ASML: The unsung hero of AI
photo from wired.com
👶 Talk to me like I'm a toddler: What is this?
Everyone talks about the big names in AI like OpenAI, Google, or NVIDIA. But guess what? None of their stuff would work without one crucial company you probably don't even know exists.
That company?
It's not a Silicon Valley tech giant. It's not flashy. It’s a quiet Dutch company. But it builds something so essential, so insanely complicated, that without it, we wouldn’t have smartphones, laptops, or… AI.
🏢 First things first: What is ASML?
ASML is a company that builds the most important machine in the world—at least when it comes to making computer chips for AI. They makes the machines that make the chips that make the AI work.
Imagine every big tech company — OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA — as the world’s greatest “pastry chefs”. They have the recipe, but without an oven, you cannot bake anything.
ASML is that oven.
ASML doesn’t write the recipe (the software), it doesn’t mix the ingredients together (the AI), and it doesn’t serve the dessert (the apps). But without that high-tech machine (the oven) — there would be no chips. And without the chips, AI doesn’t work.
🧠Okay, but what does ASML actually do?
ASML makes super big, super fancy machines that use lasers to draw teeny tiny lines on computer chips.
This process is called EUV lithography (that’s short for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography). It uses insanely tiny wavelengths of light to carve out transistor patterns—transistors are the little switches that make computers run.
The more precise the light, the smaller the transistors. And the smaller the transistors, the faster and more powerful the chip.
🤖 Why is this so important for AI?
AI models like ChatGPT or image generators need massive computing power. That power comes from GPUs (graphic processing units), which are built using the tiniest, fastest chips possible.
Without ASML’s machines, you can’t make those chips.
✨ Why is ASML so special?
Because no one else can do what they do.
ASML is the only company in the world that makes EUV lithography machines. Each machine costs $150 million, has over 100,000 parts, and takes multiple cargo planes to ship.
It’s a miracle of engineering.
🌏 What will ASML look like in the future?
ASML is already working on the next generation of machines: High-NA EUV, which will make even smaller chip features and even more powerful processors.
That means better AI, smarter phones, faster everything.
But it also means ASML will become even more critical on the global stage—and probably even more closely guarded by countries trying to control who gets the tech.
🚀 Final thoughts
ASML isn’t a household name—but it should be. Without it, there’s no modern AI, no advanced smartphones, no gaming consoles, no quantum computing.
So next time someone mentions AI or tech giants, just smile and say: "Yeah, but have you heard of ASML?"
And enjoy being the smartest person in the room.
