Nikon weaponizes lower prices to break ASML's lithography monopoly — tech giant leverages in-house manufacturing to slash prices to lure back American chipmakers - Tom's Hardware

Nikon is challenging ASML's dominance in the lithography market by offering ArF (argon fluoride) tools at lower prices, leveraging its in-house manufacturing capabilities to compete with the market le... Read original →

Nikon’s aggressive pricing on ArF lithography tools targets ASML’s weakest flank: non-EUV segments still vital for 3nm multi-patterning. By leveraging in-house manufacturing, Nikon offers a geopolitically palatable alternative under U.S. supply chain diversification mandates. Technically, this delays full migration to EUV and supports cost-sensitive advanced nodes in Taiwan, China; Korea; and the U.S. However, Nikon’s 86B yen loss underscores the risk of its capital-intensive model. ASML will likely counter not with price cuts but by deepening software-service lock-in around its EUV ecosystem. Within 18 months, if Nikon secures validation from Intel or Samsung and delivers its 2028 platform, it could force a structural reset in DUV pricing—and potentially loosen Dutch export controls on older ASML tools, aligning with Washington’s goal of 'managed competition.'