ASML plans to raise production capacity for its current-generation EUV systems by about 30% in 2027, with another increase of roughly 30% under consideration for 2028. That matters because making more advanced AI chips depends not just on chipmakers, but on the specialised machines that print their circuits.
ASML Watch analysis
What happened
A report by Jawlah says ASML’s planned capacity for 2026 is about 65 low-numerical-aperture EUV systems. The company is planning the 2027 increase and weighing a further expansion the following year, while monitoring longer-term customer demand.
The report also describes the next generation: High NA EUV, which uses a larger numerical aperture to print finer patterns. It says Intel has begun using High NA on some layers of its Intel 18A process, while TSMC is targeting high-volume production with the technology from 2030. ASML and TSMC also announced a joint initiative in September on moving from six-inch to 12-inch photomasks.
Why it matters
More EUV capacity could help chipmakers respond to demand for advanced logic and memory, including chips used in AI. But these machines depend on a wide supplier network, so expanding output is not as simple as ordering another production line. The report describes a system involving more than 100,000 parts and around 200 principal suppliers.
The High NA details point to a longer-term effort to make denser chip designs. Intel’s reported use is a production milestone; TSMC’s 2030 target is a plan, not a completed transition.
Our read
The AI build-out has a supply chain, and ASML sits unusually deep in it. Capacity plans are useful evidence of where the industry expects demand to go, though they are not a guarantee that every planned machine will arrive on schedule. For chip watchers, the revealing question is whether ASML’s suppliers can scale alongside it.
What to watch
- Whether ASML confirms the planned 2027 increase and decides on the 2028 expansion.
- How many EUV systems it can produce as supplier capacity grows.
- Whether Intel’s High NA use expands beyond the reported layers.
- Whether TSMC keeps to its 2030 High NA production target.
Discussion spark: Should chipmakers prioritise expanding today’s EUV capacity, or put more effort into the harder transition to High NA?
Sources and evidence
- شركة ASML تتمسك بصدارة آلات تصنيع الرقائق المتقدمة – jawlah.co (28 September 2026, 11:07 UTC)
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