Citing security concerns, a Cabinet minister declared on Friday that the Dutch government is extending export restrictions on machinery used to create cutting-edge processor chips that can be incorporated into weapons systems.
Before the declaration, export limitations on other equipment were applied to ASML, a Dutch company among the top manufacturers of chip machines worldwide.
The actions are a component of a US strategy to deny China access to resources needed to produce semiconductors, which have potential use in military technology.
Laptops 1000According to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Reinette Klever, the new policy requires the company to seek government authorization anytime it wants to sell deep ultraviolet lithography equipment to buyers outside of the European Union.
“Security considerations led me to make this conclusion. We observe that, particularly in the current geopolitical climate, technological advancements have raised the security dangers linked with the export of this particular manufacturing equipment,” Klever stated.
In a statement, ASML stated that the action “will harmonize the approach for issuing export licenses” and that it “is not expected to have any impact on our longer-term scenarios or our financial outlook for 2024.”
