In a recent interview with 60 Minutes magazine, Raimondo made it clear that the United States is determined to impose strict controls on high-tech exports in order to prevent China from acquiring high-end technology. It is clear that the U.S. technology sanctions strategy against China will not only continue, but will become more assertive. CCTV has warned against illusions.
The position of lithography machines in chip production is beyond doubt. In the case that foreign advanced chips are difficult to obtain, localization is the general trend. In this process, the requirements for chip production equipment are particularly important. The United States is well aware of this, so it has adopted a "two-pronged" strategy, that is, to carry out a scientific and technological blockade of China and to cut off the "retreat" means.
In recent years, ASML has imposed strict controls on the export of Chinese lithography machines due to pressure and interference from the United States. This not only affected ASML's performance, but also caused the company to express dissatisfaction with it or seek a new strategic direction, and ultimately decided to move its headquarters out of the Netherlands. This move has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions from all walks of life, and many external observers regard it as an inflection point. ASML is the world's largest supplier of lithography equipment, and its move will have a profound impact on the entire semiconductor industry.
ASML is not only a high-tech company in the Netherlands, but also makes an important contribution to the economic development and scientific and technological development of the country. Worldwide, the company employs 23,000 people, including 9,200 non-Dutch citizens. However, the Dutch "immigration restrictions" policy is a huge challenge for ASML, which is in dire need of world-class talent, which will reduce the core competence of the enterprise and put it at a disadvantage in the competition in the future technology field.
ASML's relocation will have a profound impact on the supply chain of the entire semiconductor industry and has the potential to change the pattern of the entire world's integrated circuit industry. Although ASML has been subservient to U.S. policy in controlling exports for years, its position is unshakable on the important issue of corporate survival.
Now, ASML will be migrating in Europe. Once ASML freed itself from Dutch citizenship and expanded into the rest of Europe, the restrictions it faced would be greatly reduced. Therefore, ASML's export control on Chinese lithography machines may be relaxed in the future.
As soon as the news of ASML's relocation spread, the entire semiconductor industry around the world was in the spotlight. This move is not only a strategic adjustment of individual companies, but also a response of the industry to changes in the world's political and economic environment. ASML's decision could usher in a new trend in which tech giants will gradually move out of politically sensitive areas and toward a more stable and open operating environment in order to maintain their ability to grow and compete.
In addition, ASML's relocation not only hit the local economy of the Netherlands hard, but also sent a message to other countries that even high-tech companies will choose to relocate due to policy constraints. If this trend continues, it will lead to a dramatic change in the international investment landscape and in the dynamics of the global economy.
More broadly, this change in companies could prompt governments to rethink and weigh their relationship between national security and economic openness. In particular, countries that view high-tech export controls as a geopolitical tool should perhaps pay more attention to their own long-term interests and the healthy development of the world's science and technology ecosystem.
For China, ASML's strategic adjustment is also a major message, which will affect the development strategy of China's semiconductor industry, and will also accelerate China's investment in core semiconductor equipment such as lithography machines. It is likely that China will devote more energy to scientific research and technological innovation, and reduce its dependence on foreign high-tech.
In addition, ASML's strategic adjustment will also lead to the strategic adjustment of other semiconductor production giants in the world, such as South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and will also cause a series of supply chain restructuring. Although they each have their own advantages in semiconductor production, they are both highly dependent on devices such as ASML. Therefore, they also need to think about how to better adapt to the new environment in order to ensure the stability of their industrial chain.
Finally, this decision by ASML can be seen as an inflection point, which heralds a new balance in international politics and economics for the world's technology companies. In the next few years, the development of the world's semiconductor industry will become an important part that cannot be ignored, whether it is in the development of science and technology, or in international connections. How to continuously innovate and collaborate in this field is a problem that companies in every country and even the world must face.