ASML's Chipmaking Monopoly Becomes Flash Point in US-China Export Control Crisis

ASML is the world's sole supplier of EUV lithography machines, the technology essential for manufacturing advanced AI chips, making it the linchpin of global semiconductor dominance. If China has obtained such equipment, it would break years of U.S. export controls designed to prevent Beijing from developing independent AI capability. This potential breach could fundamentally reshape the balance of power in AI development and expose critical vulnerabilities in the global supply chain.