Netherlands to expand export controls on semiconductor equipment #CanadaFinance

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government on Wednesday said it would expand its export controls on advanced semiconductor equipment from April 1, which chip equipment company ASML said it did not expect to impact its business.

Dutch national export licence requirements for semiconductor equipment were first introduced in 2023 under pressure from the U.S. to limit shipments to China, and they have since been expanded several times.

The latest measures will require companies to seek export licences for a “very limited” number of technologies such as measuring and inspection equipment, the Dutch trade ministry said in a statement announcing the changes.

ASML said in response it did not see them having any additional impact on the guidance the company issued in December, when the U.S. government announced new restrictions on semiconductor exports to China affecting chip equipment firms.

Details of the rule changes published in the country’s state legal newspaper on Wednesday showed the licensing requirements now include technologies used to find tiny defects in wafers, and systems that improve measurements after deposition and etching – steps that are repeated frequently in the chipmaking process.

A spokesperson for the country’s trade ministry said minor changes to the rules due to technical developments will happen occasionally.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling; editing by Jason Neely and Jane Merriman)