ASML

ASML Holding is a Dutch semiconductor equipment company. Founded in 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International, ASML is the sole manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines — the most advanced chipmaking equipment in the world.

ASML's EUV lithography systems, which cost approximately $200-350 million each, are essential for producing the most advanced semiconductor chips at 7nm, 5nm, 3nm, and below. Every cutting-edge AI chip — including NVIDIA's H100/B200, AMD's MI300X, Apple's M-series, and Broadcom's custom ASICs — is manufactured using ASML's EUV technology. The company's next-generation High-NA EUV systems will enable even smaller chip geometries needed for future AI accelerators.

ASML is arguably the single most critical chokepoint in the global AI supply chain. No alternative EUV manufacturer exists, making ASML's technology an irreplaceable enabler of the entire AI revolution. The company employs AI extensively in its own operations — using machine learning to optimize lithography processes, predict maintenance needs, and improve yield rates on the most complex manufacturing equipment ever built.