Europe’s semiconductor strategy is increasingly shifting from manufacturing scale toward strategic infrastructure. This illustration highlights the interconnected ecosystems — from lithography and materials to photonics, automotive systems and research — that together form Europe’s emerging technology stack.
Semiconductors have become the backbone of modern power, shaping geopolitics, AI and global supply chains. From ASML’s unique position to Taiwan’s strategic role, this deep dive explores how chips evolved into the most critical resource of the digital age.
As AI systems scale to thousands of processors, the challenge is shifting from computing power to data movement. From Silicon Valley to Eindhoven, a new generation of photonic chips—using light instead of electricity—could become the backbone of future AI data center infrastructure.
When Peter Wennink stepped down as CEO of ASML in April 2024, he left behind a legacy that transcended the semiconductor industry. Under his stewardship, ASML not only became Europe’s most valuable technology company but also a pivotal player in the geopolitical tug-of-war between the United States and China.
The Netherlands is not a numerical AI superpower — but it is an influential one. While other countries talk big, the Dutch build the components that keep the global system running. No hype cycles, no billion-dollar theatrics: the strength of the Netherlands lies in precision, infrastructure and reliability.
When the world talks about technological leadership, the conversation is dominated by the United States and China. The U.S. builds hyperscale AI platforms and attracts the world’s largest pools of venture capital. China orchestrates state-directed innovation and industrial ecosystems at a scale that few nations can match.
When people talk about cutting-edge technology, they often think of the giants that dominate software and AI — Google, Apple, Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI. But the foundations of global innovation increasingly rely on something far more complex, far more fragile and far harder to replicate: deep hardware ecosystems.
Silicon Valley is often treated as the ultimate template for innovation — the place where software giants were born, where venture capital became a cultural force and where new technologies could move from idea to global impact within a single product cycle. So when Europe looks for its own hubs of innovation, the comparison is inevitable: Is there a European Silicon Valley?
In the sprawling global chip race, the world tends to focus on the big names: Taiwan’s foundries, American fabless chip-firms, Chinese challengers. But tucked away in the Dutch city of Veldhoven sits a company quietly rewriting the rules: ASML. While many talk about Europe’s lag in semiconductor manufacturing, ASML is living proof that Europe still holds world-beating innovation — not by chasing the same paths as others, but by building the tools that everyone else needs.
