ASML is the only supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines for advanced chips.
ASML, headquartered in the Netherlands, makes the highly complex lithography systems used to print microscopic patterns onto semiconductor wafers. Its extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, machines use 13.5-nanometer-wavelength light and are essential for manufacturing many leading-edge processors.
ASML does not usually manufacture the finished chips found in phones or servers. Instead, it supplies equipment to chip manufacturers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics, and Intel. That distinction explains why ASML can be discussed alongside the world’s richest companies even though it is not a chip designer or foundry.
EUV systems require specialized components from international suppliers and take years of research to develop. Their strategic importance has made ASML one of Europe’s most valuable technology companies.