ASML, the Dutch company that holds a global monopoly on extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, is publicly refuting claims from US officials that one of its EUV systems may have ended up in China. The company went so far as to circulate a document titled “No indication of any ASML EUV system in China.”
The allegations surfaced following bilateral meetings between ASML executives and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in June 2026. Lutnick reportedly raised concerns about a potential unauthorized transfer of an EUV machine to a Chinese customer, a claim that quickly ricocheted through Reuters, Bloomberg, and other major outlets.
Why one machine matters this much
Each machine costs between $150 million and $400 million, contains over 100,000 components, and requires ongoing proprietary maintenance from ASML itself. ASML is the only company on the planet that makes these machines. EUV systems are essential for manufacturing the most advanced semiconductor chips, the kind powering AI training clusters, high-performance computing, and next-generation military applications.
The company has emphasized that its machines are produced in limited quantities and meticulously tracked. No concrete evidence supporting the alleged transfer has been provided by US officials.
