The Dutch government introduces a licensing obligation for semiconductor tech exports on 1 September – IT Pro – News


As of September 1, 2023, Dutch firms should apply for a license to export sure semiconductor manufacturing tools. ASML, amongst others, could be affected by the allow requirement.

The export restrictions are in accordance with Liesje Schreinemacher, Minister of International Commerce and Growth Cooperation, meant to make sure nationwide safety. The plans grew to become introduced in March and in accordance with Schreinemacher, firms now have sufficient time to adapt to the brand new laws.

In a publication within the Authorities Gazette incorporates a extra detailed description of the merchandise for which firms should apply for an export license from 1 September. The federal government overarchingly calls it superior manufacturing tools, together with lithography machines with mild supply wavelengths shorter than 193nm and “gadgets designed for epitaxial progress of silicon, carbon-doped silicon, silicon germanium, or carbon-doped silicon germanium.”

In different phrases, these are ‘very particular applied sciences’, which, in accordance with Schreinemacher, can be utilized for the event and manufacturing of superior semiconductors. Such chips could in flip make an important contribution to superior army functions.

For instance, the outline within the Authorities Gazette would come with ASML’s duv machines, which use a lightweight wavelength of 193nm. In accordance with ASML, this particularly issues the TwinScan NXT:2000i, NXT:2050i and NXT:2100i, writes the Bloomberg information company primarily based on an announcement that has since been deleted. These machines all use so-called immersion expertise for the manufacturing of superior chips.

For a license utility, an exporter should present his personal particulars, but additionally present the vacation spot and remaining vacation spot of the manufacturing tools, together with the title and tackle of the top person. The nationwide authorities emphasizes that the export management space is country-neutral: “This fashion we are able to tackle a very powerful vulnerabilities with out unnecessarily disrupting the worldwide manufacturing of chips.”

China shouldn’t be particularly talked about within the export restrictions, though in follow the measures most likely imply an export ban to that nation, Bloomberg additionally writes. That’s one thing the US has been pushing for for a while. The US imposed far-reaching export restrictions on chips and chip manufacturing tools to China in October and urged allies to do the identical. The US was negotiating this with the Netherlands and Japan, two international locations that each export chip manufacturing tools.