US officials question ASML over alleged EUV machine in China as company denies breach

The Trump administration has pressed ASML over whether one of its most advanced chipmaking machines, an extreme ultraviolet lithography system, has reached China in violation of US export controls. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick raised the question directly with ASML's senior leadership in April, according to people familiar with the talks.

ASML told Bloomberg it has never shipped an EUV machine to China and that it can track every one of the 314 systems in use worldwide in real time. The company prepared a document titled "No Indication of Any ASML EUV System in China" and circulated it among Washington officials after Lutnick's meeting.

How ASML tracks its EUV fleet

ASML's argument rests on the physical and technical constraints of EUV machines. The systems are roughly the size of a school bus, produced in limited quantities, and require constant maintenance from ASML engineers. The company says it can automatically detect any interruption, abnormal behavior, or loss of connectivity across its EUV fleet. Customers cannot remove, transport, or relocate EUV systems without ASML involvement due to specialized handling procedures.

• There are 314 EUV machines in use worldwide and 26 that have been decommissioned, according to ASML's internal document reviewed by Bloomberg.
• None of those machines are located in China, the company states.
• US export rules have long barred ASML from selling EUV tools to China.
• The Netherlands has also blocked EUV sales to Chinese chipmakers and restricted certain immersion deep ultraviolet tools under US pressure.

Skepticism persists in Washington

Multiple senior Trump administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Bloomberg they believe ASML is not acting in good faith. They cited exports to China of equipment they say is specifically related to EUV tools, though they declined to provide documentation or say they had proof of an actual EUV machine operating in China. Officials have not brought public enforcement actions or further tightened restrictions, despite their suspicions.

The dispute is critical to China's AI ambitions. Huawei Technologies, which has been cut off from EUV tools, has made progress producing advanced chips without ASML's most sophisticated equipment, narrowing the gap with TSMC. If investigators were to confirm that a full EUV system had reached China, it would amount to one of the most serious known breaches of the US-led export control regime designed to limit Beijing's access to high-end AI hardware. For now, ASML says it regularly engages with governments worldwide while adhering to export regulations, and the company has denied shipping any EUV-specific equipment to China.