ASML Holding NV has signed a strategic partnership with French AI specialist Mistral AI, marking one of the largest collaborations between the semiconductor equipment industry and the AI sector. The deal includes both a long-term collaboration agreement and a massive €1.3 billion investment from ASML.
www.eenewseurope.com/, Sept. 10, 2025 –
For eeNews Europe readers, the tie-up underscores how AI is becoming a key driver in semiconductor R&D and manufacturing efficiency, with direct implications for time-to-market and chip performance.
The agreement will see the two companies work together to apply advanced AI models across ASML’s product portfolio, including research, development, and operations. The aim is to help chipmakers accelerate product cycles and enhance the performance of ASML’s holistic lithography systems.
ASML is taking a lead role in Mistral AI’s Series C funding round with its €1.3 billion investment, which gives the Dutch semiconductor equipment giant about an 11 percent stake in the Paris-based startup on a fully diluted basis. The move goes well beyond a standard supplier relationship.
“The collaboration between Mistral AI and ASML aims to generate clear benefits for ASML customers through innovative products and solutions enabled by AI, and will offer potential for joint research to address future opportunities,” said Christophe Fouquet, President and CEO of ASML. “We believe that this strategic partnership with Mistral AI, which goes beyond a traditional vendor-client relationship, is the best way to capture this significant opportunity. We also believe that this collaboration is value-enhancing to Mistral AI.”
For Mistral AI, the deal provides not just funding but direct access to ASML’s global reach and deep expertise in semiconductor manufacturing. “We are proud to engage in this long-term partnership with ASML, combining our frontier AI expertise with ASML’s unmatched industrial leadership and most sophisticated engineering capabilities,” said Arthur Mensch, Co-Founder and CEO of Mistral AI. “We believe this partnership will strengthen Mistral AI’s proposition, position, and value in the AI market. Together, we will accelerate technological progress across the global semiconductor and AI value chain.”
ASML expects the collaboration to accelerate innovation and unlock efficiencies that could benefit the broader semiconductor ecosystem. As part of the deal, ASML CFO Roger Dassen will join Mistral AI’s Strategic Committee, giving the equipment maker a voice in shaping the startup’s future direction.
This first-of-its-kind tie-up between a semiconductor equipment maker and a leading AI player highlights how machine learning is moving from software applications into the heart of semiconductor manufacturing processes. For Europe’s chip industry, the move strengthens both technological leadership and strategic positioning at a time when global competition is intensifying.