The new rules are being released after lengthy discussions with Japan and the Netherlands, which, along with the United States, dominate the production of advanced chipmaking equipment.
The Dutch government said it will study the new restrictions, adding that “every country has its own considerations” on national security and export controls.
ASML said on its website that it did not see a material impact on its business, adding that if the Dutch government makes a “similar security assessment”, it could affect exports of some of its chip-making tools.
The United States plans to exempt countries that adopt similar controls, sources told Reuters.
Another rule in the package restricts memory used in AI chips that correspond with what is known as “HBM 2” and higher, technology made by South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix and US-based Micron.
Industry sources expect only Samsung Electronics to be affected. Samsung generates about 20 per cent of its HBM chip sales from China, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
The latest rules are the third major package of chip-related export curbs on China adopted under the Biden administration.
In October 2022, the United States published a sweeping set of controls on sale and manufacture of certain high-end chips that was considered to be the biggest shift in its tech policy toward China since the 1990s.
Source: CNA
