HomeFull speed ahead. Keep track of advancements in every frontier

TheTechno Optimist.

High-NA EUV (EXE)ASML—Low-NA EUV (NXE)ASML—Low-NA EUV (NXE)ASML—

ASML

EUV lithography machines

NLpublic~44,027 staffest. 1984asml.com (opens asml.com)Checked 25 Sep

The brief

Analyst view
  • Only EUV supplier. A standard machine costs about €200M, a High-NA one about €350M or more.
  • Shipped the first High-NA EUV machine to Intel in December 2023.
  • Led Mistral AI's Series C with €1.3B in September 2025.

Technical approach

As reported
Light source

Laser-produced tin plasma

A laser hits about 50,000 tin droplets a second, turning each into a plasma that glows with EUV light.

Optics

Multilayer mirrors in vacuum

Air and glass absorb EUV, so the light travels in vacuum and bounces off special Zeiss mirrors.

Stages

Nanometre-precise motion

The wafer moves fast yet stays aligned within about a nanometre, so layers line up precisely.

High-NA

Anamorphic optics

High-NA uses bigger optics for finer lines, but each shot covers half the usual area.

Programs

ASML, two programs

Updated 15 Jul 2026
High-NA EUV (EXE)ASML's next EUV machine with bigger optics. It prints features about 1.7 times smaller, so chipmakers can skip extra printing passes on future nodes like Intel 14A.PilotNextHigh-volume manufacturing insertion (Intel 14A) · 2027Updated 16 Dec 2025View program →Low-NA EUV (NXE)ASML's standard EUV machines, used since 2019 to print the finest layers of 7 nm-class chips and below.ScalingUpdated 15 Jul 2026View program →
Research · Proto · Pilot · Deploy · Scaling

Research & demos

2 items

Open technical problems

Open · Active · Partial
  • Stochastic defectsActive research

    At tiny sizes, random light effects cause missing or merged lines. More light helps but slows machines.

  • High-NA economicsOpen

    Chipmakers weigh 1 High-NA pass against 2 cheaper passes. TSMC says it doesn't need High-NA for A16 or A14.

  • Export restrictionsOpen

    Dutch and US rules block EUV and some older tool sales to China, once a big share of revenue.

Upcoming catalysts

Company-wide
  • 2027NXE:4000F, the next low-NA EUV scanner (250+ wafers an hour), due on ASML's roadmapLow-NA EUV (NXE)by ~15 mo

Company & funding

Staff
~44,027as of 2024
HQ
NL
Founded
1984

Partners & customers

2 suppliers · 3 customers · 1 partner

People

Key people
Primer