ASML Breakthrough Could Boost Global Chip Production by 50 Percent
Veldhoven, Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
Dutch semiconductor giant ASML has achieved a major technological advance by increasing the power of its EUV lithography light source to 1,000 watts from 600 watts. This breakthrough enables factories to process 330 silicon wafers per hour by 2030, compared to 220 today, potentially producing 50 percent more chips. The innovation involves doubling tin droplets to 100,000 per second and using dual laser pulses to create plasma hotter than the sun, addressing global chip shortages while maintaining ASML’s competitive edge over emerging US and Chinese rivals.
Industry Context and Innovation Type
This breakthrough represents a significant advance in semiconductor lithography technology, specifically targeting the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) segment of chip manufacturing [1][2]. ASML, based in the Netherlands, holds virtually a monopoly on commercial EUV lithography machines that are essential for producing the most advanced semiconductors [3][4]. These machines are used by major chipmakers including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel to create the precise patterns needed for cutting-edge processors [3][4]. The innovation addresses growing demand for advanced chips across artificial intelligence systems, automotive electronics, and consumer devices, while potentially alleviating ongoing global chip shortages that have impacted multiple industries [GPT].
Technical Breakthrough and Implementation
The core innovation involves increasing the power output of ASML’s EUV light source from 600 watts to 1,000 watts, representing a 66.667 percent power increase [1][2][3]. This advancement was achieved through two key technical improvements: doubling the number of molten tin droplets fired through the machine’s chamber to approximately 100,000 per second, and implementing two smaller laser pulses instead of one to shape these droplets into plasma [1][3][8]. Michael Purvis, ASML’s lead technologist for EUV source light, emphasized the production-ready nature of this technology, stating: “It’s not a parlor trick or something like this, where we demonstrate for a very short time that it can work. It’s a system that can produce 1,000 watts under all the same requirements that you could see at a customer” [1][8].
Manufacturing Process and Physics
The EUV lithography process relies on an extraordinarily complex physical mechanism that demonstrates the cutting edge of modern engineering [1][2]. The machine produces light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers by firing a stream of molten tin droplets through a chamber, where a massive carbon dioxide laser heats them into plasma [1][2][8]. This plasma reaches temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and emits the EUV light necessary for chip production [1][2]. Precision optics manufactured by Germany’s Carl Zeiss capture this light and direct it to print intricate patterns on silicon wafers [1][2]. Jorge J. Rocca, a professor at Colorado State University who focuses on laser technologies and has trained several ASML scientists, described the achievement as “pretty amazing,” noting that “it’s very challenging, because you need to master many things, many technologies” [1][8].
Production Impact and Future Projections
The immediate production benefits of this breakthrough will materialize by 2030, when ASML customers should be able to process approximately 330 silicon wafers per hour compared to the current 220 wafers per hour [1][2][3][8]. This represents a 50 percent increase in throughput capacity. Each wafer contains tens to thousands of individual chips depending on the chip size, multiplying the overall production impact significantly [1][2]. Teun van Gogh, executive vice president for the NXE line of EUV machines at ASML, explained the economic rationale: “We’d like to make sure that our customers can keep on using EUV at a much lower cost” [1][8]. ASML believes this 1,000-watt achievement creates a foundation for further advances, with Purvis seeing “a reasonably clear path toward 1,500 watts, and no fundamental reason why we couldn’t get to 2,000 watts” [1].
Strategic Implications and Competitive Landscape
This technological advance arrives at a critical moment as ASML faces emerging competition from both American and Chinese rivals [3][4][8]. The United States government has collaborated with the Netherlands to prevent EUV machine shipments to China, prompting China to launch national efforts to develop its own lithography capabilities [3][4][8]. Meanwhile, American startups including Substrate and xLight have raised significant funding to challenge ASML’s dominance, with xLight receiving government backing from the Trump administration [3][4][8]. The 50 percent production increase could help ASML maintain its technological lead while supporting global semiconductor supply chains that have struggled with capacity constraints in recent years [GPT]. The timing of this announcement on February 23, 2026, positions ASML to secure its market position as competition intensifies in this strategically critical technology sector [1][8].