February 23, 2026
Tin, lasers, and spicy comments
ASML unveils EUV light source advance that could yield 50% more chips by 2030
ASML cranks the chip laser, internet cranks the drama
TLDR: ASML says its chip machine light source hit 1,000 watts, aiming up to 50% more chips and faster factory output by 2030. The community is split between hype for 2,000 watts and skepticism about heat, vacuum stability, and geopolitics—why it matters: cheaper, faster chips for phones, AI, and everything else.
ASML just cranked its chip‑printing light to 1,000 watts, promising up to 50% more chips by 2030—and the comments section went full meltdown. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) is basically super‑tiny light used to “photograph” chip patterns onto silicon wafers; more light means faster printing, with ASML teasing 330 wafers an hour vs. 220 today. Cue the hype squad: one commenter flagged the company’s “no reason we couldn’t get to 2,000 watts” line like a victory lap. Meanwhile, engineers arrived with ice buckets: “This is a steep increase of power” in a delicate vacuum system, and heat is everyone’s villain. Another thread spiraled into deep‑end physics—how small can parts get when they’re just a few atoms wide? Quantum gremlins, anyone?
Geopolitics also crashed the party. When the article framed U.S. and China as parallel rivals, one reader snapped: the tech roots are San Diego (Cymer, ASML’s EUV arm), so don’t lump America with China for narrative flair. For newbies, the community dropped a handy video explainer, while memes flew: tin‑droplet “rave,” lasers “hotter than the sun,” and “chips faster than your TikTok swipe.” Bottom line: fewer exposure seconds, cheaper chips—but the crowd is split between “turn it up” and “don’t melt the machine.”
Key Points
- •ASML increased its EUV light source power from 600 to 1,000 watts, aiming to boost chip output by up to 50% by 2030.
- •Throughput is projected to rise to about 330 wafers per hour per machine by decade’s end, up from approximately 220 now.
- •The advance uses doubled tin droplet frequency (~100,000/s) and two smaller laser bursts for plasma shaping, improving EUV generation.
- •EUV systems operate at 13.5 nm using CO2 lasers to heat tin droplets into plasma; optics from Carl Zeiss AG collect the EUV light.
- •ASML targets further increases to 1,500 watts and sees no fundamental barrier to 2,000 watts, reinforcing its lead amid U.S. and Chinese rivals.