ASML Exec Says No Chipmaking Equipment Sold in Europe as Region Lags on Investment

Frank Heemskerk, executive vice president of Dutch lithography equipment maker ASML, said on September 21 that the company has no chipmaking equipment sales in mainland Europe. "This is because Europe has not been investing and no new chip fabs are being built here," he said at an event in Amsterdam.

ASML is the world's only supplier of advanced lithography systems, a critical tool for producing cutting-edge chips and a key foundation of the global artificial intelligence boom. Data showed that Europe contributed zero to ASML's net system sales in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 1% for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region in 2025. South Korea was the largest market for ASML equipment in the first half of the year.

ASML currently has a market value of more than $660 billion, nearly double that of Roche, Europe's second-most-valuable company. The EU is revising its Chips Act, which took effect in 2023 to boost Europe's share of global semiconductor production, but auditors said last year that the bloc's goal of doubling its global market share by 2030 was unlikely to be met.

Heemskerk said other countries are stepping up investment incentives to attract ASML. "We need to expand capacity, and that doesn't mean only in the Netherlands," he said. In May of this year, ASML signed an agreement with India's Tata Electronics to help build a semiconductor plant in India.