ASML is the Dutch company that makes lithography machines used to produce leading-edge computer chips.
ASML designs and manufactures semiconductor lithography systems. These machines project patterns onto silicon wafers, helping chipmakers create the extremely small features that form transistors and circuits.
ASML is particularly known for extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography. EUV systems use light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers and are used for some of the most advanced manufacturing processes. The equipment is extraordinarily complex and integrates optics, vacuum systems, software, and precision engineering.
ASML does not manufacture finished processors in the way a foundry such as TSMC does. Instead, it supplies crucial production equipment to chip manufacturers. That distinction explains why ASML can rank among the world's most valuable companies while remaining largely invisible to everyday consumers.