ASML flattens management to speed delivery as TSMC delays part of an order

ASML is stripping out management layers as TSMC delays adoption of its newest High-NA lithography machines through 2029. (digitimes.com) (bloomberg.com) TSMC Deputy Co-Chief Operating Officer Kevin Zhang told reporters the company has no current plan to use ASML’s High-NA extreme ultraviolet tools for chip production before 2029. (bloomberg.com) Those machines cost more than €350 million, or about $410 million, each, and Zhang said the next-generation systems are too expensive for profitable mass production right now. (bloomberg.com) (finance.yahoo.com) ASML’s current extreme ultraviolet machines print the finest chip layers with 13.5-nanometer light. Its High-NA version uses new optics to print smaller features, with resolution down to 8 nanometers. (asml.com) ASML says the EXE High-NA platform was built to support high-volume manufacturing in 2025 and 2026, starting with future 2-nanometer-class logic chips. TSMC’s delay pushes back the timetable investors had been watching for commercial rollout. (asml.com) (finance.yahoo.com) The market reaction was immediate. ASML shares fell 3.3% on April 23 after TSMC’s comments, according to Investing.com and IO+. (finance.yahoo.com) (ioplus.nl) Inside ASML, the answer appears to be speed. DIGITIMES reported on April 26 that the company is eliminating a broad range of management roles to simplify the organization and improve execution. (digitimes.com) IO+ reported earlier this year that ASML planned deep cuts in management around research and development, with about 1,700 jobs affected, as engineers spent too much time in internal process and coordination. CFO Roger Dassen said the goal was a more agile organization. (ioplus.nl) That restructuring lands as ASML is still posting strong numbers. The company published first-quarter 2026 results on April 15 and continues to guide full-year revenue of €34 billion to €39 billion. (asml.com) (ioplus.nl) ASML’s order book was near €39 billion earlier this year, and management tied stronger medium-term customer sentiment to artificial-intelligence spending. The issue is not whether customers need advanced lithography, but when they will pay for the most expensive version. (ioplus.nl) (asml.com) For now, TSMC is sticking with current EUV tools, and ASML is trying to make itself faster before the next wave of orders arrives. (bloomberg.com) (digitimes.com)