ASML intends to raise prices for its Low-NA EUV lithography tools by moving beyond its current productivity-based pricing model [1].
This shift could increase the cost of semiconductor manufacturing for the world's largest chipmakers, potentially impacting the price of advanced chips used in artificial intelligence and consumer electronics.
The company wants to capture the value of all advantages its tools offer rather than focusing solely on wafer-throughput improvements [1]. ASML said the new approach would account for performance benefits such as yield improvement, and cycle-time reduction [1, 3].
These plans follow an upbeat second-quarter earnings report for 2026 [2]. For the full year, ASML forecasts net sales between €43 billion and €45 billion [4]. The company also plans to increase its Low-NA EUV capacity by approximately 30% for 2027 [4].
The proposal has already created tension with ASML's largest customer, TSMC. Reports indicate that TSMC is unhappy with the potential plan and has already provided pushback regarding the price hikes [2, 5].
ASML, headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, maintains a near-monopoly on the extreme ultraviolet lithography technology required to make the smallest and most efficient transistors [1, 2]. The company is now attempting to leverage that market position to transition toward a broader value-based pricing approach [5].
“ASML intends to raise prices for its Low-NA EUV lithography tools”
ASML's move signals a transition from pricing based on raw output to pricing based on the overall economic value provided to the fab. Because ASML is the sole provider of EUV technology, chipmakers like TSMC have limited alternatives, but the pushback suggests a growing friction over the cost of maintaining the leading edge of Moore's Law.
