Japan and Netherlands to join China sanctions
After months of speculation and dialogue, it looks like Japan and the Netherlands will join hands with the US to stop the export of semiconductor technology to China. Although the USA has the largest Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDM) group for semiconductors, Japanese Advantest, Tokyo Electron, Haribo, Hitachi and Kokusai, the leading manufacturers of automated test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry, are key players in the industry. On the other hand, Dutch ASML Holding company, the leading supplier of the semiconductor industry, which provides hardware, software and services to chip manufacturers to produce integrated circuit models, is one of Europe’s shining values.
Additionally, Akira Amari, the man behind the rise of the Japanese semiconductor industry, told Bloomberg News that his country should join the US to control China’s chip ambitions. Although the Japanese and Dutch governments will not go as far as the US with their sanctions, it is said that Beijing will find itself in a difficult situation with the new restrictions coming from these two countries. If the US, Japan and the Netherlands act together, China will not have access to the technology or equipment to build advanced semiconductors.
Aiming to be the world leader in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, China needs an uninterrupted supply of semiconductors to achieve this goal. However, the epidemic restrictions and the ongoing extensive US sanctions are putting the country under a strain. Semiconductors and chip technologies will be the most valuable products of the coming years. Some time ago, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger stated that the semiconductor is becoming more important than oil.