SAN JOSE, California, March 2, 2026, 11:55 (PST)
ASML is moving to expand its semiconductor equipment portfolio outside of its flagship EUV lithography systems, according to chief technology officer Marco Pieters. The company is now focusing research on advanced packaging tools used in AI semiconductor production.
AI processors these days are more often pieced together from several specialised chips, connected and bonded instead of packed onto a single, bigger silicon die. As a result, packaging—traditionally a low-margin afterthought—has moved up the list of priorities, now playing a critical role in both performance and cost.
ASML’s commanding position in EUV is no secret, and that’s already reflected in the shares, according to reports. The stock is trading at close to 40 times forward earnings — compare that with Nvidia’s multiple of about 22. Market cap sits near $560 billion, and the stock has surged over 30% so far this year.
Pieters says the company is planning well beyond the next few quarters, eyeing what chipmakers could require in packaging, bonding, and other areas over the long haul. “We look, not just for the next five years, we look at the next 10, maybe 15 years,” he said. MarketScreener
ASML stands alone as the producer of EUV tools—machines that use light to etch intricate circuit designs on silicon wafers, the essential building blocks for chips at the core of operations for TSMC and Intel. With a next-gen EUV system in the pipeline and research underway on what could be a third generation, the company is pushing ahead, according to reports.
The company is also looking into ways to push past the current “postage stamp” chip size that its machines print—a restriction that can slow things down. Pieters said ASML plans to roll out AI inside its tools as speeds increase, aiming for smarter machine control software and enhanced inspection during production. Tech Research Online
Chip architecture is shifting rapidly. Where Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices once produced mostly flat designs, the latest AI processors are now assembled in vertical stacks, connected by nanoscale links.
Advanced packaging has gotten a boost, according to the reports, with TSMC tapping it to put together Nvidia’s top-tier AI chips. Pieters pointed out that more of these processes are shifting closer to the wafer’s “front end” as manufacturing demands greater precision—“accuracy is becoming more and more important,” he said. Fine Day Radio 102.3 WNJD
ASML rolled out the XT:260 scanning tool last year, targeting advanced memory chips for AI and AI processors, with Pieters noting that engineers are also looking into additional machines for stacked chip setups. Still, much of this is deep in the research phase, and getting new equipment qualified at chipmakers can drag on, so it’s hard to pin down when returns will materialize. “It will co-exist next to what we’ve been doing for the last 40 years,” Pieters said. wkzo.com
