Unauthorized LEGO copies of ASML’s chip machines sold in China despite export bans
Unauthorized LEGO replicas of ASML’s most advanced chipmaking machines are being sold openly on Chinese e-commerce platforms, highlighting how difficult it is to control sensitive technology—even in miniature form, RTL reports.
The LEGO versions of ASML’s High-NA EUV machines, which cost about 208 euros and were intended solely as novelty items for ASML employees, have appeared on Taobao, a popular marketplace operated by Alibaba Group.
According to listings reviewed by RTL, the sets are being offered by several Chinese sellers for approximately 2,000 yuan (240 euros). One seller claimed ASML itself supplied both the components and the digital building instructions.
ASML declined to comment. However, RTL's company sources said ASML has not provided any blueprints or materials to sellers in China.
The real High-NA EUV machine weighs as much as two Airbus A320 jets and costs around 350 million euros. In December 2024, Intel received the first working model at its site in Oregon. That same month, ASML released the LEGO version exclusively for employees.
Soon after the release, outside engineers began asking where to purchase the set. ASML spokesperson Monique Mols responded on LinkedIn, saying, “The model is only intended as a fun item for employees.” She added playfully, “As Mick Jagger sings: You can’t always get what you want. And that can be good for the human soul.”
While the Chinese government has allegedly not been able to obtain the real EUV machines—subject to strict export controls imposed by the U.S. and Dutch governments—buyers can reportedly easily purchase the toy version.
ASML has been at the center of an escalating technology dispute between Washington and Beijing. The U.S. government is pressing the Dutch government to extend restrictions even further to block ASML from exporting Deep Ultra Violet (DUV) machines, which are slightly less advanced than EUV models.
The Trump administration is currently applying pressure to expand those measures, according to RTL sources familiar with the matter.
In recent years, ASML has faced several severe cases of corporate espionage linked to China. In one incident, a group of former Chinese employees in the U.S. was convicted of stealing software and transferring data to a competing company founded by a former ASML engineer, which operated in both the U.S. and China.
ASML stated in 2022 that the rival firm continued promoting products that may have infringed on its intellectual property rights.
In another case in 2023, the company disclosed that a Chinese employee had stolen trade secrets and violated export regulations before taking a job at Chinese technology giant Huawei.
