Dutch Microchip Industry Doubles Turnover to Forty-Six Billion Euros

2026-08-27 semicon

The Hague, Thursday 27 August 2026
Driven by the global artificial intelligence boom, the Dutch microchip sector has doubled its turnover to €46 billion and doubled its workforce to 43,000 in just six years.

Unprecedented Growth in the Low Countries

On 26 August 2026, the Dutch national statistics office, CBS, released a groundbreaking study detailing the explosive expansion of the Netherlands’ semiconductor sector [2][7]. According to these provisional figures, which utilise an innovative methodology combining CBS data with government records from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) [2], the industry’s national turnover surged from €21.3 billion in 2019 to €45.6 billion in 2025 [4][5]. This represents an overall increase of 114.085 per cent over the six-year period, growing at an average annual rate of 14 per cent [1][2][4]. This rapid financial growth has been closely mirrored by employment in the sector, which nearly doubled from 23,000 workers in 2019 to more than 43,000 in 2025 [1][3][5], marking a 86.957 per cent increase in the workforce.

The Lithography Engine and Deep-Tech Infrastructure

The undisputed heavyweight of this ecosystem is ASML, the Veldhoven-based manufacturer of the world’s most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems [1][4]. ASML, which is the most valuable listed company in the Netherlands, posted record global sales of €32.7 billion in 2025 and employs approximately 20,000 people domestically [1][4]. However, the Dutch success story is not a one-company show [1]. Other established giants, such as ASM International (ASMI)—which recently posted a record quarterly revenue exceeding €1 billion [3]—and NXP Semiconductors, continue to anchor the value chain [4][5]. Furthermore, the industry is seeing a strategic shift, with existing companies dedicating a larger share of their operations specifically to semiconductors, rising from 46 per cent in 2019 to 51 per cent in 2025 [2].

Nurturing the Next Generation and Integrated Photonics

While established corporations drive the bulk of the revenue, newer deep-tech entrants are carving out vital niches [1]. Start-ups and scale-ups entering the market since 2019 contributed approximately €400 million to the sector’s growth and created nearly 2,000 new jobs [1][2][3]. A prominent example is the chip metrology firm Nearfield Instruments, which raised $380 million in 2026 to scale its advanced manufacturing technologies [1]. Beyond traditional silicon, the Netherlands is actively cultivating next-generation technologies like integrated photonics through initiatives like PhotonDelta, which uses light instead of electricity to transfer data, thereby drastically reducing energy consumption and latency [GPT]. These advancements are critical as European nations seek to secure technological sovereignty [GPT].

Strategic Autonomy and the Global AI Boom

The dramatic growth of the Dutch semiconductor cluster is fundamentally linked to the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom [1][4]. Tech giants are investing heavily in massive data centres to train and run complex AI models, which rely on high-performance GPUs [1][4][8]. While these cutting-edge AI chips are typically designed in the United States and manufactured by foundries in East Asia, they cannot be built without the highly specialized machinery supplied by Dutch manufacturers [1]. To defend and expand this critical position, the Dutch government invested €230 million into the microchip industry last year to ensure the nation remains at the forefront of global tech infrastructure [3]. This funding supports the broader European Union goal of achieving strategic autonomy and supply chain resilience in an increasingly volatile geopolitical climate [GPT].

Sources & Ecosystem Partners

Semiconductor Industry Economic Growth