ASML does not fear China’s tech-diddling reputation. It has been conducting business in ‘another China’ for years.
Currently circulating reports of the technology theft at ASML, supposedly as a part of a Chinese espionage operation, are rather overblown, deems financial analyst Jos Versteeg of InsingerGilissen. As no core technology was stolen, the damage seems limited.
Versteeg makes a good point. Under the direction of start-up XTAL, employees at ASML Brion only stole technology that is being developed by the subsidiary, ie computational lithography related algorithms and software. ASML’s blueprints are safe. No Chinese company will be able to build top-notch lithography equipment any time soon.
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