1984
ASML was founded in 1984 as a joint venture involving Advanced Semiconductor Materials International and Philips.
“It was founded in 1984 as a joint venture between Advanced Semiconductor Materials International, ASM Lithography, and Philips.”
Topic
ASML
11 facts from 5 episodes, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
early 2000s
Hamilton Helmer says Intel helped fund ASML's EUV lithography development through an industry consortium in the early 2000s, then divested after deciding the technology would fail.
“In the early 2000s, even Intel, I think, funded ASML's development, a big industry consortium, including Intel, of the EUV. And then thought the technology was going to die.”
2012
Intel committed more than $4 billion to EUV lithography in 2012 but was slower than rivals to adopt the technology.
“So Intel was the biggest early investor in EUV, committing more than $4 billion to it in 2012.”
2012
Intel, TSMC and Samsung together bought about 25 percent of ASML around 2012 to fund the development of EUV lithography systems.
“intel and tsmc and samsung partnered and actually bought 25 of asml to inject capital into asml to develop euv systems”
2012
ASML bought the laser company Cymer in 2012, and John Bathgate recalls an internal laser bake-off between Cymer and Trumpf that Trumpf won for EUV.
“asml actually bought a laser company in 2012 called cymer and i think they actually had like an internal laser bake-off between cymer and trump”
2019
ASML's EUV tools did not enter high-volume manufacturing until 2019, after about a decade of learning in TSMC's fabs following the first tool shipment in 2010.
“they didn't start high volume manufacturing on uv until 2019 so they had like almost a decade of learnings in tsmc's fabs”
Undated
ASML's extreme-ultraviolet lithography machines hit drops of molten tin with a specialized laser to make a plasma that produces extreme ultraviolet light.
“On one side of the machine, you drop molten tin. On the other side of the machine, you then hit it with a highly specialized laser.”
Undated
John Bathgate says the laser in an EUV system weighs about 10 tons while the full EUV system weighs about 180 tons.
“the laser itself actually is 10 tons but an ev system is 180 tons”
Undated
Rene Haas says ASML, a Dutch company, is the only maker of EUV chip-manufacturing machines.
“for EUV, it's a company called ASML Dutch company. They're the only people in the world who build EUV machines.”
Undated
Rene Haas says Zeiss of Germany is the only company making the mirrors used in EUV machines.
“There are a set of mirrors that go into that EUV machine made from a company in Germany called Zeiss. They're the only company in the world that makes those mirrors.”
Undated
Schmidt cites ASML as proof that a vertically integrated technology company can succeed in Europe.
“ASML is one of the most important companies in the world. It's completely vertically integrated, and it's vertically integrated inside of Europe”
Episodes
- 6 Apr 2022Platforms and Power (with Hamilton Helmer and Chenyi Shi)1h 24m
- 3 Nov 2021Complexity Investing & Semiconductors (with NZS Capital)1h 44m
- 7 Sep 2021TSMC2h 29m
- 21 Oct 2026Eric Schmidt: The Age of Agents, Superintelligence, and Why Europe Is Falling Behind43m
- 17 Dec 2025‘Like Disneyland when it just opened’: Arm CEO Rene Haas on the AI revolution24m