Ex-ASML employee accused of stealing chipmaking secrets and techniques for China is Huawei to a brand new job

A former ASML worker accused of stealing commerce secrets and techniques about superior chipmaking tools could now be employed by Huawei.

Citing a number of unnamed sources in and round ASML, Dutch newspaper NRC stories that following the worker’s departure they’ve labored at Huawei.

The alleged theft was revealed earlier this 12 months as a part of The Netherlands-based semiconductor-equipment vendor’s 2022 annual report. On the time, ASML did not disclose precisely what knowledge was stolen, however assured traders that the theft did not pose a fabric menace to its enterprise.

It was later posited that the China-based worker had “potential” ties to a Beijing government-backed spy operation and had presumably stolen the information on its behalf. The paper added that ASML didn’t verify the place the previous worker went after his departure.

The Reg has requested Huawei for remark.

ASML is a key participant within the semiconductor trade and is the only provider of maximum ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools used within the manufacturing of chips under 7nm.

As we have beforehand reported, the US has pressured allies in The Netherlands, South Korea, and Japan to chop off Chinese language chipmakers from tools used within the manufacturing of superior chips. The export of EUV tools to China has been restricted by US sanctions since final 12 months. Extra not too long ago, the Dutch authorities agreed to bar the sale of most older deep ultraviolet (DUV) tools to China. Efficient January 1, ASML says it should not have the ability to promote most DUV tools to the Center Kingdom.

This reality has made mental property theft a significant concern for the corporate. Final 12 months ASML accused a former worker and founding father of China’s Dongfang Jingyuan Electron of constructing off with commerce secrets and techniques.

In line with the NRC, the corporate had beforehand requested The Netherlands’ intelligence service for assist vetting new hires, although the company has been reluctant to take action.

Huawei, for its half, has been minimize off from overseas fabs since 2019 when it landed on the US Entities record. Because of this, the corporate has been pressured to depend on much less subtle processes from home fabs like Semiconductor Manufacturing Worldwide Co. (SMIC), and even went as far as to develop its personal digital design automation platform. Huawei’s newest cellphone, the Mate 60 Professional, is believed to make use of a 7nm course of developed by SMIC for manufacturing on older DUV know-how.

China’s reliance on ASML’s EUV machines has additionally been referred to as into query in latest weeks, following the launch of Canon’s new nanoimprint machines. In line with Canon, this tools is able to producing chips all the way down to 5nm and can ultimately help smaller course of nodes.

As this tech would not depend on optics and as a substitute includes bodily imprinting a circuit design on a silicon wafer, it is probably not topic to present export guidelines governing the sale of chipmaking tools to China. Having stated that, consultants do not anticipate this may stay the case for lengthy. ®