ASML Boosts EUV Light Source Power for 50% More Chips by 2030

The Dutch company's breakthrough could help it maintain its edge over emerging rivals in the critical chip-making machine market.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Researchers at ASML Holding, the world's only maker of commercial extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, have found a way to boost the power of the EUV light source in their key chip-making machines by 67%, from 600 watts to 1,000 watts. This advance could allow ASML's customers to produce up to 50% more chips per hour by the end of the decade, helping the company retain its dominant position in the critical EUV machine market.

Why it matters

EUV machines are a critical tool for producing advanced computing chips, and ASML is the sole commercial supplier. This breakthrough could give ASML a significant technological edge over emerging rivals in the U.S. and China, allowing its customers to lower the cost-per-chip and maintain their competitiveness in the global semiconductor market.

The details

ASML's researchers achieved the power boost by doubling the number of molten tin droplets that are turned into plasma to generate the EUV light, from 50,000 to 100,000 per second. They also used two smaller laser bursts to shape the plasma, instead of a single larger burst. These innovations allowed ASML to increase the EUV light source power from 600 watts to 1,000 watts, which the company says will enable its customers to process about 330 silicon wafers per hour on each EUV machine by 2030, up from 220 wafers per hour currently.

  • ASML unveiled the EUV light source breakthrough on February 23, 2026.
  • The company expects its customers to be able to process 330 silicon wafers per hour on each EUV machine by the end of the decade, up from 220 wafers per hour currently.

The players

ASML Holding

The world's only maker of commercial extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, a critical tool for producing advanced computing chips.

Michael Purvis

ASML's lead technologist for its EUV source light.

Teun van Gogh

Executive vice president for the NXE line of EUV machines at ASML.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Michael Purvis, ASML's lead technologist for its EUV source light (Reuters)

“We'd like to make sure that our customers can keep on using EUV at a much lower cost.”

— Teun van Gogh, Executive vice president for the NXE line of EUV machines at ASML (Reuters)

What’s next

ASML believes the techniques it used to hit 1,000 watts will unlock continued advances in the future, with a 'reasonably clear path toward 1,500 watts, and no fundamental reason why we couldn't get to 2,000 watts,' according to Michael Purvis.

The takeaway

ASML's breakthrough in boosting the power of its EUV light source by 67% could give the Dutch company a significant technological edge over emerging rivals, allowing its customers to produce up to 50% more chips per hour and lower the cost-per-chip. This advance is critical for maintaining ASML's dominance in the global semiconductor equipment market.