Macron tours ASML as Europe chases chip sovereignty

French President Emmanuel Macron visited chip-equipment giant ASML in Veldhoven on Wednesday, the centerpiece of a broader push by Paris and The Hague to strengthen Europe's position in semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Macron was received by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten during a short working visit to the Brainport region. 

The two had a chance to discuss the developments in the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and cooperation in economics and defense. Tech sovereignty was also a big topic on the agenda. 

Jetten and Macron also joined a roundtable discussion with a group of Dutch and French companies, held at the Strip-T campus. The two officials then headed to ASML’s headquarters in Veldhoven. There, they discussed strengthening cooperation between the two countries to enhance European competitiveness in AI and semiconductors.

Macron arrived with a delegation of French business leaders, reportedly including representatives from Mistral AI, alongside Dutch tech companies taking part in the day's discussions.

ASML’s ties with France 

ASML's monopoly in manufacturing extreme ultraviolet lithography machines for producing the world’s most advanced chips made it Europe’s most-valued company. The company kept a low profile ahead of the visit, with a spokesperson referring questions to the Dutch Ministry of General Affairs, which said the trip was meant to address the development of Europe's tech industry more broadly. 

Last year, ASML invested €1.3 billion in Mistral, the Paris-based AI lab. This capital injection was designed to integrate advanced AI software models into ASML’s engineering designs, improving both machine productivity and software quality. With this investment, ASML became the single largest shareholder of Mistral, which then became Europe’s most valuable AI company. Arthur Mensch, Mistral’s CEO, was also part of the French delegation. 

The Dutch-French link in practice 

There is more. Today, Dutch research organization TNO and French deep-tech scale-up Quobly signed a Memorandum of Understanding on quantum computing. The signing ceremony was held in the presence of both Macron and Jetten. The agreement pairs TNO's device characterization and systems engineering infrastructure with Quobly's quantum hardware platform to advance silicon spin-qubit device development.

“By combining TNO’s testing and characterisation capabilities with Quobly’s industrial quantum platform, we can help accelerate the development of silicon spin qubits toward commercial applications,” said TNO CEO Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi.  “Our cooperation with TNO strengthens this approach by bringing together complementary European expertise in materials, devices and industrialisation,” stated Quobly CEO Maud Vinet. 

Under the deal, TNO will give Quobly access to device measurement data, simulations, and shared test infrastructure — including cryogenic characterization facilities — that the companies describe as a step toward a sovereign European quantum supply chain. 

Building the Europe of tomorrow

As Europe grapples with a dependence on the US and China across the technology stack, Paris and The Hague are trying to bundle forces. This was Macron’s second visit to the Netherlands in just over three years centered on chip cooperation. 

Macron summed up the ambition in a post on his official LinkedIn account: "In Eindhoven, at the heart of the European semiconductor ecosystem, alongside our champions like ASML and Mistral, we are building the Europe of tomorrow: a Europe that innovates, masters its technologies and chooses its destiny."