A U.S. bill targeting gaps in semiconductor export rules would seek matching restrictions from allies and could reach exports from their countries, drawing opposition from the Netherlands.
The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act has not become law. The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced an amended version April 22, after a Senate companion was introduced April 13.
The proposal addresses differences between U.S. and allied export rules. The U.S. House Select Committee found that gaps between U.S. and allied rules allowed non-U.S. suppliers to sell equipment to some Chinese customers facing tighter restrictions on U.S. suppliers.
At issue are deep ultraviolet (DUV) immersion lithography machines, which use ultraviolet light to transfer chip designs onto silicon wafers. The Senate bill explicitly places all such machines under its proposed countrywide controls. The House version defines covered equipment through export-control classifications. Both versions also address servicing equipment at covered facilities.
China accounted for 70% of Dutch equipment maker ASML’s DUV immersion system sales by unit volume in fiscal 2024, the House Select Committee investigation found. A September study by the Center for Technology & Statecraft estimates that a median 343 systems were imported for Chinese-owned fabs from 2012 through the first quarter of 2026. Its central 80% model range is 312 to 383 systems. Those are estimates of cumulative imports, not a count of machines still operating.
The researchers said some DUV immersion machines available to Chinese buyers can support production of logic and memory used in artificial intelligence chips. They argued that further imports could narrow the U.S. and allied lead in AI chipmaking. Their projections describe capacity the machines might enable if other manufacturing bottlenecks are resolved; they do not predict actual Chinese chip output.
The study suggests tighter controls could shift some future advanced chip production toward U.S. and allied manufacturers. Under a scenario ending DUV immersion sales and servicing in China, the researchers estimated ASML could lose about $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year in Chinese servicing revenue. That is their estimate, not an ASML forecast.
In a June 15 response to parliament, the Dutch government said it had raised objections with U.S. officials and lawmakers about the bill’s potential reach over exports from other countries. It warned that broad restrictions could hurt semiconductor companies’ revenue and market position.
The House text gives officials 240 days after enactment to certify that all allied supplier countries adopted the controls or identify those that have not, with a possible 60-day extension. The introduced Senate bill sets 150 days, with a possible 90-day extension. Neither clock has started, and the reviewed congressional records set no date for a final vote.
