Strong demand for EUV lithography machine: ASML super application material becomes the world's largest semiconductor equipment enterprise

It took nearly 30 years for ASML, a Dutch photolithography giant, to finally surpass applied materials and become the world's largest semiconductor equipment company.

Robert Castellano, chairman of tin research, said that the share of Applied Materials in the wafer front-end area (WFE) has been declining in the past three years. On the contrary, the EUV lithography machine was robbed by several wafer giants.

Applied materials accounted for 19.2% of the semiconductor equipment market last year, while this year's share slightly increased to 19.4%, while ASML, the rival, rose to 21.6% from 18% last year, the study said.

"Based on a modest recovery of 5% of the overall WFE market in 2020 and planned capital expenditure by semiconductor manufacturers, ASML will increase its market share to 22.8% in 2020, while applied materials will maintain a 19.3% share," Castellano said

In the fourth quarter of this year, ASML is expected to deliver eight EUV lithography machines, with an average price of 120 million euros, equivalent to 930 million yuan, which is the most expensive equipment for human beings.