Why The World Relies On ASML For Machines That Print Chips

[The SC]

In a Dutch factory, there’s a revolutionary chipmaking machine the whole world has come to rely on. It takes months to assemble, and only one company in the world knows how: Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography.

CNBC got an exclusive tour inside ASML’s cleanrooms to see how these $200 million EUV systems print minuscule designs on advanced microchips using exploding molten tin, the flattest surface in the world, and light so narrow it’s absorbed by air. Once ASML is done building and testing an EUV lithography machine, it’s so big that it needs to be disassembled and loaded on 20 trucks or three 747s for shipment.

Only five customers can afford EUV machines, the biggest being TSMC, Samsung and Intel - and ASML export controls keep ASML from sending any to China. Here’s a rare, inside look at how nearly 800 suppliers come together to create the technology required to print every advanced chip powering the digital world, from data centers to iPhones.

 

[Menthol]

Because some Taiwanese know how to use that machine to produce chips.

 

[samejjangir]

In a Dutch factory, there’s a revolutionary chipmaking machine the whole world has come to rely on. It takes months to assemble, and only one company in the world knows how: Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography.

CNBC got an exclusive tour inside ASML’s cleanrooms to see how these $200 million EUV systems print minuscule designs on advanced microchips using exploding molten tin, the flattest surface in the world, and light so narrow it’s absorbed by air. Once ASML is done building and testing an EUV lithography machine, it’s so big that it needs to be disassembled and loaded on 20 trucks or three 747s for shipment.

Only five customers can afford EUV machines, the biggest being TSMC, Samsung and Intel - and ASML export controls keep ASML from sending any to China. Here’s a rare, inside look at how nearly 800 suppliers come together to create the technology required to print every advanced chip powering the digital world, from data centers to iPhones.

ASML is not manufacturing the key equipments like the EUV laser in its factory. ASML is producing some of the parts in house and assembling the machines by acquiring critical parts from USA and few other countries. The key part of EUV laser is from USA and USA alone has the IPR. ASML is just a complex web of companies to confuse and hide the actual suppliers while also generating employment to USA's allies to keep them in leash

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://www.reuters.com/business/asml-breaks-ground-new-manufacturing-facilities-major-expansion-2026-09-08/

ASML breaks ground on new manufacturing facilities in major expansion​

A flag and a logo at ASML offices in Veldhoven, Netherlands

• ASML starts construction of second large production campus
• BIC North site to eventually cover 35 hectares, house 20,000 employees
• First phase due by 2029 will include new machine assembly space
• Company says electrical supply for site has been secured

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, Sept 8 (Reuters) - ASML the biggest ‌manufacturer of computer chip-making equipment, on Tuesday began construction of a major new production campus in the Netherlands, as it races to keep up with rising demand from the artificial intelligence boom.
The BIC North project is being built on about 35 hectares of undeveloped land near Eindhoven Airport, roughly 7 km (4 miles) from ASML's headquarters and main manufacturing sites in Veldhoven, underlining ⁠the region's importance as a European technology and manufacturing hub.

"The growing global demand from the semiconductor industry requires continuous investments," CEO Christophe Fouquet said in a statement.
The investment will eventually add space for up to 20,000 workers, with a first phase targeting completion by 2029 that will add offices, logistics and a so-called cleanroom space — a controlled environment for specialist equipment manufacturing.
ASML said the design of a new "Flow Factory" will enable it to build and assemble its giant chip-printing tools more quickly and efficiently.

ASML SHARES UP 62% THIS YEAR​

ASML has become Europe's most valuable company, with a $660 billion market capitalization after ‌a ⁠62% rise in the value of its shares this year.

Its expansion contrasts with retrenchment in other areas of European manufacturing, with Volkswagen this month announcing a restructuring that will eliminate 50,000 jobs in response to weak demand and intense competition from Chinese competitors.

ASML said in July that nearly all of its capacity to produce EUV lithography ⁠tools — essential for the fabrication of advanced processors and memory chips needed for AI — has already been booked through the end of 2027.
Its customers, including TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and Intel, are expanding capacity to meet surging ⁠demand for AI computing from companies such as Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Amazon.

The expansion is also a vote of confidence in the Dutch national and local governments, after ASML threatened in 2024 ⁠to move new manufacturing abroad if officials failed to meet expansion needs such as issuing building permits, improving roads, and guaranteeing electrical connections.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Eindhoven Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem were expected to attend the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday afternoon.