ASML breaks ground on BIC North campus near Eindhoven to meet AI-driven chip demand
ASML has begun construction of the BIC North production campus on 35 hectares near Eindhoven Airport, adding capacity for up to 20,000 workers. The expansion comes as the chip-equipment maker races to fulfill orders for EUV lithography tools booked through 2027, driven by surging AI demand.
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — ASML, the world's largest manufacturer of computer chip-making equipment, on Tuesday broke ground on a major new production campus in the Netherlands as it races to meet surging demand from the artificial intelligence boom.
The BIC North project is being built on about 35 hectares of undeveloped land near Eindhoven Airport, roughly 7 km (4 miles) from ASML's headquarters and main manufacturing sites in Veldhoven. The investment will eventually add space for up to 20,000 workers, with a first phase targeting completion by 2029 that will include offices, logistics and cleanroom space for specialist equipment manufacturing.
"The growing global demand from the semiconductor industry requires continuous investments," CEO Christophe Fouquet said in a statement. ASML said the design of a new "Flow Factory" will enable it to build and assemble its giant chip-printing tools more quickly and efficiently.
ASML has become Europe's most valuable company, with a US$660 billion market capitalisation after a 62 per cent rise in the value of its shares this year. The company said in July that nearly all of its capacity to produce EUV lithography tools — essential for fabricating advanced processors and memory chips needed for AI — has already been booked through the end of 2027.
Its customers, including TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and Intel, are expanding capacity to meet surging demand for AI computing from companies such as Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Amazon. The expansion contrasts with retrenchment in other areas of European manufacturing, with Volkswagen this month announcing a restructuring that will eliminate 50,000 jobs in response to weak demand and intense competition from Chinese competitors.
The expansion also represents a vote of confidence in Dutch national and local governments, after ASML threatened in 2024 to move new manufacturing abroad if officials failed to meet expansion needs such as issuing building permits, improving roads and guaranteeing electrical connections. Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Eindhoven Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem were expected to attend the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
