ASML CEO Warns Europe is ‘Quite Behind’ in AI Race as US Buys 80% of Advanced Chips - Wccftech

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet's remarks highlight the shifting dynamics in the global semiconductor landscape, particularly Europe's lag in the AI race. His comments reveal that demand from projects lik... Read original →

ASML’s CEO spotlighted Europe’s systemic lag in the AI semiconductor race—not just in manufacturing but across design, capital intensity, and ecosystem cohesion. Technologically, sub-3nm EUV capacity is locked in Taiwan, China and Korea; Europe lacks even a mature-node closed-loop supply chain, let alone HBM-advanced packaging integration vital for AI workloads. Regulatory risks are mounting: U.S. CHIPS Act subsidies tie production to North America, diverting ASML tool allocations and exposing European fabs to export controls and delivery delays. Market-wise, NVIDIA has already committed 80% of its high-end GPU output to TSMC’s Arizona facility, while European R&D (e.g., IMEC) remains stuck in 2nm prototyping—three years behind in volume readiness. Over the next 12–24 months, without aggressive vertical integration via the European Chips Act, the continent will forfeit industrial AI autonomy and become structurally dependent on U.S.-Asia supply chains, eroding its digital sovereignty.