[News] ASML: U.S. Export Controls Still Effective, Sees DeepSeek as Positive for Chip Demand

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According to a MoneyDJ report citing Wall Street Journal, Christophe Fouquet, CEO of Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML, believes that the success of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek highlights how companies in the booming AI market are maximizing their limited resources; however, this does not imply that Washington’s export controls on China’s chip industry are ineffective.

As noted in the report, Fouquet states that software and algorithms will be the primary battleground for AI competition in the future.

DeepSeek has made headlines for training AI models comparable to OpenAI’s ChatGPT at extremely low costs, sparking concerns over whether its model could lead to a slowdown in semiconductor investment by major tech companies. However, the report points out that Meta and Microsoft reaffirmed their commitment to large-scale AI investments last week, signaling that DeepSeek’s impact has not altered their expansion plans.

According to a Reuters report, Fouquet believes that future demand will stem more from AI applications rather than large-scale model training. As highlighted by Reuters, he asserts that for AI chips to achieve widespread adoption—particularly in consumer devices like smartphones—their costs must be significantly lower. He argues that, ultimately, any development that drives down AI costs will benefit ASML in the long run.

On the other hand, as highlighted in the MoneyDJ report, Fouquet states that China’s advanced chip manufacturing capabilities remain significantly behind those of the West, which will, in turn, limit the types of AI technologies Chinese companies can develop.

Read more

• [News] DeepSeek Disrupts AI Landscape: Potential Impacts and Comments from Tech Giants
• [News] ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet: U.S. EUV Export Ban Causes China’s Chip-Making to Lag by 10-15 Years

(Photo credit: ASML)