A major global chipmaking supplier claims an employee stole manufacturing secrets
by Jess Weatherbed from The Verge - All Posts on (#68XC1)
Tensions are already high in the global semiconductor market following restrictions imposed by the US, Japan, and the Netherlands to curb exports to China. | Illustration: Beatrice Sala
ASML, one of the largest suppliers to the global semiconductor industry and the only supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography photolithography machines, has revealed that a former employee in China stole information pertaining to its proprietary technology in a data breach. Within its recently published 2022 annual report, the Dutch tech firm said it had discovered unauthorized misappropriation of data" that was promptly investigated in an internal review.
ASML is a significant cornerstone of the global technology supply chain, controlling over 90 percent of the global market for chipmaking lithography equipment as of 2021, according to a study by Gartner (seen via Bloomberg). More crucially for anyone with a fancy phone or...