Netherlands ASML "Chinese Employee Steals Semiconductor Technology"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] ASML, the world's largest semiconductor lithography equipment company based in the Netherlands, discovered that a Chinese employee who worked at its China branch stole semiconductor monopoly technology, prompting immediate investigations by the Dutch and U.S. governments. This is the first incident revealed amid the U.S. export controls on semiconductors to China and the Netherlands' participation, and it is expected to further escalate tensions between the U.S. and China.

On the 15th (local time), ASML announced that a former Chinese employee had stolen confidential semiconductor information over several months. The company stated, "There is a possibility of violating export controls," and "We have reported this incident to the Dutch and U.S. governments."

The leaked information included documents. ASML said, "(The semiconductor information) theft is not considered critical to the company's business," but did not disclose detailed content. According to foreign media, the information was leaked from software systems used to store technical information related to lithography equipment systems that produce advanced semiconductors.

The U.S. and Dutch governments are currently investigating the case. Liesje Schreinemacher, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, expressed, "It is highly concerning that such a large and well-known company has become a target of economic espionage." She added, "This once again shows how important it is to protect the Netherlands' high value-added technology."

This is not the first time a Chinese company has stolen ASML's semiconductor technology. In 2021, ASML pointed out that Dongfang Jingyuan in China was actively selling products in China that could infringe on its patents. Founded in 2014, Dongfang Jingyuan is one of the key companies designated by the Chinese government for semiconductor self-sufficiency. ASML also claimed that this company is related to XTal, which previously stole technology and was ordered to pay $845 million (about 1.1 trillion KRW) in damages in the U.S.

The news of China's theft of Dutch semiconductor technology came amid the intensifying semiconductor hegemony competition between the U.S. and China. Previously, in October last year, the U.S. announced export control measures banning the sale of advanced U.S.-made semiconductor equipment to Chinese semiconductor companies. To strengthen the encirclement of China, it also secured the participation of allies such as the Netherlands and Japan. Accordingly, ASML has been unable to export its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment to China since 2019 due to the Dutch government's embargo, and going forward, it is expected that even the older generation deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment will be prohibited from export. It is difficult to produce semiconductors without ASML equipment.

U.S. economic media CNBC reported, "This security incident occurred at a sensitive time for ASML and the Dutch government," adding, "They are caught in the middle of the U.S.-China technology hegemony competition." Bloomberg noted, "This espionage incident is further escalating tensions between the U.S. and China."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.