ASML's Best Selling Product Isn't What You Think It Is (opens in new tab)

(siliconimist.com)

87 pointsjohncole6d ago35 comments

35 comments

For those interested in ASML, and how much engineering goes into being able to make EUV lithography work reliably at scale for 3nm nodes (by hitting individual droplets of tin with highly accurate lasers and turning them into plasma!), I highly recommend this recent (Dec 2025) Veritasium video about them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUHjLxm3V0

For more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithograph...

(There's something incredible and downright "alchemical" about the fact that the reason our sand can "think" is because we use light to vaporize tin which then carves intricate glyphs into the sand!)

cassianoleal6d ago

> Even at the absolute bleeding edge of human physics, we still have a fundamental desire to play.

I'd say play is of fundamental importance at the bleeding edge of knowledge and technology. Without play, there's no appetite for failure. Without appetite for failure, there's no progress, no novel solutions, no creativity.

voidUpdate6d ago

I'm not particularly surprised that the $600 Lego set sells better than the $400 million lithography tool...

shubhamjain6d ago

The kind of garbage that gets to the front-page is mind-boggling. Okay, maybe there's some useful trivia here, but combined with the headline, it's just trash clickbait.

mrweasel6d ago

It's $200, otherwise I think it would be a bit on the high end in terms of price per piece. $600 is the cheapest version on eBay.

Unless you need the box, you can get the instructions online (https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-215601/NightHawk11991/asml-...). Though that might be a recreation.

voidUpdate6d ago

(I couldn't see a listed price in the article, so I just went for the cheapest resale price they said. Thanks for clarifying)

nikitaga6d ago

> Employee Only: You cannot buy these in stores. They are sold exclusively to ASML employees with a strictly enforced “one per person” rule.

Wonder if they include this lego set as a gift with their real machines? Or are they like – our commercial agreement is worth $400M and not a lego set above that.

AntiUSAbah6d ago

"Why it matters"

No it doesn't.

And the only thing it does again, to remind me, that this is cool as hell but i'm not able to buy it...

nottorp6d ago

When I saw the title I thought it would be some plushie. Turns out I wasn't far from the truth!

behohippy6d ago

You might have a business idea there. I wouldn't mind a twinscan plushie for sitting on top of the workstation.

johncoleOP6d ago

Spot on!

keernan6d ago

[delayed]

j_maffe6d ago

Can we please do something about these AI slop articles? It's becoming really sadenning having to open a frontpage link only to find the same, meritless, braindead article one time after the other.

girvo6d ago

I’m flagging them, but it’s not enough. Front page is full of it these days. Sad times.

planb6d ago

You're absolutely right! "Why Does This Matter?" was a dead giveaway that this article was not written by a human — it was written by a large language model.

But really: "Why does this matter?" When looking at an article like this, I rarely read the text. This is just fluff no matter if AI-generated or hand written. The info is "there's a LEGO set of that ASML machine" and the picture of that set. That's all I want to know before clicking the back button.

john_strinlai6d ago

and then open up the comments section, just to see several identical "ai slop" comments and someone inevitably making a "you're absolutely right" joke.

bux936d ago

Two words. Volkswagen sausage.

2ndorderthought6d ago

"why does this matter?" Oh hello AI slop how are you today?

johncoleOP6d ago

Is this some sort of ai indicator now?

masfuerte6d ago

Any of these things on their own do not indicate AI but this articled is riddled with tells, including this one.

skrebbel6d ago

Yep

amelius6d ago

Maybe. At some point, humans will start sounding like AI.

mschuster916d ago

They already do, I recently heard people literally talk like tiktok videos in real life...

markovBaj6d ago

for me it was the 3 bullet point list, esp. the "The Sales Gap"

afandian6d ago

Saved you a click:

> But right now, the most coveted product coming out of ASML is the 1,000-piece Lego version.

I thought it might be something like service contracts or chemical refills.

newsclues6d ago

And it's not available to the public. Bummer.

cassianoleal6d ago

There is a knock-off on AliExpress.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010807104987.html

haddonist6d ago

Might be worth contacting the seller before buying.

The "Color" (ie: type/what's being sold) is "PDF Manual By Email", so it's possible they selling just the PDF assembly manual...

loudmax6d ago

The Chinese knock-off TwinScan is almost as good as the original and far less expensive.

Because of course it is.

johncoleOP6d ago

Brilliant. I knew there had to be a solution somewhere.

johncoleOP6d ago

Find a friend that works at ASML?

bell-cot6d ago

> ... sold exclusively to ASML employees with a strictly enforced “one per person” rule.

You'll need to be their very best friend. And make sure they're not too close with their family, nor a big fan of either Lego or collectables, before you cozy up.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

35 comments

btown6d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUHjLxm3V0

For more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_ultraviolet_lithograph...

(There's something incredible and downright "alchemical" about the fact that the reason our sand can "think" is because we use light to vaporize tin which then carves intricate glyphs into the sand!)

cassianoleal6d ago

> Even at the absolute bleeding edge of human physics, we still have a fundamental desire to play.

voidUpdate6d ago

I'm not particularly surprised that the $600 Lego set sells better than the $400 million lithography tool...

shubhamjain6d ago

The kind of garbage that gets to the front-page is mind-boggling. Okay, maybe there's some useful trivia here, but combined with the headline, it's just trash clickbait.

mrweasel6d ago

It's $200, otherwise I think it would be a bit on the high end in terms of price per piece. $600 is the cheapest version on eBay.

Unless you need the box, you can get the instructions online (https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-215601/NightHawk11991/asml-...). Though that might be a recreation.

voidUpdate6d ago

(I couldn't see a listed price in the article, so I just went for the cheapest resale price they said. Thanks for clarifying)

nikitaga6d ago

> Employee Only: You cannot buy these in stores. They are sold exclusively to ASML employees with a strictly enforced “one per person” rule.

Wonder if they include this lego set as a gift with their real machines? Or are they like – our commercial agreement is worth $400M and not a lego set above that.

AntiUSAbah6d ago

"Why it matters"

No it doesn't.

And the only thing it does again, to remind me, that this is cool as hell but i'm not able to buy it...

nottorp6d ago

When I saw the title I thought it would be some plushie. Turns out I wasn't far from the truth!

behohippy6d ago

You might have a business idea there. I wouldn't mind a twinscan plushie for sitting on top of the workstation.

johncoleOP6d ago

Spot on!

keernan6d ago

[delayed]

j_maffe6d ago

Can we please do something about these AI slop articles? It's becoming really sadenning having to open a frontpage link only to find the same, meritless, braindead article one time after the other.

girvo6d ago

I’m flagging them, but it’s not enough. Front page is full of it these days. Sad times.

planb6d ago

You're absolutely right! "Why Does This Matter?" was a dead giveaway that this article was not written by a human — it was written by a large language model.

john_strinlai6d ago

and then open up the comments section, just to see several identical "ai slop" comments and someone inevitably making a "you're absolutely right" joke.

bux936d ago

Two words. Volkswagen sausage.

2ndorderthought6d ago

"why does this matter?" Oh hello AI slop how are you today?

johncoleOP6d ago

Is this some sort of ai indicator now?

masfuerte6d ago

Any of these things on their own do not indicate AI but this articled is riddled with tells, including this one.

skrebbel6d ago

Yep

amelius6d ago

Maybe. At some point, humans will start sounding like AI.

mschuster916d ago

They already do, I recently heard people literally talk like tiktok videos in real life...

markovBaj6d ago

for me it was the 3 bullet point list, esp. the "The Sales Gap"

afandian6d ago

Saved you a click:

> But right now, the most coveted product coming out of ASML is the 1,000-piece Lego version.

I thought it might be something like service contracts or chemical refills.

newsclues6d ago

And it's not available to the public. Bummer.

cassianoleal6d ago

There is a knock-off on AliExpress.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010807104987.html

haddonist6d ago

Might be worth contacting the seller before buying.

The "Color" (ie: type/what's being sold) is "PDF Manual By Email", so it's possible they selling just the PDF assembly manual...

loudmax6d ago

The Chinese knock-off TwinScan is almost as good as the original and far less expensive.

Because of course it is.

johncoleOP6d ago

Brilliant. I knew there had to be a solution somewhere.

johncoleOP6d ago

Find a friend that works at ASML?

bell-cot6d ago

> ... sold exclusively to ASML employees with a strictly enforced “one per person” rule.

You'll need to be their very best friend. And make sure they're not too close with their family, nor a big fan of either Lego or collectables, before you cozy up.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse