ASML (Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography) was founded in the Netherlands in 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International. The company specializes in photolithography systems, the most critical and complex step in the chip manufacturing process. These machines use light to “print” the intricate patterns of billions of transistors onto silicon wafers.

Today, ASML holds a unique monopoly in the semiconductor industry. It is the sole global producer of “Extreme Ultraviolet” (EUV) lithography machines, the only technology capable of manufacturing the world’s most advanced chips (7nm and below). All major chip manufacturers, including TSMC, Samsung, and Intel, are completely dependent on these multi-hundred-million-dollar machines to produce their latest-generation chips. This makes ASML an irreplaceable “keystone” in the entire global technology ecosystem.