European Chip Giant ASML CEO Speaks on Need for Chinese Chips

TapTechNews July 8th news, according to a report by German business daily Handelsblatt on July 8, the CEO of European chip equipment giant ASML, Christophe Fouquet, said in an interview that global chip buyers, including the German automotive industry, are in urgent need of the older-generation computer chips that Chinese chip manufacturers are currently investing heavily in.

Christophe took over as the CEO of ASML, the largest technology company in Europe, in April this year. His remarks came as the European Commission began to investigate companies including ASML to understand their views on the investment in traditional chips (legacychips) by Chinese companies. Traditional chips are an important source of revenue for ASML.

Christophe said: Especially the automotive industry, including the German automotive industry, needs a large number of chips manufactured with simpler and more mature technologies.

Christophe said that the global demand for such chips is rising sharply, but the profit from producing such chips is not high and Western companies have insufficient investment. Europe can't even meet half of its own demand, Christophe said.

TapTechNews noted that according to the estimate of the industry organization SEMI, Chinese chip manufacturers will increase their capacity by 14% in 2025, more than twice that of other regions in the world, and will reach 10.1 million wafers per month in 2025, accounting for about one-third of the global total output.

Christophe said: If someone wants to slow down this process for some reason, then an alternative solution is needed. It makes no sense to prevent someone from producing the product you need.