According to foreign media reports, at the request of the United States, lithography machine giant ASML may not be able to repair lithography machines for Chinese manufacturers next year.

According to reports, Bloomberg News in the United States quoted anonymous insiders on August 29 as saying that the Dutch government plans to restrict ASML from providing services for repairing and maintaining semiconductor equipment for Chinese customers, resulting in some equipment being unable to operate as early as next year.

The report mentioned that after some of ASML's licenses to provide services and spare parts in China expire at the end of this year, the Dutch government led by Prime Minister Schoff, who took office in July, is likely not to renew the relevant licenses, and the relevant decision was made after the United States exerted certain pressure.

In this regard, both ASML and the Dutch government declined to comment.

In fact, similar news is no longer surprising. In March this year, the United States pressured the Dutch government to impose stricter restrictions on ASML's Chinese business. (Click to review)

But the current situation is that about half of ASML's sales come from China. ASML Chief Financial Officer Roger

Dassen told analysts in a post-earnings conference call in July that the company still has employees working in Chinese customers' factories despite some factories facing stricter restrictions.

In July, ASML released its financial report for the second quarter of 2024. According to the financial report, ASML achieved net sales of 6.2 billion euros in the second quarter, with a gross profit margin of 51.5% and a net profit of 1.6 billion euros. The company expects that thanks to the continued recovery of the semiconductor industry, the performance in the second half of the year will be strong, and the net sales for the whole year of 2024 are expected to be basically the same as in 2023.

Despite the uncertainty in the macro environment, ASML is confident in long-term growth opportunities. ASML President and CEO Christophe

Fouquet said in an interview: "At present, the strong development of artificial intelligence is becoming a powerful driving force for the recovery and growth of the semiconductor industry, ahead of other market segments." 2025 is expected to be a strong year, with strong long-term demand in the semiconductor industry, especially in the fields of energy transformation, electrification, and artificial intelligence.

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