An executive at ASML, the Dutch supplier of advanced semiconductor lithography equipment, has said the company currently sells no chipmaking machines in Europe, according to NL Times. The remark highlights how the continent that hosts ASML's headquarters is not among the markets where its machines are currently being sold.
ASML is the world's leading maker of photolithography systems, the machines used to print the microscopic circuits on silicon wafers. Its most advanced EUV (extreme ultraviolet) systems are required to manufacture leading-edge chips, and the company is Europe's largest technology firm by market value.
The statement points to a broader pattern in the semiconductor industry: the largest buyers of cutting-edge chipmaking equipment are found in Asia and the United States, where the biggest contract chipmakers and logic manufacturers operate. Europe has sought to attract advanced chip production through incentive programs, but its share of global manufacturing capacity remains small.
NL Times reported the executive's comment but did not provide further details on the scope of ASML's European sales or the context in which the statement was made. ASML has not publicly elaborated on the remark.
