AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government said on Wednesday it would expand its export controls on advanced semiconductor equipment from April 1, which chip equipment company ASML said it did not expect would affect its business.
The Netherlands’ national export licensing requirements for semiconductor equipment were first introduced in 2023 under US pressure to limit shipments to China, and have been expanded several times since.
The latest measures will require companies to apply for export licenses for a “very limited” number of technologies such as measuring and inspection equipment, the Dutch Trade Ministry said in a statement announcing the changes.
ASML said in response that it saw no additional impact on the guidance the company issued in December, when the US government announced new restrictions on semiconductor exports to China, impacting chip equipment companies.
Details of the rule changes published Wednesday in the country’s state legal gazette show that licensing requirements now also include technologies used to find small defects in wafers, and systems that improve measurements after depositing and etching – steps that are often are repeated in the chip production process.
A spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Commerce said there will be minor changes to the rules from time to time due to technical developments.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling; Editing by Jason Neely and Jane Merriman)
