XIVER Adds ASML Technology to Expand European Chip Production
The former Philips business is expanding manufacturing in Eindhoven, backed by a €55 million investment programme and a photonics partnership with Italy.
XIVER has acquired an ASML lithography system to expand its manufacturing capabilities in Eindhoven. The former Philips business plans to use the equipment to produce more intricate structures for photonic chips, sensors and other specialised devices. Announced on 13 October, the system is expected to become operational in 2027.
The acquisition is part of a €55 million investment programme. ABN AMRO announced on 1 October that it is providing €28 million in debt financing for improvements to XIVER’s facilities and equipment, including the ASML system.
The investment highlights a distinctive connection within Brainport. XIVER uses ASML technology to develop its manufacturing capabilities, while also supplying thin-film microcomponents and membranes to ASML. Equipment and specialist manufacturing expertise move in both directions between the two businesses.
A partnership with Italy’s PhotonPath extends that relationship beyond the region. The companies are preparing to manufacture PhotonPath’s optical chip technology using XIVER’s production infrastructure in Eindhoven, connecting an Italian technology developer with Dutch manufacturing capacity.
What the new equipment makes possible
XIVER became independent after Dutch investors acquired the former Philips activity at the High Tech Campus in early 2025. Its markets include optical communications, infrared sensing, medical technology and semiconductor equipment. The expansion builds on an existing manufacturing business and its relationships with international customers.
The acquired ASML machine is a PAS 5500 system using deep ultraviolet light to create fine patterns on wafers. It adds more precise patterning and alignment to XIVER’s existing equipment, including the ability to align structures on opposite sides of a wafer.
For specialised devices, that precision can determine whether different layers and components work together properly. In photonics, it helps define the microscopic paths through which light travels. XIVER says the system will support structures that were previously beyond the practical limits of its equipment.
For customers, the challenge extends beyond making a design work once. A manufacturer must reproduce it reliably across successive production runs. Small variations in materials, dimensions or alignment can affect how a device performs.
XIVER’s approach is to work with customers early, bringing product design and manufacturing decisions together. The additional equipment expands the range of designs it can accommodate and the processes available to bring them into production.
From Milan to Eindhoven
PhotonPath offers a named example of the European demand XIVER is seeking to serve. Founded in 2019 as a Politecnico di Milano spin-off, the Italian company develops photonic chips and control systems for communications and sensing.
Its agreement with XIVER, announced on 18 June, concerns Oxyn, a technology platform for guiding and controlling light inside optical devices. The collaboration brings manufacturing towards XIVER’s 200-millimetre wafer infrastructure, with the stated aims of increasing capacity, improving delivery times and maintaining consistent quality.
The wafer is the disc on which many devices are manufactured together before being separated. Moving a design onto an established production line requires adapting and checking the manufacturing process so that the resulting devices retain their intended performance.
PhotonPath contributes its designs and knowledge of optical systems. XIVER provides the manufacturing processes, equipment and production controls. Together, they are addressing the practical work between developing a technology and supplying it consistently to customers.
The agreement establishes a specific cross-border relationship. The commercial scale remains to be demonstrated: the announcement does not disclose order values, production volumes or named end customers.
An established ASML platform finds new uses
The PAS 5500 illustrates a less visible part of ASML’s business. Introduced in 1991, the platform continues to serve specialised chip manufacturing. ASML refurbishes existing machines for applications including sensors, microsystems and photonics, extending the useful lives of equipment originally developed decades ago.
Its relevance depends on what manufacturers need to produce. The ability to handle different materials and align structures on both sides of a wafer makes the platform useful for devices whose requirements differ from those of advanced computing processors. XIVER’s announcement does not specify whether its machine was acquired through ASML’s refurbishment programme.
The financing adds substance to the expansion plans. ABN AMRO identifies demand across AI, defence and semiconductor technologies as the context for supporting XIVER. The investment programme puts facilities and production equipment behind those expectations.
The next milestones are operational: installing the system, qualifying customer products and moving them into regular production. Additional output and revenue attributable to the machine have not been quantified publicly.
For Brainport, XIVER provides a tangible example of European industrial development: capital committed to manufacturing in Eindhoven, ASML technology supporting specialist production and an Italian partner preparing its technology for a larger manufacturing environment.
This article is part of Brainport’s Next Chapter: Building a European Customer Base, a series following the region’s latest developments in chips, AI and photonics.
Credit
AI-generated illustration: OpenAI / Altair Media.
Caption
Conceptual illustration of specialised chip manufacturing in Eindhoven, with the Evoluon linking the production scene to Brainport. The image does not depict XIVER’s actual facilities.
