No one is safe from tariffs. Not even one of the most powerful and necessary companies for the US: ASML
ASML occupies a privileged position. This company of the Netherlands is the only company on the planet capable of producing equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) that are necessary to manufacture avant -garde chips. In fact, these are the machines that use TSMC, Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Technology to create Your most advanced integrated circuits. It is currently not exaggerated to affirm that a very important part of the semiconductor industry is supported About Asml’s shoulders. And, despite its indisputable relevance, it is not immune to tariffs. Or, at least, to the uncertainty that has triggered the government’s tariff strategy led by Donald Trump. In fact, According to Reutersthe investors of this Dutch company are very concerned about the impact that US taxes will have on the company’s economic performance. The next tariffs on chips have plunged Asml in uncertainty The US administration has excluded manufacturers of lithography equipment from the base tariff of 10% announced just a few days ago. However, ASML, Tokyo Electron, Canon and other companies that produce these machines have reason to be expectant. And worried. A little over 24 hours ago Donald Trump confirmed that during the next few days will announce the tariff rate with which it will finally tax the imported integrated circuits. He also anticipated that some companies in the semiconductor industry will have some flexibility, although he did not specify either what will be those organizations or to what extent they can continue to import integrated circuits avoiding tariffs. The problem is that with these statements has plunged the entire semiconductor industry in uncertainty. This is the problem facing ASML and the other machine manufacturers to produce integrated circuits. If the US government finally decides to impose tariffs on the importation of lithography equipment manufactured abroad, the semiconductor sector will suffer If the US government finally decides to impose tariffs on the importation of lithography equipment manufactured abroad, the semiconductor sector will suffer. ASML is in a more comfortable position than other chips processing equipment manufacturers because, as I mentioned in the first lines of this article, it is the only company that produces UVE lithography machines. And not having competition in this segment helps. In addition, Intel and TSMC are equipping, or, at least, they plan to do it in the short or medium term, Its new plants of manufacture of semiconductors in the US. And it is impossible to start them Without ASML machines. However, the panorama is gloomy even if the US administration decided to exclude tariffs definitively to the manufacturers of lithography equipment, which is something that can happen. If this last scenario was given, but the US government decides to impose tariffs on imported chips, which right now seems most likely, the business of some of the best ASML customers, such as TSMC, Samsung or SK Hynix, presumably will resent to a greater or lesser extent. And, consequently, it is reasonable to assume that ASML’s economic performance will degrade. This is what worries your investors. TSMC and Samsung They already have factories in the USand SK Hynix is building a plant in West Lafayette (Indiana), but in the short term they will hardly be able to meet the needs of the US market Only with your US plants. We will see what happens finally, but whatever happens is evident that uncertainty is already hurting even an industry as robust as that of integrated circuits. Image | ASML More information | Reuters In Xataka | Nvidia will continue to sell its H20 GPU in China. It has cost a dinner of 1 million dollars per diner
