When Curiosity Meets Precision: ASML’s Machines and China’s Semiconductor Ambition
- Zenia Pearl V. Nicolas
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
In chip manufacturing, ASML sits at a rare intersection of physics, software, supply chains, and geopolitics. Owning a lithography tool is one thing; keeping it calibrated, updated, and production-ready is quite another.
The viral anecdote is unverified | ASML’s Machines
Multiple tech and industry outlets reported an alleged case in which a Chinese team tried to reverse-engineer one of ASML’s older DUV lithography tools, damaged it, and then called the Dutch company for help (TechSpot; TrendForce).However, ASML has not confirmed the event, and no major outlet has independently verified it (TrendForce).For now, it remains an unconfirmed anecdote—not established fact.
What is confirmed: servicing rights under tighter controls
The Netherlands clarified on September 10, 2024, that ASML must now obtain licenses to provide spare parts and software updates for certain tools sold to Chinese customers covered by new export restrictions (Reuters). This makes machine servicing—not just sales—a regulated activity in itself.
ASML’s CEO also said in April 2024 that U.S. policy restricts maintenance of some systems sold to Chinese firms:
“We can service them, but not with U.S. content, with spare parts that come out of the U.S. that are under export control.” (Reuters via Yahoo Finance)
Reuters added that without regular software updates, performance of these machines will decline and for critical lenses and lasers, there are “no known alternatives.” (Reuters)
The quiet difficulty: making complex tools actually work
Lithography is a symphony of optics, lasers, motion systems, firmware, and environmental control. Even if one could disassemble a DUV machine, rebuilding it to production-grade precision requires the calibration routines, licensed software, and deep-supply cooperation that only ASML and its verified partners maintain (Reuters).This is the unseen side of mastery, the part that can’t be reverse-engineered overnight.
Strategic backdrop: ambition, controls, and lifecycle lock-in
The Dutch government has explicitly tied ASML export scrutiny to potential military end-use in China (Reuters).Meanwhile, Washington has encouraged allied export authorities to treat maintenance access as a new chokepoint in the semiconductor race (Reuters).Together, these controls make chipmaking tools platforms of embedded leverage—rich with intellectual property, supplier lock-in, and software dependencies.
Reading the story as a lesson, not a “gotcha”
Whether or not the “broken machine” episode happened, the symbolism remains: ambition alone doesn’t yield mastery. High-precision manufacturing depends on invisible layers—calibration codes, firmware updates, service contracts, and supplier intimacy, accumulated over decades. That’s the delicate boundary between curiosity and craft, between access and expertise (Reuters).
Bottom Line
The reverse-engineering mishap is alleged, not verified by ASML (TechSpot; TrendForce).
Servicing and updates for some ASML tools in China now require Dutch export licenses (Reuters).
U.S. pressure limits maintenance with American-origin parts, affecting performance sustainability (Reuters via Yahoo Finance).
Dutch authorities link these export controls to military end-use risk (Reuters).
References
Maruccia, A. (2025, October 22). Reverse-engineering ASML isn’t going great for China, engineers allegedly broke the machine trying. TechSpot. https://www.techspot.com/news/109969-chinese-engineers-allegedly-broke-asml-chipmaking-machine-failed.html
TrendForce. (2025, October 24). China reportedly damaged DUV machine in reverse-engineering, called ASML for help. TrendForce News. https://www.trendforce.com/news/2025/10/24/news-china-reportedly-damaged-duv-machine-in-reverse-engineering-called-asml-for-help/
Sterling, T. (2024, September 10). ASML needs licence to service some equipment in China, Dutch government says. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/asml-needs-licence-service-some-equipment-china-dutch-government-says-2024-09-10/
Sterling, T. (2024, April 4). Explainer: Why maintaining ASML equipment is the new front in US-China chip war. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/why-maintaining-asml-equipment-is-new-front-us-china-chip-war-2024-04-04/
Sterling, T. (2024, April 24). ASML CEO says US restricts servicing some China equipment, won’t hurt earnings. Reuters (via Yahoo Finance). https://www.yahoo.com/tech/asml-ceo-says-us-restricts-140811815.html
Reuters. (2024, February 19). Dutch government says China seeks military advantage from ASML tools. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/dutch-government-says-china-seeks-military-advantage-asml-tools-2024-02-19/
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