EUV Lithography Monopoly
Geography: Emea · Europe · Europe
ASML (Netherlands) has a complete monopoly on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines — the technology required to manufacture the most advanced semiconductor chips. Every cutting-edge chip from TSMC, Samsung, and Intel is made using ASML equipment. The company holds 90% of the overall lithography market and 100% of EUV.
Each EUV machine costs roughly €350 million, weighs 180 tons, and requires multiple 747 cargo flights to deliver. The technology focuses extreme ultraviolet light (13.5nm wavelength) through complex optics to print transistor patterns smaller than what visible light can resolve. No other company on Earth can build these machines.
The geopolitical implications are enormous: ASML's export controls — enforced at US urging — are a primary mechanism limiting China's ability to manufacture advanced chips. A single Dutch company effectively controls the global frontier of semiconductor manufacturing, making the Netherlands one of the most strategically important technology nations in the world.
Research this in Signals
Signals turns a topic into a sourced research record you can inspect and rerun. Your first scan is free, and this one starts with EUV Lithography Monopoly already loaded, so edit it or scan as is.