ASML Holding N.V. CEO Christophe Fouquet cautioned the Trump administration that excessively tightening controls on China’s access to semiconductor technology could backfire. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said some security-based restrictions are necessary, but overly broad controls risk creating “desperation” that could accelerate China’s efforts to develop domestic chipmaking capabilities.
Fouquet warned that such pressure could create a stronger long-term competitor, undermining the goal of export controls. He pointed to Huawei’s progress in developing deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography technology as evidence that restrictions can fuel domestic innovation.
ASML is already prohibited from selling its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems to China. Those systems are essential for producing the most advanced chips.