He cited Nexperia, a Dutch-based yet Chinese-owned chipmaker that has been the subject of a recent geopolitical fight, as the latest example of “the interdependencies between the different blocs.”
The ASML boss had another warning for Brussels’ ambitions to boost homegrown technology, arguing the EU needs to dial back its regulatory environment further than it has to date.
Europe needs to make deeper regulatory cuts to get more promising companies, Fouquet said — citing the example of French artificial intelligence frontrunner Mistral, in which ASML last year invested €1.3 billion.
Both ASML and Mistral signed a letter in July last year advocating for a pause to key parts of the bloc’s artificial intelligence law, a suggestion that the EU’s executive picked up in its first digital simplification package, presented in November.
That simplification package is already an “improvement” but more is needed, Fouquet said.
“You cannot make things very complicated, and then simplify it a bit and be proud of it,” he said.
Europe needs to create the conditions for companies “to grow without being annoyed by regulations,” he said.