Ex-ASML worker accused of stealing chipmaking secrets for China is Huawei to a new job
- Reference: 1698147010
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/10/24/asml_ip_huawei/
- Source link:
Citing several unnamed sources in and around ASML, Dutch newspaper NRC [1]reports that following the employee's departure they have worked at Huawei.
The alleged theft was [2]revealed earlier this year as part of The Netherlands-based semiconductor-equipment vendor's 2022 annual report. At the time, ASML didn't disclose exactly what data was stolen, but assured investors that the theft didn't pose a material threat to its business.
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It was later [4]posited that the China-based employee had "potential" ties to a Beijing government-backed spy operation and had possibly stolen the data on its behalf. The paper added that ASML did not confirm where the former employee went after his departure.
[5]
[6]
The Reg has asked Huawei for comment.
ASML is a key player in the semiconductor industry and is the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment used in the production of chips below 7nm.
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As we've previously reported, the US has pressured allies in The Netherlands, South Korea, and Japan to cut off Chinese chipmakers from equipment used in the production of advanced chips. The export of EUV equipment to China has been restricted by US sanctions since [8]last year . More recently, the Dutch government agreed to bar the sale of most older deep ultraviolet (DUV) equipment to China. Effective January 1, ASML says it will no longer be able to [9]sell most DUV equipment to the Middle Kingdom.
This fact has made intellectual property theft a major concern for the company. Last year ASML [10]accused a former employee and founder of China's Dongfang Jingyuan Electron of making off with trade secrets.
According to the NRC, the company had previously asked The Netherlands' intelligence service for help vetting new hires, though the agency has been reluctant to do so.
[11]Biden admin reveals 31 R&D tech hubs, with $500m up for grabs
[12]Beijing slaps Foxconn with a tax audit
[13]There's no Huawei Chinese chipmakers can fill Nvidia's shoes... anytime soon
[14]Biden has brought the ban hammer down on US export of AI chips to China
Huawei, for its part, has been cut off from foreign fabs since 2019 when it [15]landed on the US Entities list. As a result, the company has been forced to rely on less sophisticated processes from domestic fabs like Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. (SMIC), and even went so far as to develop its own electronic design automation platform. Huawei's latest phone, the Mate 60 Pro, is [16]believed to use a 7nm process developed by SMIC for production on older DUV technology.
China's reliance on ASML's EUV machines has also been called into question in recent weeks, following the [17]launch of Canon's new nanoimprint machines. According to Canon, this equipment is capable of producing chips down to 5nm and will eventually support smaller process nodes.
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As this tech doesn't rely on optics and instead involves physically imprinting a circuit design on a silicon wafer, it may not be subject to existing export rules governing the sale of chipmaking equipment to China. Having said that, experts don't expect this will remain the case for long. ®
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[1] https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/10/23/oud-asmler-nam-bedrijfsgeheimen-mee-naar-huawei-a4178222
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/15/asml_china_employee_stole_data/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZTfqKayRLyQUDReXtDJcVwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/27/asml_china_data_spying/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZTfqKayRLyQUDReXtDJcVwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZTfqKayRLyQUDReXtDJcVwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZTfqKayRLyQUDReXtDJcVwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/21/eu_china_supply_chain/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/31/nvidia_asml_trade/
[10] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-06/engineer-who-fled-us-charges-of-stealing-chip-technology-now-thrives-in-china#xj4y7vzkg
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/23/biden_tech_hubs/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/23/asia_tech_news_roundup/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/22/huawei_nvidia_replacement/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/19/china_biden_ai/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2020/02/26/huawei_google_embargo_exemption_plea/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/19/huaweis_advanced_chip_sparks_us/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/13/canon_nanoimprint_litho/
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZTfqKayRLyQUDReXtDJcVwAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: If you don't want them to go to work for competition, pay them so they don't.
People can be tempted, induced, or even pressured in ways that don't involve money, and for which money cannot compensate. Family ties, for example.
But you are right that you don't own people. Nevertheless, people live in societies, and generally tend to have a variety of explicit and implicit obligations to other people and groups or organisations within that society. It might not be unreasonable to respect undertakings about confidences, private information, or trade secrets when moving to some new employer; and it might not be unreasonable to be concerned about whether they are indeed respected.
However, I'm just making a general point -- I make no claims as to how any of this might apply to the individual mentioned in the article.
Re: If you don't want them to go to work for competition, pay them so they don't.
It might not be unreasonable to respect undertakings about confidences, private information, or trade secrets when moving to some new employer
Are you saying that if you learn something at company A you can't use it at company B?
Part of work is learning and bettering oneself. If one had to forget everything they learned at their workplace and only use what they learned at school, we would have no progress.
There is really only one way to prevent that - pay employee enough and treat them well so they don't leave.
People can be tempted, induced, or even pressured in ways that don't involve money, and for which money cannot compensate. Family ties, for example.
If the company has great culture, treats and compensates employee well, employee is not going to keep the fact they are being "tempted" or "pressurised" by a 3rd party from their employer. Then they can work together how to approach this.
If company loses an employee and then cries wolf tears it only means they screwed up.
Re: If you don't want them to go to work for competition, pay them so they don't.
“There is really only one way to prevent that - pay employee enough and treat them well so they don't leave.”
And this is going to help with CCP plants… how?
By that logic Anthony Levandowski
was a slave, and Trump the historic president who freed the slave - up there with Lincoln.
Slavery
So if someone works at one company and then decides to leave, they can't work in their field any more?
There is not many companies in the field, so what exactly is the complain here?
The worker forgot to hit their head to lose memory?
It's like an abusive ex being angry that their love found a different partner and now is engaging in scheming and libel?
This is not a rocket science - if you want employees to stay, pay them well and treat them well.
If you don't want them to go to work for competition, pay them so they don't.
You don't own people.