US convinces Netherlands and Japan to keep chip equipment from China

China will no longer acquire machines capable of making advanced chips. Both Japan and the Netherlands agreed to this under US pressure.

The West, and America in particular, wants to keep itself at the forefront of the development of modern microchips. China must be a few generations behind and President Biden’s administration is taking steps to do so. Thus it happened Exports of advanced chips from the US are already heavily restricted. However, the biggest fear of American companies is that they will be displaced by the Chinese market.

That’s why the US is negotiating with the Netherlands and Japan to export machinery used to make modern microchips. That market is so small that ASML has a monopoly on the most advanced lithography machines. These are very complex and expensive devices that use light and a chemical process to ‘etch’ the chips.

No more deep UV

The Dutch government will now ban the sale of so-called ASML deep UV machines. which know The New York Times. The export of Extreme UV devices was previously prohibited. The name refers to the wavelength of light that allows machines to draw. The finer the microchip, the smaller the components. For example, 7 nm chips cannot be made without a deep UV machine.

Japan also manufactures critical equipment for advanced chip manufacturing. The country also promises to curb exports. The details of the deal are not entirely clear, as is its legality. Treaties must now be turned into rules, and it could take months or even years before the Netherlands, Japan and the United States are effectively on the same page. However, the deal is an important step in limiting China’s access to microchip manufacturing equipment.