This article in Handelsblatt, Germany's leading financial daily newspaper, outlines how ASML, which emerged from the former Philips, has grown into the most influential and geopolitically sensitive company in the global chip industry. From its headquarters in Veldhoven, near Eindhoven, ASML supplies essential and extremely advanced machines for the production of modern AI chips. Due to its key position, the company has become embroiled in the technological conflict between the US and China, with American pressure leading to export restrictions on China – especially in the field of advanced EUV technology. Despite these political tensions, ASML has grown explosively and transformed the Eindhoven region into a crucial European high-tech hub, with more than 44,000 employees worldwide, half of whom are based in the Netherlands.