ASML's contingency plan if China invades Taiwan

In 2022, Nancy Pelosi, when she was leader of Congress, stated that the United States would help protect Taiwan from external threats, and in April, the US Congress voted in favor of an $8 billion aid package, which will strengthen Taiwan's defense.

Remote controlled dead man button

EUV machines are the size of buses and cost accordingly Bloomberg More than €200 million per piece (about NOK 2.3 billion). The Netherlands – like the United States of America – prohibits the sale of machines to China.

If China acquires these machines, it will give the country a huge boost in the chip race. The United States is extremely concerned about this and has requested security measures from the Netherlands and ASML.

Due to the need for regular supervision, ASML may force devices to shut down without being physically present. It can act as a remote controlled dead man's button.

ASML has confirmed to the US its ability to remotely control device outages, and says it has run simulations of the scenario, according to sources Bloomberg spoke to.

In addition, due to the frequent need for upgrades, the UV machines would quickly go out of service due to a shortage of spare parts from ASML, in the event of an invasion of China, according to

At the urging of the United States, the Netherlands adopted a ban on the sale of the second most advanced ASML machine to China. Even before the ban was adopted, US authorities also asked ASML to cancel previously agreed orders with Chinese customers.

Too late?

However, it may seem that the United States and its allies have found themselves on the defensive when it comes to obstructing China's progress in chip manufacturing.

Among other things, at the launch of Huawei's rival iPhone last year, Bloomberg was able to reveal that it consisted of, among other things, chipsets made from ASML's older EUVs, as well as gadgets from two unnamed US manufacturers. .

Achieving technological self-sufficiency has long been a top priority in China, and Huawei's advances in domestic chip design have received significant support from the Chinese state.