ASML is a Dutch group headquartered in Veldhoven that became an independent company in 1988. According to Wikipedia, ASML is the world's leading supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, which are essential for manufacturing the most advanced semiconductor chips. The chief executive is Christophe Fouquet.
Importance for AI
Without ASML's EUV lithography systems, the most advanced chip generations cannot be produced at scale. Because powerful AI accelerators are built on precisely these advanced manufacturing processes, ASML is a critical supplier deep in the AI hardware supply chain. According to company statements, AI-related infrastructure investment by chip customers is currently driving demand for both new systems and performance upgrades.
Product portfolio
ASML organizes its offering into two lithography lines. The EUV TWINSCAN NXE family, including the NXE:3400C, NXE:3600D and NXE:3800E models, uses a numerical aperture of 0.33 and roughly 13-nanometer resolution, supporting Logic nodes down to 2 nanometers as well as leading-edge DRAM processes. The newer High-NA EUV platform, TWINSCAN EXE, with the EXE:5000 and EXE:5200B models, raises the numerical aperture to 0.55 and reaches a resolution of about 8 nanometers; it is designed for volume production of Logic nodes below 2 nanometers and is expected to move into high-volume manufacturing during 2025 and 2026. For less demanding process nodes, ASML also supplies the DUV immersion lithography family TWINSCAN NXT, such as the NXT2100i model, which ASML describes as remaining a cornerstone of the semiconductor industry.
Business model and customers
ASML supplies its exposure systems to a small number of chipmakers, including TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and at times Micron as its largest customer, and earns additional, more stable revenue from service, spare parts and upgrades over the long life of the installed base. According to Wikipedia, ASML itself stated back in 2021 that it already held a near-monopoly on the machines TSMC and Samsung use to make their most advanced chips. This high customer concentration makes the business predictable through long-term framework agreements, but also dependent on the investment cycles of a small number of large customers.
Competition
In conventional DUV lithography, ASML has historically competed with the Japanese suppliers Nikon and Canon, which according to Wikipedia were long the leading players in the lithography market. In EUV lithography, however, ASML holds a near-monopoly; neither Nikon nor Canon currently offers its own EUV systems. This technological uniqueness is considered a structural competitive advantage, but it also rests on a worldwide, highly specialized supplier network, which makes ASML a potential bottleneck for the entire chip industry.
Key figures
For 2025 Wikipedia cites revenue of roughly €32.7 billion and about 44,175 employees. According to company data, ASML posted net bookings of €13.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, of which €7.4 billion was for EUV systems, on a full-year gross margin of 52.8 percent. In the first quarter of 2026, revenue was €8.8 billion, gross margin was 53.0 percent and net income was €2.8 billion; ASML sold 67 new and 12 used lithography systems in the quarter. The shares trade on Euronext Amsterdam and on Nasdaq under the ticker ASML; market capitalization stood at roughly $690 billion as of July 13, 2026, according to StockAnalysis.com.
This profile is a neutral description and is not investment advice.