ASML plots future of AI chip tools beyond EUV dominance
ASML, the world’s only maker of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, is planning a major expansion beyond its core chipmaking technology to capture more of the booming AI semiconductor market.
The Dutch company, whose EUV tools are essential for producing advanced chips at firms like TSMC and Intel, is now targeting the fast-growing advanced packaging segment — a crucial building block for powerful AI processors and high-performance memory, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
ASML Chief Technology Officer Marco Pieters said the company is looking 10 to 15 years ahead, studying how chip design is evolving and what new equipment will be needed for packaging, bonding and stacking increasingly complex processors.
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AI chips are no longer flat. Instead, they are being built more like skyscrapers — stacking multiple layers of silicon connected by nanoscale links. This design helps boost computing speed for training large AI models and running chatbots such as ChatGPT.
To support this shift, ASML is developing tools that can help bond and connect multiple specialized chips. The company is also researching ways to increase chip size beyond the current “postage stamp” limit, which restricts performance.
AI will play a dual role in ASML’s strategy. The company plans to integrate artificial intelligence into its own machines to improve inspection accuracy, speed up production and enhance software control systems.
Last year, ASML unveiled the XT:260 scanning tool designed for advanced AI memory chips. Engineers are now exploring additional systems tailored for next-generation processors.
The move comes as global chipmakers race to upgrade infrastructure for AI workloads. Investors have rewarded ASML’s dominance in EUV technology, with shares rising more than 30% this year.
With a market value of roughly $560 billion, ASML is now betting that advanced packaging and larger chip designs will define the next era of AI hardware — expanding its reach beyond the lithography tools that built its success.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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