ASML Reports Zero Chipmaking Machine Sales in Europe
Veldhoven, Wednesday 23 September 2026
ASML warns that Europe is falling behind global rivals like the US and China, as zero local factory investments have left the Dutch giant with no domestic machine sales.
A Stark Warning on European Investment Stagnation
Frank Heemskerk, ASML’s Executive Vice President responsible for global public affairs, delivered a stark assessment on Monday evening, 21 September 2026, at an industry event in Amsterdam [2]. Heemskerk revealed that the Dutch lithography giant is currently selling zero chipmaking machines within Europe, attributing this directly to a severe lack of regional investment and the absence of domestic chip factory projects [1][2][3]. The contrast with global competitors is profound; the United States, China, and India are aggressively pouring capital into their domestic semiconductor industries, actively lobbying ASML to expand its operations within their borders [1][4].
The Widening Investment Gap
This absolute lack of domestic sales highlights a massive regional imbalance for Europe’s most valuable company [2]. In 2025, Europe accounted for a mere 1.6% of ASML’s €32.7 billion in net sales [3]. To put this in perspective, ASML’s total net sales to European clients amounted to only 0.523 billion euros in 2025 [3]. This marginal footprint highlights the widening gap between the European continent and global semiconductor hubs, where giants like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics continuously deploy ASML’s advanced lithography systems to manufacture cutting-edge silicon wafers [1][3].
The Failure of the European Chips Act to Spur Growth
This investment dry spell comes at a critical time as the European Union contemplates a revision of its landmark Chips Act, which originally came into force in 2023 to secure supply chains after pandemic-era shortages [1][3]. The legislation aimed to double Europe’s share of global semiconductor production by 2030 [1]. However, regional efforts have consistently faltered, with the European Court of Auditors concluding last year that the EU is highly unlikely to achieve this ambitious target [1]. While European equipment manufacturers like ASM and regional chip designers continue to innovate, the lack of large-scale fabrication facilities (“fabs”) means physical machine integration is happening elsewhere [GPT][alert! ‘ASM and chip design specifics are not detailed in the provided source text, but represent broader industry trends’].
Securing the Broader Value Chain and Strategic Autonomy
To counter this stagnation, industry experts suggest that Europe must look beyond traditional silicon fabrication and bolster its entire value chain, including integrated photonics and specialized chip design [GPT]. Initiatives like PhotonDelta in the Netherlands seek to position the region as a leader in next-generation optical chips, which could bypass some of the bottlenecks of traditional silicon manufacturing [GPT]. However, without a robust foundation in high-end lithography deployment at home, the broader European tech ecosystem risks becoming entirely reliant on foreign manufacturing loops [GPT]. As Heemskerk warned, ASML must scale its production capacity outside of the Netherlands to meet global demand, driven by intense competition among countries vying to host the company’s expansion [4]. If European policymakers cannot quickly streamline funding and incentivize the construction of state-of-the-art fabs, the continent may find itself permanently sidelined in the global artificial intelligence and semiconductor race [1][4].