A former ASML employee was detained by the Dutch Ministry of Asylum and Migration on suspicion of stealing the company’s industrial secrets. The identity of the person was not disclosed, but the suspect had connections with Russia and has already received an order banning him from the Netherlands for 20 years.
The initial sentence draws attention because, according to the Dutch media, it is very unusual in the country. Apparently, the Netherlands reserves this type of imposition for cases involving national security, which highlights the weight that ASML has in the country.
The company is not only the most advanced company in the Netherlands, but also the only one in the world that offers EUV machinery for today’s most advanced processor manufacturing processes. It is no surprise that ASML was the main target of US pressure when the country wanted its partner to impose more restrictions against China.
The suspect in the espionage case is a 43-year-old engineer who allegedly stole important documents, including manuals for microchips. The crime would not have been limited to ASML, but also to Mapper Lithography, another semiconductor manufacturing company that was purchased by ASML when it went bankrupt in 2018.
ASML will not comment on the case during the trial
ASML responded to requests for a statement from Dutch media, but declined to delve further into the case. In free translation, the company commented:
“We are aware of the lawsuit against a former Mapper and ASML employee. Following our policy, we also deliver a report on this matter. We will not comment further on this during the trial.”
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The alleged spy will participate in a hearing before the trial itself, where a deal can be reached in exchange for a reduced sentence.
As leadership in the semiconductor industry increasingly becomes as geopolitical as it is economic, cases of industrial espionage are proliferating. Just last month we had another case like this appearing in the news, involving Sk Hynix and China.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
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Source: https://www.adrenaline.com.br/hardware/ex-funcionario-da-asml-e-preso-sob-suspeita-de-espionagem-industrial/
