ASML to build reuse-and-repair centre in Beijing despite US-China tech tensions
China overtook Taiwan as the Dutch company’s biggest market last year, with sales of US$10.9 billion, according to its annual report
ASML Holding, the world’s top supplier of advanced chipmaking equipment, will build a “reuse and repair” centre in Beijing this year, showing its commitment to the world’s second-largest economy despite pressure from Washington as it finds itself caught up in the US-China tech rivalry.
The Dutch firm, which has been unable to sell its extreme ultraviolet lithography systems to its China-based clients to comply with US export control rules, disclosed the plan for the facility in the Chinese capital in its annual report published on Wednesday.
It is the only major project in the report’s “circular economy” section about parts and tools. An ASML representative said that the repair centre mentioned in the plan is “an upgrade to our existing repair centre in China. It is not an addition, it replaces the older repair centre.”
It has been previously reported that the Dutch government could limit ASML’s ability to repair and maintain its semiconductor equipment on the mainland. China is ASML’s largest market, accounting for 36.1 per cent of its total sales in 2024, replacing Taiwan for the first time, according to the annual report.
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“All our business in China, including the repair centre, is compliant with applicable export control rules and laws,” the ASML representative said.
The company’s sales on the mainland stood at €10.2 billion (US$10.9 billion) last year, while Taiwan accounted for €4.3 billion or 15.4 per cent of the total.