Learn to communicate complex technical information effectively to any audience, in both the written form and by formal and informal presentations.
Do you have to communicate the results of your work to others? Have you ever been ‘put on the spot’ in a meeting, when you wished you could structure your thoughts to give a clear and comprehensive answer? If so, this course is for you.
During this practical course we will focus on how you can communicate your findings clearly and concisely, and show you rapid preparation tips and mental models that allow you to produce effective presentations in minimal time. We will work with you to increase your confidence through looking at the hierarchy of information, which can make you more influential and get you more support for your conclusions.
Using a real-world example, which we will ask you to bring, you will apply this new knowledge to a written report; then learn how to communicate your findings both formally, through a presentation, and informally, through discussion and answering questions effectively, so that an audience who may not be certified in your technical area understand and get your message.
Who should attend?
Technical and managerial staff who:- Present to colleagues, internally and externally, but struggle to create engagement
-
Focus their technical presentations on things that interest them rather than are appropriate for what the audience needs to know
-
Attend meetings and don’t speak up in a way that gets them listened to
- Struggle to appropriately respond when asked questions about their work, especially by senior management
- Need to prioritise the important information they are seeking to convey
How will I benefit?
After the course you will be able to:- Get the message across to the audience effectively
- Increase your influence with management
- Ensure both the document and the presentation have the same message
- Prepare both the document and the presentation efficiently to not waste your time or that of the audience/reader
- Understand the triggers that lead to waffling and rambling in order to stay on track
- Appreciate the nuances of your own style and the areas you need to personally work on
- Confidently lead question and answer sessions
- Grow your confidence that the audience are getting what they need.
William Pullman is a freelance writer from New Jersey. He has written for a variety of online and offline media publications, including "The Daily Journal," "Ocular Surgery News," "Endocrine Today," radio, blogs and other various Internet platforms. Pullman holds a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Rowan University.
Today’s workforce is highly mobile. Therefore, requirements for business phone systems have changed over the years. Requirements to facilitate mobility include the ability for users to remotely access voicemail when they are out of the office. If your company uses the Nortel Norstar system, you can check your business voicemail when you are away using your number, extension and your voicemail password.
-
Call the main number for your office’s switchboard from a remote location.
-
Transfer to your extension. Some companies configure the phone system so an operator connects you to your extension, yet others enable access by providing you with a prompt. At the prompt, enter the number of your extension.
-
Press the “*” (star or asterisk) button on the phone’s keypad twice while the recorded greeting plays.
-
Key in the number for your voicemail, your extension and your voicemail password on the phone’s keypad. Enter these numbers one right after the other.
-
Listen to your voicemail messages.
Aims & Scope
Nature is a weekly international journal publishing the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature also provides rapid, authoritative, insightful and arresting news and interpretation of topical and coming trends affecting science, scientists and the wider public.
Nature's mission statement
First, to serve scientists through prompt publication of significant advances in any branch of science, and to provide a forum for the reporting and discussion of news and issues concerning science. Second, to ensure that the results of science are rapidly disseminated to the public throughout the world, in a fashion that conveys their significance for knowledge, culture and daily life.
Nature's original mission statement was published for the first time on 11 November 1869.
About the Editors
Like the other Nature titles, Nature has no external editorial board. Instead, all editorial decisions are made by a team of full-time professional editors. Information about the scientific background of the editors may be found here.
Journal Staff
A full list of Nature's staff can be found here.
Journal Metrics
Journal metrics for Nature
Contact provides contact details for editorial, subscription, librarian and advertising departments.
History of the Journal Nature
History of the Journal Nature has specially commissioned essays and videos, and timelines and an interactive forum, bringing to life the science published in Nature since 1869.
150 years of Nature
The first issue of Nature was published in November 1869. Our 150th anniversary content explores the past, present and future of Nature and of science.
Are you getting a lot of pop-ups lately? Is your computer running slow? Macbook giving you a sad face? We can help! While we can't promise that we can fix every issue, we have trained staff on hand for you.
Diagnosis and minor fix-ups are free to all Hope College employees and students.
Computer drop off hours are during CIT's regular business hours which are Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Diagnosis and repair times vary depending on the time of the year.
Microsoft will allow you to use a copy of Office for free as long as you're affiliated with Hope College. For more information about the program, sign up with your @hope.edu email address here:
Office 365 is Microsoft's subscription program that includes both the desktop Office programs that you know and love, and online Office (similar to Google Docs).
The desktop versions of Office are available for Windows PCs and macOS computers. The online version of Office 365 works in the web browser on any computer, including Google Chromebooks.
New PCs usually come with a free trial of antivirus. When that trial runs out, you should either pay to continue the subscription or uninstall it and use a free antivirus from Microsoft.
Windows 7 has a free antivirus available called Microsoft Security Essentials. If it's not already on your computer, you can download it from Microsoft's website.
Windows 8 and 10 have built-in antivirus called Windows Defender. We recommend using this. Windows Defender will activate automatically when you remove any other antivirus programs.
As an added layer of protection, we also recommend an anti-malware program called Malwarebytes for Windows and macOS. It's free if you run the scans manually.
Lab Printing
Every residence hall on campus has a small computer lab and accompanying printer in the basement. You are free to print black-and-white documents responsibly from the lab computers, or add your lab printer to your personal computer.
Library Printing
The library offers high-speed printing on the 1st and 2nd floor. You are free to print black-and-white documents responsibly from the library computers, or add the library printers to your personal computer.
The Library Digital Media Lab
If you need more than simple black-and-white copies, stop by the Digital Media Lab in the Library. They can help you with color copies, special paper, lamination, poster printing and much more!
Print and Mail Services
For large or complicated jobs, Print and Mail Services can help you out. Visit their website for more information on services offered, or skip right to submitting a job!
Looking to see if your smart devices will work on Hope College's network?
Retiring? Graduating? Email accounts are provided for current Hope College students and employees only. Find out how to transfer your Hope emails, documents, and more to your personal account.
KTM continues to roll out exciting new dirt bikes every year. Its entire full-size motocross lineup is completely revamped for 2023 with the addition of a new model that has captured the most limelight—the 300 SX. This open-class-worthy premix-burner features a combination of technology not seen on most two-stroke motocross models including throttle body injection (TBI), an electronic power valve, and electric starting. Before we publish our initial on-track evaluation of this exciting new model, let’s dig into its many features and specifications.
Related: 2023 KTM 125 SX, 250 SX, and 300 SX First Ride Review
© Provided by Dirt Rider KTM’s two-stroke motocross bike lineup grows by one in 2023 with the addition of the 300 SX.
KTM’s two-stroke motocross bike lineup grows by one in 2023 with the addition of the 300 SX. (Mark Kariya/) 
Throttle body injection (TBI), an electronic power valve, and electric starting are huge technological advancements to the Austrian manufacturer’s all-new top-of-the-line two-stroke MX machine. (Mark Kariya/) 
A Keihin 39mm throttle body is paired with case reed induction. Fuel needs to be premixed at 60:1. (Mark Kariya/)
Related: 2023 KTM 450 SX-F First Ride Review
© Provided by Dirt Rider Kickstarters are a thing of the past on KTM’s full-size two-stroke motocrossers. Claimed weight of the 300 SX engine is 53 pounds.
Kickstarters are a thing of the past on KTM’s full-size two-stroke motocrossers. Claimed weight of the 300 SX engine is 53 pounds. (Mark Kariya/) 
Engine start and engine stop buttons are combined on one unit, just within thumb’s reach. (Mark Kariya/) 
On the opposite side of the Neken handlebar, we find the new engine map switch. Map 1 (white light illuminated) is standard, while map 2 (green light illuminated) is aggressive. (Mark Kariya/)
Related: 2023 KTM 350 XC-F First Ride Review
© Provided by Dirt Rider Proper airbox ventilation.
Proper airbox ventilation. (Mark Kariya/) 
Gearing is 14/49. (Mark Kariya/) 
KTM spec’d a new radiator cap on its 2023 full-size motocross and cross-country models that is quite difficult to remove. (Mark Kariya/) 
The WP Xact 48mm air fork is the same component found on the Austrian manufacturer’s prior-generation (2019–2022) motocrossers, but features different settings and new hydrostops for better bottoming resistance. (Mark Kariya/) 
Along with being 15mm shorter, the completely redesigned WP Xact shock features all-new internals. (Mark Kariya/) 
Shock low-speed compression, high-speed compression, and rebound damping are adjustable by hand. (Mark Kariya/) 
For reduced unsprung weight and increased rigidity, KTM designed a new, hollow, die-cast swingarm. (Mark Kariya/) 
Brembo brake calipers help slow the smoker. The front is a two-piston caliper that grabs a 260mm disc, while the rear is a single-piston caliper that squeezes a 220mm disc. (Mark Kariya/) 
We appreciate that KTM specs an hourmeter on all of its full-size motocross and off-road competition models to help keep track of maintenance intervals. (Mark Kariya/) 
On Dirt Rider’s automotive scales, the 2023 KTM 300 SX weighs 232 pounds wet. (Mark Kariya/)
2023 KTM 300 SX Specifications
| MSRP: | $9,199 |
|---|---|
| Engine: | Liquid-cooled, two-stroke single-cylinder |
| Displacement: | 293cc |
| Bore x Stroke: | 72.0 x 72.0mm |
| Compression Ratio: | N/A |
| Transmission/Final Drive: | 5-speed/chain |
| Dirt Rider Measured Horsepower: | 48.8 hp @ 8,100 rpm |
| Dirt Rider Measured Torque: | 32.2 lb.-ft. @ 7,500 rpm |
| Fuel System: | EFI w/ 39mm throttle body |
| Clutch: | Wet, multiplate Damped Diaphragm Steel (DDS); hydraulic actuation |
| Frame: | Central double-cradle chromoly steel |
| Front Suspension: | WP Xact 48mm fork, air pressure, compression damping, and rebound damping adjustable; 12.2 in. travel |
| Rear Suspension: | WP Xact shock, spring preload, high-/low-speed compression damping, and rebound damping adjustable; 11.8 in. travel |
| Front Brake: | Brembo 2-piston caliper, 260mm disc |
| Rear Brake: | Brembo 1-piston caliper, 220mm disc |
| Tires, Front/Rear: | Dunlop Geomax MX33; 80/100-21 / 110/90-19 |
| Rake/Trail: | 26.1°/NA |
| Wheelbase: | 58.7 in. |
| Ground Clearance: | 13.9 in. |
| Dirt Rider Measured Seat Height: | 37.7 in. |
| Fuel Capacity: | 1.9 gal. |
| Dirt Rider Measured Wet Weight: | 232 lb. |
| Availability: | Now |
| Contact: | ktm.com |
ISA’s technical divisions are open only to ISA members. Covering a wide variety of industries and technologies, members are encouraged to join as many divisions as they choose.
Through your division, you will:
- Build a network of peers working in similar settings
- Receive access to the division community and communications
- Participate in live, online technical discussions in ISA Connect Live
- Learn in ISA OnPoint technical presentations
- Discover opportunities to gain leadership and technical expertise through the division board or writing technical content
Technical Divisions
Join now
Existing ISA Members: Login to your profile. You will see the option to add or change your divisions.
Not an ISA Member?
Entrepreneurs are world changers; Technologists are world creators.
Together they are foundations of economic growth. Any city’s 21st century future will depend on its ability to attract and retain these doers, thinkers and innovators — and to expand their ranks. Exactly because of the outsized importance of inclusive economic growth and technological change, there is urgency to create more equitable systems and accessible pathways to these professions.
The data are clear: All net new jobs in the American economy come from new businesses, according to influential research, and each tech worker supports 4.4 additional local jobs. Innovation economies are necessary for communities to thrive in the future around the world.
Despite today’s global scale, entrepreneurship and innovation remain distinctly local phenomena. Our cities are where global ideas begin. Before the world is changed, invention takes place in garages, at meetups between neighbors and on whiteboards and lab benches. These local breeding grounds require dependable and open news and information resources to make them more efficient and accessible — spurring new ideas and innovation.
Into this ecosystem comes Technical.ly, a news organization that connects a community of technologists, entrepreneurs and other professionals invested in their hometowns. Dynamic local growth, inclusive innovation, skills of the future and digital equity are central to our specialized reporting. We contribute to more innovative, competitive and accessible local economies.
Technical.ly envisions a world in which entrepreneurship and innovation can come from anyone anywhere — to ensure all communities thrive.
Technical.ly: following the stories where they lead
Since its founding in 2009, Technical.ly has brought journalistic rigor to issues that are routinely filled with hype and hyperbole. We chase and challenge national trends by telling the stories of technology and innovation and the pursuit of equitable economic growth in five local communities and counting, growing a single online community of change-makers. Our work is for established entrepreneurs and technologists; those aspiring to join their ranks and the people supporting their work. Technical.ly is one of the country’s longest-running online-only local news organizations, and our impact is clear:
- Technical.ly is used as a resource by entrepreneurs and professionals to decide where to live and work. More than 1 in 10 of readers of our city-specific newsletters live in different geographies and use our reporting to inform decisions about living and working in other locations. Experienced technologists and entrepreneurs rely on us to remain connected to hometowns they are invested in.
- By serving as a job opportunities hub, Technical.ly provides opportunities for thousands of tech workers and other professionals to research and apply for life-changing career opportunities. Those aspiring to be entrepreneurs or tech professionals rely on us to help guide them into these careers. This is made more notable because nearly 1 in 3 of our readers are people of color and roughly half identify as women. We bring our roster of top-flight, remote-hiring clients to each new city we join.
- Our reporting has influenced local policy on issues ranging from workforce diversity, business climate and government transparency. For just a few examples:
- Technical.ly’s Pittsburgh mayoral candidate survey established tech and economic policy priorities for the city’s most recent campaign, including the current mayor.
- Technical.ly reporting was used to shape Wilmington, Del. economic development strategies to support Black and brown entrepreneurs, including the specific 2021 implementation of a new micro-grant program.
- Technical.ly’s reporting informed the City of Philadelphia’s landmark Open Data Executive Order that set that city’s government transparency policies.
- Technical.ly convened the first-ever Baltimore City Council hearing on tech policy, informing a slate of policy initiatives on competitiveness and innovation.
These trends ensure the importance of accessible news gathering, cross-city evaluation and open online communities.
The lessons we learned
Our big discovery? Quality local journalism is an effective strategy for growing a community of hard-to-reach professionals (many generally underrepresented in technology companies). We focus on equipping them to be more productive, better connected with peers and more invested in the communities where they live. For nearly 1 in 3 of our readers, Technical.ly is the only local news organization they read regularly.
As a part of our journalism and community engagement strategy, Technical.ly develops career-long, meaningful relationships with the hardest-to-reach passive job seekers and business builders. This allows us to make tech careers more accessible, share greater insight into company hiring and business strategies and retain these news consumers over the long term. Our communities and relationships, then, are our most important asset as a news organization. We grow that community by engaging both established veterans and those aspiring to join these highly productive economic and innovation circles.
This flywheel is positively self-reinforcing. We start first by informing our community of technologists and entrepreneurs, whom our clients and advertisers want to meet to hire and engage. Our philanthropic partners invest in us both to ensure our work remains free and accessible for aspiring technologists and entrepreneurs and to deepen our coverage of local economic change, which strengthens our community for all.
Technical.ly: our local news and information is more necessary than ever
Technical.ly’s growth has coincided with an accelerating collapse of local news. That has deeply informed our approach to sustainability. Technical.ly addresses obstacles to local economic growth by making information and connections intentional and accessible. Our journalism is a critical component of a business model that also includes fee-based business research and analysis on technology, economic growth and entrepreneurship and story-based advertising products that help jobseekers research hiring companies and entrepreneurs learn about business services. We work with philanthropy to deepen our impact, while retaining a sustainable model.
This revenue model that mixes business solutions and philanthropic support results in a powerful outcome for our communities: our news gathering and information sharing remains free and accessible — unusual for business publications that typically reinforce existing inequalities. The connections we make reflect the diverse cities we serve.
As a new generation of local public affairs newsrooms develop, the Technical.ly multi-local model will allow us to contribute specialized reporting and expertise that will benefit the industries, technology and entrepreneurship ecosystems and the people who power them.
Our approach to local journalism is informed by and in response to the reality of web-powered global scale: Our single distributed newsroom holds deep subject matter expertise that results in reporting on many key issues across multiple locations. This creates a strong network effect; With each new market we report on, we grow our expertise and online community, including community members across the globe, with diminishing additional expense, which is a sustainable and generative model for growth. Local news ecosystems gain expertise, and Technical.ly allows entrepreneurs and technologists to tap into a growing community of like-minded professionals.
Why is all this important? We believe issues of equitable economic growth, digital transformation, civic technology and inclusive innovation must be understood as key to the future of cities. We believe innovation can come from anyone anywhere, and journalism can play an integral role in spurring more inclusive and accessible communities.
At this critical moment in our organization’s history, Technical.ly has outlined a pathway that builds on our strong foundation to expand our journalism and our global community of entrepreneurs and technologists who are invested in their hometowns.
Technical.ly: the world we’re operating in
For decades, business creation has been on the decline in the United States. Many slow-growth cities struggle to reimagine future economic growth. Rates of women and Black and brown people in entrepreneurship and tech jobs had remained stubbornly low. Economists have panic about fading productivity gains, and policymakers have scrambled to establish innovation ecosystems in response to unfilled jobs —even as immigration and domestic migration rates have sagged.
Then a global pandemic upended many of these trends, adding uncertainty and indecision. Meanwhile, the rise of remote work and distributed companies risks further decoupling the most economically privileged among us from their neighbors. If surging tech economies exist only online, then who will ensure those gains benefit those who might be left behind?
These worldwide trends are playing out locally. Yet long-standing legacy news organizations and inventive journalism nonprofits typically lack the resources and expertise to track, chart and challenge these powerful trends that have a significant impact on local economies.
Technical.ly’s goal is to continue to change the world—and the regions where we work:
- We help local economies become more inclusive, dynamic and competitive.
- For example, the founder and CEO of a tech unicorn (a privately-held company worth at least a $1 billion) relies on Technical.ly to remain connected and informed about his hometown tech market.
- Backed by Data: 65% of Technical.ly readers have 10+ years of professional experience and 83% of returning readers rely on Technical.ly to stay informed about their hometowns.
- Our Core Value: We are Connective. We connect technologists and entrepreneurs to each other and the ecosystems where they live.
- We help experienced entrepreneurs and technologists connect where they live.
- For example, one native of an historically disinvested urban community of color found his first tech apprenticeship and successive career opportunities through Technical.ly. Today he is a Senior Software Automation Engineer at a 200-person tech company.
- Backed by Data: 1 in 3 Technical.ly readers is a person of color; 1 in 10 readers have used Technical.ly to begin or transition their career into tech; 1 in 3 readers have researched a job or business opportunity with Technical.ly.
- Our Core Value: We are Welcoming. We engage those who are new to tech economies, and introduce them to established centers of power.
- We help aspiring entrepreneurs and technologists reach their full potential.
- For example, one native of an historically disinvested urban community of color found his first tech apprenticeship and successive career opportunities through Technical.ly. Today he is a Senior Software Automation Engineer at a 200-person tech company.
- Backed by Data: 1 in 3 Technical.ly readers is a person of color; 1 in 10 readers have used Technical.ly to begin or transition their career into tech; 1 in 3 readers have researched a job or business opportunity with Technical.ly.
Our Core Value: We are Welcoming. We engage those who are new to tech economies, and introduce them to established centers of power.
A world in which Technical.ly publishes in cities around the globe is a world in which innovative local economies are more inclusive, accessible and effective.
Technical.ly: growing our impact and reach
Today, Technical.ly is one of the world’s leading chroniclers of local economic transformation and one of the country’s most vibrant communities of entrepreneurs and technologists.
The pandemic’s spark set in motion this strategic visioning process which began in fall 2020, as a pandemic surged and a view of the future slowly emerged. Across dozens of interviews and input from former and current Technical.ly employees, business clients, readers and other stakeholders, we have set forward this five-year plan to guide us through December 2025.
In that time, Technical.ly will transform from a regional news site into a global community of technologists, entrepreneurs and other professionals invested in their hometowns, and powered by an industry-leading digital media company.
Our strategy to accomplish this is as follows:
- Prioritize Community: Establish the world’s most vibrant online community of technologists and entrepreneurs who are invested in their hometowns.
- Build a newsroom culture that encourages community feedback on our reporting, newsletters, events and other tools — and spurs our community to do something with it.
- Grow the Technical.ly Slack as a central hub for our online community.
- Build long term relationships with readers, clients and partners, prioritizing genuine quality connections while articulating how value is created for their business, for their work and in the cities where they live and work.
- Develop and accomplish this strategic vision in collaboration with our community.
- The next step is to build community listening into every strategy and every Technical.ly teammate’s roles, from the reporter who answers community questions to the business services manager who solves community problems.
- Invest in Impact: Improve our effectiveness in making connections within our community for economic growth and career advancement — leading to more equitable outcomes.
- Produce journalism, business products and services that Boost the speed and direction of the careers of members of our community.
- Establish solutions for businesses that leverage actionable insights about and relationships with our community, along with a suite of products and services, to repeatedly and efficiently drive connections and value.
- Develop and track measurable results ensuring year over year improvements.
- The next step is building on a foundation of a powerful database and establishing a best-in-class business client services team and operation.
- Advance Sustainability: Refine our business model for connecting our community to employers and services through operational excellence and superior client services.
- Establish a high-performing revenue team that builds effective systems to connect clients with our community, along with our storytelling services and newsroom skill, to capture the value we create.
- Develop an exceptional business services team that routinely exceeds client expectations with the help of repeatable processes and creative custom solutions.
- Build repeatable systems for excellent operations, client and staff experience — including both day-to-day functions and long term impact like our environmental footprint.
- The next step is to annualize client relationships with repeatable systems and develop individual quarterly goals for each teammate across the organization to ensure we work together.
- Accelerate Our Innovation: Shape the future of media and online communities by adapting and influencing creator trends.
- Experiment with storytelling formats, like podcast series and short-form video, virtual and in-person events, illustrations and article types, that inform and engage our community.
- Learn from and listen to our community of innovators to implement cross-disciplinary best practices on community growth strategies, like digital marketing, online engagement.
- Solicit philanthropic support and investment in innovative and effective storytelling, community engagement and other journalism that the private market doesn’t support on its own.
- The next step is to ensure staff are routinely engaging with experts in other industries and incorporating those best practices in our organization.
- Lead with Team Culture: Prioritize the continuation of a vibrant, diverse and engaged distributed team, which is effective and reports satisfaction with the work environment, driving results and celebrating our alumni network.
- Grow a community of Company Culture Builders that can serve both as a way to engage prospective clients and to ensure we are following and informing best practices.
- Implement and shape the best practices for team building and engagement that we routinely report on to that community.
Establish methods for routine staff engagement and feedback, like team one-on-ones, performance reviews and all-team surveys and gatherings, ensuring our team remains diverse, engaged and invested. - The next step is to invest in operationalizing many of our existing traditions and best practices.
How will we know we’ve reached our goals?
In addition to more detailed internal metrics, we set these goals for each of our five priorities:
How to be a part of our work
This work is ambitious. We can’t do it alone. As a community company, Technical.ly both serves and relies on our community. Our work will make economies more inclusive, effective and accessible. This has real world impacts on the careers of the marginalized and those traditionally underrepresented to ensure more equitable growth. Invest in us and the stories we tell for the accountability and solutions we bring to communities you care about. To tell us your story, contact our newsroom here. To work with us, review our services here. Or just know you are part of our future. Thank you.
Christopher Wink
Cofounder and CEO at Technical.ly
(Bloomberg) -- A China-based former employee of ASML Holding NV — a critical cog in the global semiconductor industry — stole data from a software system that the corporation uses to store technical information about its machinery.
Most Read from Bloomberg
The breach occurred in a repository that includes details of the lithography systems critical to producing some of the world’s most advanced chips, said people with knowledge of the situation. It was the first glimpse at the nature of the theft disclosed earlier Wednesday by ASML, which said a former worker in China had stolen confidential information but didn’t elaborate on what kind of data were taken.
The data came from a so-called product life cycle management program known as Teamcenter, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The tool is used internally, they said.
Teamcenter serves as a shared storehouse of technical information that allows different groups of employees to collaborate and manage their product development, according to the website of Siemens, which supplies the software. It allows for “common access to a single repository of all product-related knowledge, data and processes,” according to the website.
ASML declined to comment beyond the statement it issued earlier on Wednesday, in which the company said it didn’t believe the theft was material to its business. Siemens didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The breach involved technological information but not hardware and was carried out by a male employee in the last couple of months, according to another person familiar with the details. Authorities in the US have been notified, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the investigation is ongoing. The US is “deeply concerned” about allegations of economic espionage, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Kendler said in Tokyo on Thursday, declining to comment on the specifics of the incident.
This is the second such breach that ASML has linked to China in less than a year and comes as the US is pressuring other nations including the Netherlands to help keep China’s chipmaking abilities from advancing. Tensions are already high after an alleged Chinese spy balloon hovered over US airspace before being shot down. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a trip to Beijing — but was considering a meeting with China’s top diplomat in Germany this week, people familiar with the matter said.
Earlier on Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he wasn’t aware of ASML’s accusation that a former Chinese employee had misappropriated data.
The Dutch technology company, which makes machines needed to produce high-end chips used in everything from electric vehicles to military gear, has initiated an internal investigation and tightened security controls after discovering the most recent incident. It said on Wednesday that export controls may have been violated, exposing the company to a potential regulatory backlash.
The company’s position as a crucial part of the supply chain for technology that makes the fastest, most powerful chips, has made it a target. Last year, ASML, which employs about 1,500 people in China, accused a Beijing-based firm of potentially stealing trade secrets in a theft that dates back years.
In January, the Netherlands and Japan agreed to join the US in restricting exports of some advanced chipmaking machinery to China. President Joe Biden’s administration has said it’s essential for the US and its allies to block Beijing from acquiring technologies that could threaten global security.
Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher said in a statement that it’s “very worrying that such a large and reputable company is affected by economic espionage.”
It’s unclear whether the ex-employee who stole the data had any connections to authorities in China or elsewhere. ASML, which is restricted from selling its most-advanced machines to China, said in its annual report that the theft isn’t material to its business.
The Veldhoven-based company is one of the few producers of the machines needed to make mid- to high-range semiconductors. It’s the only manufacturer of lithography systems needed to shrink and then print patterns of transistors onto silicon wafers, which are then sliced into individual chips. A single machine can be the size of a bus and cost roughly $170 million.
Chief Executive Officer Peter Wennink has warned that China will ultimately develop its own domestic alternatives if it can’t buy from the West. China is ASML’s third-biggest market after Taiwan and South Korea. ASML and its peers sell their equipment to chipmakers such as Intel Corp. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which supply companies like Apple Inc. and Nvidia Corp.
ASML has previously accused Dongfang Jingyuan Electron Ltd. of obtaining ASML’s technology and transferring it to China. That technology was secured in a sometimes audacious fashion: One engineer was accused of stealing all 2 million lines of source code for critical ASML software and then sharing part of it with employees at Dongfang and a related company in the US, according to transcripts of the proceedings.
--With assistance from Debby Wu.
(Updates with comment from US Commerce official)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
