ASML's EUV monopoly means a single Dutch company's export decisions control global chip access

ASML is the sole manufacturer of EUV lithography machines needed to produce chips at 7nm and below. The Dutch government's export control decisions on ASML equipment effectively determine which countries can manufacture advanced chips. Neither the US nor China has an alternative EUV supplier. A single company in Veldhoven, Netherlands controls the chokepoint of the entire global semiconductor supply chain. This persists because EUV lithography is the most complex machine ever built (100,000+ components, 13.5nm wavelength light source requiring tin droplet plasma), and the 30-year head start plus accumulated know-how creates an insurmountable barrier to entry for any competitor.