Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma has been in Washington this week to voice concerns over the MATCH Act, a bill that would severely impact ASML, Europe's most valuable company and sole manufacturer of advanced chip-making machinery.
ASML’s machines are crucial for producing cutting-edge AI chips. China accounts for 19% of ASML’s net system sales, making the MATCH Act particularly biting as it seeks to restrict access to even older technology that has been around for a decade.
The bill, introduced in April, aims to go beyond current controls by extending restrictions to ASML's deep ultraviolet immersion machines. As CEO Christophe Fouquet told TechCrunch, China can currently only buy outdated deep UV tools – the same generation now set to be off-limits.
Despite the MATCH Act not yet facing a vote in Congress, its potential impact on ASML and Europe’s tech sector looms large. The Netherlands may see high stakes as Sjoerdsma highlighted during his meetings.
