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How “ASML’s architects” was published in China and reprinted three times

René Raaijmakers
Reading time: 3 minutes

Within a quarter, over 20 thousand copies of the Chinese version of “ASML’s architects” were sold in China. Chinese publisher PT Press reports that the book is now in its fourth edition.

How did “ASML’s architects” end up in China? Two people played a crucial role. One lives in the Netherlands and is called Guoqiao Tao. He’s a semiconductor veteran, who has worked in the Dutch semicon industry for over thirty years, currently at Ampleon. Tao was one of the first Chinese to come to study in the Netherlands in the early 1980s. The other one is the translator, Jiefan Jin. Jin is a well-known tech blogger in China and his articles focus on software and the semiconductor industry.

Over two years ago, at the Bits&Chips Benelux RF Conference, Tao approached me to talk about my Dutch ASML book, “De architecten van ASML.” He had read it and thought it should also be published in China. “I’d like the story to be read,” he told me. “ASML is a great company. It’s in the spotlight now and many are interested in it. You write not only about the glory days but also about the difficult early days, when choices were made in strategy and technology. Those are instructive. For me, too.”

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