By Maarten van Tartwijk
AMSTERDAM--ASML Holding NV (ASML.AE) said Wednesday it has
clinched an order for at least 15 extreme ultraviolet lithography
machines, a long-awaited tool for building more powerful and
energy-efficient computer chips.
The Dutch semiconductor-equipment maker said it signed an
agreement with an unidentified U.S. customer for the delivery of
the systems, of which two are expected to be shipped before the end
of 2015.
Analysts said the most likely customer is U.S. chipmaker Intel
Corp. (INTC), which has invested billions of dollars in ASML to
accelerate development of the EUV technology. The order has an
estimated value of around $1.5 billion, they said.
Intel wasn't immediately available for comment.
ASML supplies the world's biggest chip makers with lithography
machines used to produce chips and it has a market share of more
than 80%. Its EUV technology has long been pioneered as a tool to
improve the power of microchips, but developing the machines has
proved complex and costly.
The Dutch company has worked on the technology for more than a
decade and in 2012 received financial support from Intel, Samsung
Electronics Co. Ltd. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to
speed up the process.
ASML said the EUV machines could help the semiconductor industry
continue Moore's Law, which states the number of transistors on a
chip should double approximately every two years.
Demand for more powerful chips is expected to rise in the coming
decade in light of the "Internet of Things", a term used for the
growing tendency for more items to be wirelessly connected.
ASML shares surged 8.6% on the news, the biggest riser in
Amsterdam.
Write to Maarten van Tartwijk at Maarten.VanTartwijk@wsj.com
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