ASML has reported that an employee from China stole data on Lithography System Details from its chip machine depository. The employee who worked in ASML’s China-based company allegedly stole data from a repository that stores the company’s technical information.
ASML has not elaborated on the nature of the theft nor the importance of the stolen data. However, sources report that the breach occurred in the facility that also had the data for the advanced EUV Lithography machines. The lithography machines are one of the hottest items of the decade as they create the chips used in almost everything from smart computing, home devices, EVs, and Communication devices to military weapons and spaceships.
Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher called the incident economic espionage and said the investigation was underway and they were waiting for the results.
ASML Holdings is a Dutch multinational corporation that specializes in the development and manufacturing of photolithography machines, used to produce computer chips. As of 2022, it is the largest supplier of the semiconductor industry and the only company in the world that makes and supplies extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) photolithography machines used to manufacture the most advanced chips.
ASML is one of the highest-valued European Tech companies in the world and a key player in the ongoing US-China Tech War. The technology war that started in 2018 when the Trump administration banned Huawei and ZTE equipment is now escalated with the ban on exports of semiconductors to China. The US sanctions prohibit exports of semiconductors, chip manufacturing machines, technical know-how, and personnel to Chinese companies. The Biden administration successfully roped in allies like Japan and Netherlands to also impose these sanctions on China.
US and China are trying to outrun each other in a global technology race and companies like ASML are stuck in the middle of their fight. The Dutch company has already been a target of multiple thefts and data breaches. Last year ASML accused a Beijing-based firm of stealing important data back in 2015. It has also claimed that a company named Dongfang Jingyuan Electron has obtained sensitive technology and transferred it to China. A couple of months back, a male employee was also accused of stealing non-sensitive technical information.
According to the SCMP report, the most recent attack was on a product life cycle management program known as Teamcenter which stores technical information on product development made by different teams. Teamcenter is a software supplied by Siemens that is used by ASML employees.
Both ASML and Siemens have declined to comment on the incident. It is still not clear, how the employee stole the data from Teamcenter and whether or not he has any connections with the Chinese government or military. However, the latest data theft has escalated the trade war. The US and its allies are labeling the incident as espionage and have involved top-level diplomats in the investigation.
- ASML Expects to Continue Business with China Despite US Pressure
- Increasing Sanctions on Semiconductor Exports to China may Backfire: ASML Chief
- Semiconductor Industry Association asks Japan and Netherlands to Tighten Curbs on China
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