ASML, a leading semiconductor-equipment company by market capitalization, is headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands.
ASML was established in 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International. Its name originally stood for Advanced Semiconductor Materials International, although the company is now generally known simply as ASML.
The company makes lithography systems used by chip manufacturers to print extremely small patterns onto silicon wafers. Its extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, machines are especially important for producing many advanced chips because they use very short-wavelength light to create tiny features.
Veldhoven is near Eindhoven in the southern Netherlands, which causes occasional confusion about ASML’s location. Eindhoven is the better-known nearby technology hub, but Veldhoven is the company’s headquarters. ASML does not generally manufacture finished consumer processors; it supplies the specialized equipment used by semiconductor foundries and integrated-device manufacturers.