ASML CEO: Restrictions on China will accelerate Huawei's development

Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, Europe's leading supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, stated that export restrictions imposed on China may have the opposite effect of what was intended. As reported by the Financial Times, instead of reducing dependence on foreign technology, these restrictions are actually pushing Chinese companies, led by Huawei, to rapidly develop their own technologies. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

Experts believe that creating complex devices like EUV scanners and finding alternatives is no easy task. Specifically, these systems contain over 100,000 components, and their production involves 200 key suppliers and nearly 2,000 companies worldwide. Given that giants like Zeiss (optics), Trumpf (lasers), and VDL (high-precision parts) are involved, building a fully functional alternative infrastructure remains complex.

China's technological adaptation

Currently, Chinese enterprises and Huawei are deprived of access to modern EUV equipment. Furthermore, the supply of older DUV systems is becoming increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, Chinese manufacturers are adapting by modifying existing equipment, optimizing processes, and performing additional lithography steps to bypass these barriers.

Using existing DUV equipment, Chinese factories continue to successfully produce 7nm-class chips. This demonstrates that the country's technological potential is steadily growing. Currently, U.S. officials are considering imposing additional restrictions on ASML's remaining supply channels to China.

In this situation, the key issue is not just whether China can copy or replicate existing foreign equipment, but how much these strict export restrictions will accelerate the process of creating an independent domestic manufacturing infrastructure.