Zeiss Expands Production: A Crucial Step for ASML

Germany's Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (Zeiss SMT) has announced the opening of a new production base in the country. According to Ixbt.com, this step will significantly increase the volume of optical components for EUV lithography, which is of decisive importance in the production of modern microchips. According to Ixbt.com reports .

This event is of enormous significance for the entire semiconductor industry. The fact is that Zeiss SMT, as the world's only high-precision optics supplier, powers ASML's EUV scanners. In practice, creating modern lithographic machines used for producing advanced microchips is utterly impossible without Zeiss products.

Production Capacities and Limitations

Currently, Zeiss SMT's capacity is one of the main limiting factors constraining the production rates of ASML equipment. In its annual report, the company warned that any long-term disruptions in this partner's operations could seriously impact the entire industry.

Zeiss manufactures lenses, mirrors, and illumination systems for EUV scanners, including High-NA EUV systems. A single such projection system consists of more than 40,000 parts, weighing nearly 12 tons. Manufacturing just one of the most complex mirrors takes several months.

Financial Indicators and Partnership Prospects

To expand production volume, ASML allocated a loan of 1.91 billion euros and an advance payment of 1.19 billion euros to its partner. The common goal of the companies is to reduce the assembly time of each EUV machine from approximately 22 weeks to 15–16 weeks and increase product delivery volumes.

The volume of mutual purchases between the parties is growing rapidly year by year. While this figure stood at 3.33 billion euros in 2023, it reached 3.95 billion euros in 2024. According to experts' forecasts, this amount is expected to reach 4.41 billion euros in 2025.