Expanding semiconductor manufacturing capacity in Europe.
ASML Begins Construction on Massive New Eindhoven Campus for AI Chip Production
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The first wave of the BIC North campus is expected to accommodate about 5,000 employees by early 2028, while the completed site is planned to include approximately 428,000 square meters of cleanrooms and offices across its roughly 100-hectare footprint.
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ASML said the new Flow Factory will use a next-generation operating model for its TWINSCAN factory, drawing on production methods from the automotive and aerospace industries to accelerate and scale module manufacturing.
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ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet thanked national and local governments for their “close cooperation” at the construction ceremony, which was attended by Prime Minister Rob Jetten, his predecessor Dick Schoof and Eindhoven Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem.
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The campus will form one of three complementary ASML sites in the Brainport region, alongside the company’s headquarters at De Run 1000 and its industrial campus at De Run 6000/7000 in Veldhoven.
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The BIC North expansion is proceeding even as ASML has announced plans to cut about 1,700 jobs; the company has paired those cuts with retention incentives aimed at keeping critical employees during the transition.
ASML has begun construction of BIC North, a sprawling new industrial campus near Eindhoven that will eventually house up to 20,000 workers, according to IC&PCB. The Netherlands-based chipmaking equipment giant broke ground on the project after the Dutch government and regional authorities moved quickly to keep the company from expanding abroad, addressing infrastructure gaps and power grid constraints that had threatened the expansion.
The first phase of the campus will welcome roughly 5,000 employees by early 2028, with full completion targeted for 2029, Dutch Review reported. The site will span about 100 hectares and include a new Flow Factory designed to manufacture TWINSCAN lithography systems—the advanced machines that etch patterns onto AI chips—with greater speed and efficiency than ASML's current operations.
Dutch Government Races to Keep ASML at Home
ASML had warned it might build its expansion outside the Netherlands without urgent government support. Prime Minister Rob Jetten and local officials responded with Project Beethoven, a coordinated effort to improve the region's workforce training, housing, and power supply. The groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday drew both Jetten and his predecessor Dick Schoof, underscoring the political stakes.
ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet credited the governments for their "close cooperation" in removing obstacles, particularly environmental permits and grid upgrades. The new campus will sit alongside ASML's existing headquarters at De Run 1000 and its industrial campus at De Run 6000/7000 in Veldhoven, forming a three-site cluster in the Brainport region.
A New Manufacturing Model for Lithography Machines
The Flow Factory will use an operating model borrowed from the automotive and aerospace industries, designed to speed up module manufacturing and scale production, according to Interesting Engineering. ASML hopes this streamlined approach will help it meet surging global demand for the lithography tools used to produce cutting-edge semiconductors, especially those powering artificial intelligence.
The campus will include approximately 428,000 square meters of cleanrooms and offices—spaces where dust and contamination are strictly controlled for precision manufacturing. This consolidated production, logistics, and office setup marks ASML's most ambitious capacity expansion in its home country, Dutch Review noted.
Job Cuts and Retention Bonuses Shape the Workforce Picture
The campus expansion comes as ASML announced plans to cut about 1,700 jobs across the company. ASML has paired these layoffs with retention incentives aimed at keeping critical workers steady during the transition period, ensuring the company doesn't lose key talent amid the upheaval.
The two-pronged approach—simultaneous expansion and contraction—reflects ASML's strategy to reshape its workforce around high-priority growth areas. BIC North will serve as the engine for that growth, anchoring ASML's long-term presence in the Eindhoven region and cementing the Netherlands as the global hub for advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
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