion deep ultraviolet systems because Chinese fabs still rely on them to make advanced circuitry. (money.usnews.com) ASML already cannot ship its most advanced extreme ultraviolet machines to China, and Dutch rules tightened again on September 7, 2024 for several immersion deep ultraviolet models, including the TWINSCAN NXT:1970i and 1980i. The new push goes further by targeting older deep ultraviolet lines that ASML has continued to sell. (asml.com) (money.usnews.com) That remaining business is not small. Reuters reported China was ASML’s largest market in 2025 at 33% of sales, and ASML said in January that China’s share would fall to about 20% in 2026 even before this bill. (money.usnews.com) (cnbc.com) ASML’s 2025 annual report said its deep ultraviolet business in China was stronger than the company expected during 2025. The company said that demand offset weaker mainstream deep ultraviolet demand outside China. (asml.com) The bill is also aimed at U.S. allies, not only China. Senate sponsors said the goal is to “harmonize” export controls so Dutch and Japanese suppliers face rules closer to those already imposed on U.S. companies. (foreign.senate.gov) (money.usnews.com) The Dutch government has not endorsed the draft. Reuters quoted a Netherlands foreign ministry spokesperson saying, “It is not our place to comment on draft legislation proposed by lawmakers from other countries,” while ASML declined to comment. (money.usnews.com) If the MATCH Act advances, Washington will be trying to shut a channel that still matters to China’s chip industry and to ASML’s sales. The fight is no longer over only the newest machines; it is over the older tools Chinese fabs still use every day. (money.usnews.com) (asml.com)
