China imported 16 lithography machines from the Netherlands in November, worth 760 million US dollars, a year on year surge of 1050

Source: Xinzhixun

    On December 26, it was reported that the South China Morning Post recently reported that the Chinese Mainland imported 42 lithography equipment in November, with a total value of 816.8 million dollars, almost all from the Netherlands and Japan.

    Among these 42 lithography machines, 16 of them are from the Netherlands. ASML is a major lithography machine manufacturer in the Netherlands and also the world‘s largest lithography machine manufacturer; 15 of them are from Japan (Canon and Nikon are both heavyweight semiconductor equipment factories in Japan); The remaining 11 lithography machines may be from some second-hand equipment manufacturers in other countries.

    According to the report, in November this year, the total value of 16 lithography machines imported from the Netherlands by Chinese Mainland was $762.7 million, up 1050% year on year. Although the number of photolithography machines imported from the Netherlands by Chinese Mainland in October this year was as high as 21, the total value was only 672.5 million US dollars, lower than the total value of 16 photolithography machines imported in November. Obviously, if we look at the average price, the average price of lithography machines imported from the Netherlands by China in November is 46% higher than that of lithography machines imported in October.

    Some analysts believe that the sharp increase in the import volume and import volume of lithography machines in Chinese Mainland in recent months may be the result of ASML‘s rush to ship before its license expires.

    On September 1, 2023, the new regulations on additional export controls for advanced semiconductor equipment issued by the Dutch government at the end of June officially came into effect. These new export control regulations mainly target advanced chip manufacturing technologies, including advanced deposition equipment and immersion lithography systems.

    At that time, an ASML spokesperson stated that although the Dutch export restrictions came into effect in September, the company‘s existing license still allowed it to continue shipping NXT: 2000i and more advanced DUV lithography machines to China by the end of 2023.

    The ASML spokesperson further added, "Our customers are aware of export control regulations, so they are aware that starting from January 1, 2024, it is unlikely that we will obtain an export license to ship these systems to domestic customers in China."

    Jan Peter Kleinhans, Technology and Geopolitics Manager at Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, stated that most of the devices shipped in November 2023 were licensed by the end or beginning of 2022. He said that the lead time for ASML in mid-2023 is about 18 months, which means that the equipment shipped in the fourth quarter of 2023 should have been ordered in Q2 or Q3 of 2022.