ASML ramps up EUV production

ASML said on April 15 it is executing an output plan for at least 60 low-numerical-aperture extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography systems in 2026. (asml.com) (ourbrand.asml.com) EUV machines are the tools chipmakers use to print the smallest circuit patterns onto silicon wafers with bursts of light. ASML is the only company that sells them at scale. (asml.com) (forbes.com) Chief Financial Officer Roger Dassen said the 2026 target is about 25% above 2025 shipments, and ASML is working toward capacity for more than 80 low-NA EUV systems in 2027. (channelnewsasia.com) (techspot.com) The company tied that ramp to artificial-intelligence infrastructure spending and to customers bringing forward fab expansion plans for 2026 and beyond. Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet said chip demand is outpacing supply. (asml.com) ASML’s first-quarter results showed €8.8 billion in net sales, €2.8 billion in net income, and 67 new lithography systems sold. It raised its full-year 2026 sales outlook to €36 billion to €40 billion from the €34 billion to €39 billion range it gave in January. (asml.com 1) (asml.com 2) The bottleneck is not just the number of machines. ASML is also trying to squeeze more wafers per hour out of installed tools, including a productivity package that lifts the NXE:3800E system to 230 wafers per hour from 220. (ourbrand.asml.com) That matters because advanced logic and memory makers need more lithography steps as chips get denser, and ASML told investors it expects more critical exposures in both segments. The company said AI adoption is widening across applications while power and cost pressures are rising. (ourbrand.asml.com) The near-term ramp is centered on today’s low-NA EUV systems, not the newer high-NA generation. Bloomberg reported last week that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is delaying broader high-NA use because the machines are too expensive. (bloomberg.com) (investing.com) So the immediate story is simpler than the hype: ASML is building more of the EUV tools customers already use, while trying to make each one process more wafers. (asml.com) (ourbrand.asml.com)