Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML expects China to account for about 20 per cent of its total sales this year, after seeing shipments to the market more than double during the previous quarter despite mounting US pressure for tighter export restrictions on less advanced chipmaking machinery.
The company’s sales to China surged 109 per cent in the third quarter compared with the previous three months, according to financial results released on Wednesday. That took China’s share of ASML’s machine sales to 23 per cent, up from 14 per cent in the second quarter.
The revenue jump comes as Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten faces pressure from Washington to tighten restrictions on sales of chipmaking machines to China.
Last month, Jetten expressed confidence in a Bloomberg interview that the Netherlands would reach an agreement with the United States regarding Washington’s proposed Match Act, which aims to further restrict ASML’s ability to export less advanced lithography machines to China.
