Science & technology| Chipmaking
The race is on to build the world’s most complex machine
But toppling ASML will not be easy
Two people dressed in white overall suits in the Cleanroom at ASML Headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands.
Photograph: ASML
Few would expect the future of artificial intelligence (AI) to depend on Eindhoven, a quiet Dutch town. Yet just beyond its borders sits the headquarters of ASML, the only company that makes the machines, known as lithography tools, needed to produce cutting-edge AIchips. ASML’s latest creation is a 150-tonne colossus, around the size of two shipping containers and priced at around $350m. It is also the most advanced machine for sale.