The Netherlands: Controller of Core Photolithography Technology in the Semiconductor Industry
The global semiconductor or chip design and manufacturing industry has become one of the most important technology-driven sectors. Right now, an undeclared trade war or economic cold war is happening, especially involving the United States, as countries compete for control in this area. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), global semiconductor sales reached $791.7 billion in 2025. This marks a 25.6% increase from the 2024 total of $630.5 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2025, worldwide sales hit $236.6 billion. This was 37.1% higher than the same quarter in 2024 and 13.6% higher than the third quarter of 2025. In December 2025, global sales were at $78.9 billion, a 2.7% rise from November. Although countries like the United States, China, South Korea, and Taiwan are active in semiconductor design and production, the core technology for advanced nanometer chip manufacturing, extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) systems, is produced solely by one country: the Neth...