ASML is a Dutch company headquartered in Veldhoven, and is known as the world’s largest supplier of photolithography systems for the semiconductor industry. Founded as a joint venture in 1984 between Philips and Advanced Semiconductor Materials International, the lithography machines that ASML develops and constructs nowadays are essential for the production of integrated circuits and electronic chips such as DRAM, flash memory, and CPUs. Holding 67 percent of the market share of worldwide sales of photolithography systems, ASML is the clear leader in the photolithography industry. This is reflected in the company’s record sales last year of €5.65bn.