ASML warns Europe risks falling behind in semiconductor production

ASML, the Dutch company that holds a monopoly on the machines needed to make the world’s most advanced chips, has delivered a blunt message to its home continent: we’re not selling anything here. Frank Heemskerk, ASML’s executive vice president, made the declaration at an event in Amsterdam, noting that the company has effectively stopped selling chipmaking equipment in Europe. The reason is straightforward: nobody is building new semiconductor fabrication plants on the continent. The numbers tell the story Europe accounted for just 1.6% of ASML’s €32.7 billion in net sales for 2025. That works out to roughly €524 million, a rounding error for a company whose machines can cost upwards of €300 million each. The Netherlands, where ASML is headquartered, contributed a particularly striking figure: €4.7 million. That’s 0.014% of total sales. The company that builds the most sophisticated manufacturing equipment on the planet, in the heart of Europe, finds almost zero customers at home. Europe, meanwhile, has its own plan on paper. The EU Chips Act set an ambitious target of capturing 20% of global chip production by 2030. With ASML selling essentially nothing on the continent, that goa...