On 3 February 2026, executives A SML, the world's largest developer and manufacturer of advanced technology machinery for the semiconductor industry from the Netherlands, met with the Board of Investment (BOI) to discuss collaboration approaches for building a machinery supply chain for semiconductor production in Thailand. They also expressed interest in transferring knowledge and technology to upgrade Thai manufacturers, enabling them to become suppliers in advanced technology machinery—considered the "upstream" of chip production.
Why ASML's meeting with Thailand's BOI signals strategically that Thailand may be emerging as a new destination in the global semiconductor supply chain.
ASML is the world leader in developing lithography machines used to print circuit patterns on wafers, which are essential for producing advanced chips in smart devices, including CPUs and GPUs. Currently, ASML is the only company worldwide capable of manufacturing Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) and High-NA EUV machines used to produce high-performance chips at process nodes from 7 nanometers down to below 2 nanometers.
This technology makes ASML an indispensable player for global chip manufacturers such as TSMC, Intel, and Samsung, generating over 1.2 trillion baht in revenue in 2025, underscoring ASML's role as the most critical upstream technology holder in the global semiconductor industry.
In this discussion, ASML presented its business expansion plans in the Asia region and expressed interest in expanding its supplier network in Thailand to support company growth and enhance cost competitiveness.
Currently, ASML already has key suppliers investing in Thailand and plans to increase the number of suppliers to integrate Thailand into the ecosystem of machinery for upstream chip manufacturing plants. This will pave the way for establishing upstream chip fabrication plants (Wafer Fabrication) in the country in the future.
The core of this cooperation is not immediately about setting up ASML machinery factories, but about advancing Thailand's semiconductor industry in multiple aspects, including:
Currently, Thailand has several capable advanced electronics parts manufacturers such as SPEA, Celestica, Fabrinet, Delta Electronics, Oerlikon, Lumentum, SAM Precision, and Foxsemicon Integrated Technology (FITI) under Foxconn, which recently decided to invest over 10 billion baht in its first phase to establish a production base for equipment and modules for upstream semiconductor machinery in Thailand, making it the company's fourth global factory.
Meanwhile, Mr. Narut Terodsathirasak, Secretary-General of the Board of Investment (BOI), stated that ASML views Thailand as highly potential due to its industrial base, infrastructure, skilled workforce, and the clear "Chip Made in Thailand" national semiconductor strategy. ASML has also provided recommendations and expressed willingness to cooperate with the Thai government to promote this strategy.
The interest of this global upstream technology leader in jointly developing the supply chain in Thailand represents a significant opportunity for Thai entrepreneurs from Tier 1 to Tier 3 to upgrade technology, develop human resources, and connect to the global semiconductor supply chain.
Source information BOI
Follow the Facebook page: Thairath Money at this link -
