ASML Partners With Dutch TNO to Advance Photonic Chip Mass Production, Lithography Giant Accelerates Push Into Next-Generation Computing

TradingKey - On June 24, Eastern Time, ASML ( ASML) and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) announced a partnership to jointly promote the industrialization of photonic integrated circuits. The two parties will conduct technical collaboration around the photonic chip pilot line built by TNO at High Tech Campus Eindhoven.

The photonic chip pilot line is a core facility under the framework of the EU's PIXEurope project. Construction began in early 2026, with plans to achieve mass production capability for 6-inch wafer-level indium phosphide (InP) photonic chips. Under the agreement, ASML will provide DUV and I-line lithography equipment and process support in phases. ASML is a global leader in lithography technology, and the equipment and process support it provides is one of the key links in achieving stable mass production of photonic chips.

Photonic chips replace electrical signals with optical signals to transmit data, offering high speed, low energy consumption, anti-electromagnetic interference, and high bandwidth. The growing demand for AI computing power has made the bottlenecks of electrical chips in heat dissipation and bandwidth increasingly apparent. Market research firm Yole forecasts that the global silicon photonics market size will grow from $278 million in 2024 to $2.7 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46%. A single 6-inch indium phosphide wafer can yield more chips, helping to reduce per-unit costs.

Looking at the strategic considerations behind the project, the significance of this collaboration goes beyond the specific facility itself. The function of the pilot production line is to build a bridge between laboratory research and industrial manufacturing. TNO will be responsible for operating the facility for five years, with subsequent transfer to the industry as a mass production base depending on conditions.

From a European perspective, the project falls under the framework of the EU Chips Act. Europe hopes to establish an open, shared manufacturing platform in the field of photonic chips for use by various enterprises and research institutions. Amid frequent fluctuations in the global semiconductor supply chain, Europe is attempting to secure a more proactive position in the future advanced manufacturing landscape through the new track of photonic chips.

For ASML, its core strength lies in lithography equipment, but the chip industry is entering the post-Moore era, where traditional technological routes are gradually approaching physical limits and new directions are opening up. By involving itself in the mass production of photonic chips, ASML not only expands application scenarios for its existing business but also positions itself early in the longer-term industrial landscape.

Large-scale industrialization of photonic chips still faces challenges such as low testing efficiency, complex packaging and integration, and high initial costs. High Tech Campus Eindhoven has already gathered startups, research institutions, and higher education institutions from the PhotonDelta ecosystem.