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ASML International N.V.
Annual Report 2020

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FY2020 Annual Report · ASML International N.V.
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Annual
Report 

2020’20

1

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Contents

2020 at a glance
Interview with our CEO 
2020 Highlights 
Business as (un)usual

5 
7 
8

Who we are and what we do
Our company 
Our products and services 
Our markets 
Semiconductor industry trends and opportunities 
How we create value 
Our strategy

What we achieved in 2020
Technology and innovation ecosystem 
Our people 
Our supply chain 
Circular economy 
Climate and energy

CFO financial review
Financial performance 
Financing policy 
Tax policy 
Long-term growth opportunities

How we manage risk
How we manage risk 
Risk factors 
Responsible business

10 
14 
17 
18 
22 
24

27 
39 
53 
59 
65

74 
80 
82 
84

86 
91 
99

Leadership and governance
Corporate governance 
Message from the Chair of our Supervisory Board 
Supervisory Board report 
Remuneration report

Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Consolidated Balance Sheets 
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

Non-financial statements
Assurance Report of the Independent Auditor 
About the non-financial information 
Non-financial indicators 
Materiality: assessing our impact 
Stakeholder engagement

105 
118 
119 
134

147 
149 
150 
151 
152 
153 
154

200 
202 
204 
219 
222

225 
248 
256

Other appendices 
Definitions 
Exhibit index

A definition or explanation of abbreviations, technical terms and other terms used throughout this Annual Report can be found in the chapter 
Definitions. In some cases numbers have been rounded for readers’ convenience. 

This report comprises regulated information within the meaning of articles 1:1 and 5:25c of the Dutch Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op 
het Financieel Toezicht). 

In this report the name ‘ASML’ is sometimes used for convenience in contexts where reference is made to ASML Holding N.V. and/or any of its 
subsidiaries, as the context may require.

© 2021, ASML Holding N.V. All Rights Reserved.

2

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Special note regarding forward-looking 
statements 
In addition to historical information, this Annual Report 
contains statements relating to our future business and / or 
results. These statements include certain projections, 
business trends and other matters that are "forward-
looking" within the meaning of the Private Securities 
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can generally identify 
these statements by the use of words like "may", "will", 
"could", "should", "project", "believe", "anticipate", 
"expect", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "potential", 
"intend", "continue" and variations of these words or 
comparable words. They appear in a number of places 
throughout this Annual Report and include statements with 
respect to our expected trends and outlook, strategies, 
corporate priorities, expected semiconductor industry 
trends and 2024 market opportunities and roadmap, 
expected trends in markets served by our customers, 
expected market growth and drivers of such trends and 
growth, expected financial results, including expected 
sales, EUV revenue, service revenue, expected trends in 
working capital, gross margin, capital expenditures 
including expected capital expenditures, R&D and SG&A 
expenses, cash conversion cycle, target and expected 
effective annualized tax rate, sales targets and outlook for 
2021 and other statements under "-Trend Information", 
annual revenue opportunity and potential and growth 
outlook for 2025, expected growth in 2021, expected 
continued growth in free cash flow generation, investments 
in the future and cash returned to shareholders, our 
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 
(SWOT), expected demand for upgrades, semiconductor 
industry dynamics and industry opportunities, expected 
trends in customer demand and demand for particular 
systems and upgrades and expected trends in end 
markets, including Memory, Logic and Foundry, including 
the continuation of investment by Logic customers in 
ramping new nodes and stronger lithography demand from 
memory customers, expected benefits of High-NA and 
planned target to start shipment of High-NA systems and 
high-volume production of systems using High-NA by 
2025, 2024 market opportunities for semiconductor 
industry end markets, expected innovation drivers, 
expected drivers of long-term stakeholder value, expected 
trends in DUV systems revenue, expected DUV sales and 
the expectation that DUV will continue to drive value for our 
customers and be used in production in most layers of 
their chips, expected benefits of Holistic Lithography and 
expected installed based management revenues, our 
supply chain strategies and goals, customer, partner and 
industry roadmaps, ASML’s applications business, 

expected development of High-NA and its benefits, 
including the expected timing for development of future 
generation EUV systems, expected growth in EUV revenue 
the expected benefits of the indirect interest in Carl Zeiss 
SMT GmbH and the acquisition of Berliner Glas, expected 
EUV margins and margin improvement in our systems and 
service via cost reduction and value delivery, expected 
productivity and benefits of our tools, systems, and 
projects, EUV productivity targets and goals, potential 
future innovations and system performance, expected 
shipments of our tools and systems, including demand for 
and timing of shipments, statements with respect to DUV 
and EUV competitiveness, the development of EUV 
technology and EUV industrialization, expected 
productivity upgrade releases, enabling high-volume 
production of next generation chips and expected designs 
of such chips and their benefits, and revenue recognition, 
predicted growth in wafer production, sustainability targets, 
goals and strategies, shrink being a key driver supporting 
innovation and providing long-term industry growth, 
lithography enabling affordable shrink and delivering value 
to customers,  sustainability strategy, goals and targets, 
including circular procurement goals, targeted greenhouse 
gas emission and waste reduction and recycling initiatives 
and investments, repair center expansion and targets, our 
expectation of the continuation of Moore’s Law and that 
EUV will continue to enable Moore’s Law and drive long-
term value for ASML well beyond the current decade, tax 
strategy, capital allocation policy, dividend policy, our 
expectation to continue to return cash to our shareholders 
through share buybacks and dividends including our 
proposed dividend for 2020 and statements relating to our 
share buyback program for 2020-2022, and statements 
with respect to the expected impact of accounting 
standards. 

These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, 
but rather are based on current expectations, estimates, 
assumptions and projections about the business and our 
future financial results and readers should not place undue 
reliance on them. Forward-looking statements do not 
guarantee future performance, and actual results may differ 
materially from projected results as a result of certain risks, 
and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, 
without limitation, those described under How we manage 
risk - Risk factors. These forward-looking statements are 
made only as of the date of this Annual Report. We do not 
undertake to update or revise the forward-looking 
statements, whether as a result of new information, future 
events or otherwise. 

3

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 20202020 at 
a glance

4

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Interview with 
our CEO

Peter Wennink, Chief Executive Officer

How do you look back on 2020? 
It was a year that affected us all due to the global 
COVID-19 pandemic. The impact has been widely felt 
across societies and families, as well as in the ASML 
community. But it was also a year that brought new 
learnings. For me personally, for instance, if you'd asked 
me 12 months ago if I could lead a company of over 
28,000 people of which over 80% were at home, I would 
have said: “Are you out of your mind? Of course that won't 
work!" But this is what happened in 2020 – and it has 
worked. We even managed to close the acquisition of 
Berliner Glas Group, and welcomed around 1,600 new 
colleagues into ASML. 

While recognizing fully the severity of the pandemic, I also 
see 2020 as a year that underlined the importance of our 
work at ASML. Around the world people were abruptly 
confined to their homes and forced to work from their 
study, kitchen or bedroom. What was remarkable is that 
despite this widespread working from home, few 
companies experienced productivity loss.  

And let's not forget the many colleagues in our factories, 
and those who went to customers' factories and worked 
under very difficult conditions. Those who had to take long-
distance trips to serve our customers were quarantined for 
weeks and forced to stay in their hotel rooms. Their 
dedication is nothing short of amazing and reflects the true 
ASML spirit. For those who had to work from home, the 
trust we put in their hands was returned with incredible 
flexibility and commitment. We even had to urge our 
colleagues to take breaks to stay physically and mentally 
fit. All of this was possible because the digital tools that the 
high-tech industry has developed over the past two 
decades proved sufficiently mature to support individuals 
and, even more importantly, collaboration in virtual teams. 
ASML systems have contributed significantly to advance 
and make affordable the necessary electronic building 
blocks for this digital transformation.

What were the main factors behind ASML’s strong 
performance in such a challenging year?  
The global economic consequences of COVID-19 had a 
limited impact on ASML' results. Declining consumer 
spending on smartphones and automotive was offset by 
increasing investments in 'working-from-home' electronics, 
datacenters and the communications network 
infrastructure needed to support an economy where data is 
an important driver of economic value and productivity.

ASML does not produce these electronic devices or the 
software and digital services that run over them, but our 
systems are essential to manufacture the semiconductors 
that power this ecosystem. ASML and other 
semiconductor equipment peers are an integral part of this 
global electronic ecosystem of many dozens of companies 
that generates $400 billion worth of annual taxable profit. It 
is the strong performance of our entire ecosystem that 
powered the demand for our products and services this 
year, and enabled us to deliver record results.

What were your customers' priorities in 2020? 
We divide our customers into two main market segments. 
First, the customers who produce Logic chips, who kept 
their steady pace of increasing investments in new 
production nodes. This explains the increasing demand for 
our most-advanced EUV systems, which customers need 
for the ramp of 5 nm chip production and the preparation 
for 3 nm chips. These advanced chips, the size of a 
thumbnail, contain up to a dozen billion transistors, which 
will power the latest and greatest smartphones, computers 
and other data-processing devices.  

Second, the market segment of customers who produce 
Memory chips, who started the year in a 'wait and see' 
mode, but showed signs of recovery throughout the year. 
The Memory segment routinely experiences supply and 
demand swings, which you need to visualize as a 
continuously upward swinging trend.  

During 2020, we collaborated closely with our partners in 
the supply chain to ensure we could continue to 
manufacture and ship systems to our customers. The 
situation was very dynamic and I am impressed with the 
way that we managed to deal with the many challenges. 
This is how, collectively, we limited the impact of COVID-19 
on our company. We kept up our strong financial 
performance and we were able to continue to return capital 
through dividends and share buybacks. 

The underlying growth in Memory 'bit' demand is the result 
of continuously rising data traffic that needs to be stored 
on servers and consumer devices. Our customers can 
meet this increase largely by shrinking the size of the 
memory transistors on their chips. They do this by adding 
more advanced ASML systems to make the smallest 
features on the chip even smaller. If the global economy is 
strong or when new data-hungry applications are 
introduced, the demand for Memory rises even faster. In 

5

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020this case, the Memory makers need to add new production 
lines or even entirely new fabs. To support the projected bit 
growth, we expect that customers will need to add more 
capacity, as observed in our Q4 results. 

What do you expect for 2021?
The digital transformation and wider technology trends 
significantly shape our roadmap and are driving our 
industry forward. Our Logic customers are very clear that 
they will continue their investments in ramping new, more 
advanced nodes. The pace will depend on the health of the 
global economy, and even more so on the value provided 
by the electronics and semiconductor industries, which are 
enabling the world's digital transformation. For the Memory 
segment, demand did not outpace supply in 2020, due to 
COVID-19 uncertainty. Based on our customers’ 
comments at the end of 2020, and improving market 
conditions, we expect to see stronger lithography demand 
from Memory customers in 2021 versus 2020. 

Another significant revenue stream comes from service 
and upgrades of ASML systems installed at our customers’ 
fabs. We expect our service revenue to grow with a 
growing installed base, whereas our upgrade business is 
more dependent on the release of new upgrades and the 
interest and capability of our customers.

In summary, although we are currently going through a 
period of near-term uncertainty, the outlook for 2021 is 
positive, and the long-term demand drivers have only 
increased confidence in our future sustainable growth 
outlook towards 2025.

Does anything stand in the way of that optimistic view?
When I am asked what the future holds, my first response 
is that of course there are many uncertainties in today's 
world. We don't know what the effects of the COVID-19 
crisis will be. In addition, geopolitical tensions and export 
control issues could have a significant impact on our 
industry. Looking specifically at our company, short-term 
business cycles and fluctuations in the global economy 
may have an impact on our business performance, even 
when the long-term megatrends provide us with a solid 
foundation. Most important is that we continue to put the 
customer at the heart of our business. Listening to the 
customer may sound obvious, but having direct interaction 
and communication with our customers is no longer 
possible for all ASML employees. We are making an extra 
effort to bring the voice of our customers to all ASML 
employees, through the online and off-line channels at our 
disposal.

Everyone at ASML is constantly reminded of the reality that 
ASML systems are at the heart of our customers’ fabs, and 
in many cases our systems are even at the heart of our 
customers’ business strategies. This is a tremendous 
responsibility that should weigh heavily on all our 
shoulders. This feeling of responsibility and humility starts 
with the people who design and develop new systems and 
solutions. It continues with the folks who assemble the 
systems in our factories and our service engineers in the 
field. It is carried all the way to our office staff who provide 
support to their colleagues around the world. As long as 
we cherish this 'customer-centricity', we will continue to 
deserve the trust that our customers have put in us.

How would you describe ASML’s footprint in the 
broader society? 
It's clear there is increasing interest in companies’ 
ecological and social footprints. We continue to apply 
corporate responsibility standards in the pursuit of our 
business ambitions. Our innovation ecosystem, energy-
efficient products, circular use of materials and a 
responsible supply chain are our key sustainability 
priorities. These are vital for the long-term success of our 
business and long-term value we create for all our 
stakeholders.  

“Although we are currently
 going through a period of 
 near-term uncertainty, the
 outlook for 2021 is positive.”

We continue to accelerate talent development and we 
promote a diverse and inclusive workplace that drives 
creativity and new ideas. We also drive collaborative 
innovation in environmentally friendly solutions for our 
customers. We are strongly committed to ethical business 
behavior, and we play an active role in promoting high 
standards of business conduct across the value chain. 
Outside the walls of our organization, we are committed to 
supporting schools with science, technology, engineering 
and math (STEM) subjects, particularly among female 
students, to support children and young adults to unlock 
their potential. 

Do ASML’s customers demand different things now 
than they did in the past?
Our customers run very tight operations in gigantic fabs 
worth tens of billions of euros. A small disruption in the 
production process can disrupt their supply of chips for 
weeks. This means that the quality and availability of ASML 
systems are more important than ever before. In addition, 
as our industry grows, the impact that we and our 
customers have on our societies and communities also 
grows. All our customers have ambitious sustainability 
targets and they expect ASML to help them achieve those 
targets by, for instance, reducing energy consumption and 
also by being a responsible employer and good corporate 
citizen. 

We welcome these ambitions, because they align perfectly 
with our purpose, our vision and our values. 

Please scan the 
QR-code in order 
to read more 
information on 
our website.

6

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 20202020 Highlights

Financial

Total net sales
€14.0bn
(€11.8bn in 2019)

Gross margin
48.6%
(44.7% in 2019) 

Net income
€3.6bn
(€2.6bn in 2019) 

Free cash flow
€3.6bn
(€2.4bn in 2019) 

Dividend per share
€2.75
(€2.40 in 2019) 

(proposed)

Net income per share
€8.49
(€6.16 in 2019) 

Operational

Lithography systems sold
258
(229 in 2019) 

Customer support
4.5m hours
(3.8m hours in 2019) 

R&D expenses
€2.2bn
(€2.0bn in 2019)

IP portfolio
>14,100 patents
(>13,700 patents in 2019)

 emissions footprint  Waste intensity

CO2
15.4 kt
(22.2 kt in 2019) 

scope 1 & 2

360 kg
(417 kg in 2019) 

per €m revenue

Material recycling rate
85%
(80% in 2019) 

Systems refurbished
31
(26 in 2019) 

Social

Total employees
28,073 FTE
(24,900 FTE in 2019)

Engagement score
80%
(77% in 2019) 

Attrition rate
3.8%
(4.3% in 2019) 

Nationalities
120
(118 in 2019) 

Community engagement
€4.0m
(€4.9m in 2019)

ASML Foundation
projects supported
22
(17 projects in 2019)

Startups and scaleups
in-kind support
1,550 hours
(1,300 hours in 2019) 

COVID-19 donations
€2.7m

Governance

Supervisory Board
100%
(100% in 2019)

independent

Supervisory Board
diversity
33%
(38% in 2019)

female members

Corporate Governance
100%
(100% in 2019)

compliant

Annual General
Meeting resolutions
98.4%
(98.6% in 2019)

average votes For

7

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
Business as (un)usual: how 
COVID-19 shaped 2020

•  With every local lockdown and travel restriction that 

came into effect, we challenged ourselves and others 
to come up with creative ways to do our work and fulfil 
our obligations. Our can-do mentality was evident in so 
many ways.

•  Our ability to collaborate proved to be extremely 
valuable in these times. We were not in the crisis 
alone, and we made sure our partners, customers and 
colleagues knew we supported them.

•  We united in our care for our colleagues, suppliers, 

customers and communities. Colleagues around the 
world went above and beyond to provide support at all 
levels. This included voluntarily going into quarantine 
far from home to support a customer, to delivering 
critical medical equipment and protective clothing to 
organizations in need.

Prioritizing our colleagues, their families 
and our business
Throughout the year, our people were our top priority: 
keeping them safe by creating a secure workplace, 
providing mental and physical health support, and staying 
in close contact even when working remotely. 
Undoubtedly, this experience has made us stronger as a 
global team. 

Then, although it was not always easy, we were able to 
continue to run our business and serve our customers. Our 
operational capabilities returned to normal in the second 
quarter. We were able to source the modules and parts for 
our products, complete installs and upgrades, and service 
our customers across the globe. 

One of ASML’s strengths as a company has always been 
that its people pull together when we need to most. The 
past year certainly stands as testimony to this strength.

In every part of the world, the entire year was 
dominated by COVID-19, a novel virus that in 
the blink of an eye changed the world we live in. 
It affected how we lived, interacted with each 
other, and worked – in every country, region, 
village and community. Businesses and entire 
industries had to adapt to a new situation 
overnight, and many struggled to stay afloat. 
Countries came to a complete standstill, and 
there were uncountable stories of personal 
tragedy. This was a year where people had to 
pull together in unprecedented ways to tackle 
the pandemic. 

Of course, our company was impacted by the pandemic 
too, and in this Annual Report, we will describe its effect on 
our organization, the challenges we faced, and how we 
overcame these to continue to run our business. 

Two priorities
At ASML, as with many other companies, there was an 
intense period at the start of the year when we had to 
introduce, develop and communicate our crisis-
management measures. In a very short time, we moved 
from a policy of 'stay home if you have flu-like symptoms' 
to 'stay at home, period'. Fortunately, and in accordance 
with strict safety measures, our colleagues working directly 
in the production of our scanners, in the clean rooms, 
logistics or other supporting departments were able to 
continue their work in otherwise deserted locations. 

We have two very clear priorities in our crisis response and 
communications, then and now. Our number one priority is 
to ensure the health and safety of our people and their 
families. The second priority is to ensure business 
continuity: manufacture our products, provide service to 
our customers, and develop future products according to 
our roadmap.

In all our health and safety measures, we follow the 
guidelines of the World Health Organization and local 
health authorities. And although we developed an ASML-
specific policy worldwide, we follow national government 
measures in the regions where we operate. 

Challenge, Collaborate, Care
We know that COVID-19 is not behind us, but looking back 
on 2020, we can say we have delivered on our priorities. 

We have also learned how important ASML’s company 
values are, and why we need them now more than ever. 
When the future is uncertain and there are no easy 
answers, these values of Challenge, Collaborate and Care 
have and will provide a strong foundation for everything we 
do. In 2020, we really lived our values, and they united us 
in many ways. They are our DNA. For example:

8

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Who we are 
and what we do

9

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our company

We are a global innovation leader in the chip industry. We provide chipmakers with hardware, 
software and services to mass produce patterns on silicon through lithography.  What we do 
increases the value and lowers the cost of a chip, which advances us all towards a smarter, 
more connected world.

1984

Year founded

>60

Locations across 
3 continents, headquartered 
in the Netherlands

28,073

Total employees
12,918 in operations
10,543 in R&D
  3,020 in sales and support
  1,592 Berliner Glas1

€14.0bn

Net sales
€11.8bn Asia
  €1.7bn US
  €0.5bn EMEA

1 Berliner Glas Group has been reflected throughout this report, with the exception of our non-financial reporting.

Our purpose 
For all the ways we have moved forward as a society, the 
world faces crucial challenges for the future. We must 
change how we think and act on themes that impact 
everyone, like energy use, climate change, mobility and 
access to healthcare and nutrition. 

At ASML, we believe that the chip industry is in a unique 
position to help tackle these challenges. From artificial 
intelligence (AI) to a vast internet of things (IoT), microchips 
are at the heart of modern technology. So whether it’s 
transitioning to sustainable energy, improving global health, 
increasing the safety and efficiency of transport, tackling 
pollution, bridging the digital divide, or feeding eight billion 
people without exhausting the earth’s resources, our vision 
is that we will enable the groundbreaking technology that 
will help solve some of humanity’s toughest challenges.  

As the innovation leader that makes vital systems for chip 
manufacturing, we are proud to not only be a part of these 
solutions, but also the ones who are making them possible. 
We can only play this role if we continue to challenge the 
status quo, tap into the collective knowledge of our global 
ecosystem and create an environment where people can 
contribute, learn and grow. At ASML, we believe our 
purpose is to unlock the potential of people and society by 
pushing technology to new limits. 

The long-term growth of the semiconductor industry is 
based on the principle that the energy, cost and time 
required for electronic computations can be reduced by 
shrinking transistors on microchips. One of the main 
drivers of shrink is the resolution that systems can achieve, 
which is mainly determined by the wavelength of the light 
used and the numerical aperture of the optics. A shorter 
wavelength – like a finer brush used for painting – can print 
smaller features. A larger numerical aperture can focus the 

light more tightly, which also leads to better resolution. To 
enable shrink, what we do – lithography –  is key. 

As such, we are a focused supplier of holistic lithography 
solutions to all of the world’s major chipmakers. Our 
mission, together with our partners, is to provide leading 
patterning solutions that drive the advancement of 
microchips. Through our sustained investment in, and 
dedication to, research and development, we innovate at 
least at the same pace as our customers. We put our 
innovations in the hands of chipmakers as quickly as 
possible by engineering in parallel, not sequentially, while 
ensuring their quality, reliability, manufacturability, and 
serviceability. 

Our core values 
To help solve humanity’s toughest challenges while at the 
same time addressing our own, we must continue to 
amplify ASML's core values that created our success – 
Challenge, Collaborate, Care. 

We challenge 
We challenge boundaries, question the status quo and 
stand up for the ideas we believe in. We’re comfortable with 
discussion and debate, because it is often inherent to 
stress-testing and championing an idea. This is what 
enables us to push technology forward, keep things simple 
and do things with care and attention. We always challenge 
ourselves to add value for our customer, ensuring  we 
continually improve across key aspects, like safety, quality, 
efficiency and cost.  

We collaborate 
As a system architect and system integrator, we collaborate 
to tap into our collective potential. Together with our 
partners in our ecosystem, we expand our knowledge and 

10

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020skills, learn from each other, and share approaches to 
deliver the best results. What we do is unique, and we 
need each other to make it possible. As we continue to 
grow and our ecosystem of partners expands, this 
collaborative mindset becomes even more essential to 
success. 

We care 
As we push technology further together, we have to do so 
with care. As an industry leader, we realize our impact 
extends from people, to society, to the planet. We care not 
only for those we work with, but for our customers, 
suppliers, the world we live in, and the communities where 
we do business. We believe in integrity and respect for 
people and their human rights. We take personal 
responsibility to create a safe, inclusive and trusting 
environment where people from all backgrounds are 
encouraged and enabled to speak up, contribute, learn, 
make mistakes, and grow. We also take care to create 
clarity in how we organize ourselves to achieve our goals, 
making sure we have a clear framework for what we do 
and how we do it.

These values will help our company and our employees to 
make smart decisions that will benefit all stakeholders. Our 
values and purpose, together with the great responsibility 
we have as an industry leader, make us keenly optimistic 
for the future.

Where we come from 
Our company was founded in 1984 in Eindhoven under the 
name of ASM Lithography, a joint venture between Philips 
and ASM International. As they moved into their new space 
near the Philips factories at Strijp-T in Eindhoven, our first 
employees could never have imagined that in just three 
decades, ASML would be a global innovation leader. 

We’ve grown from our humble beginnings to a global force 
through relentless focus on innovation, sheer customer 
focus through tough times, and a willingness to rely on 
others to come to a better result. 

Although we’re constantly looking to the future, where we 
have come from is just as important to us as we evolve. 
These pioneering behaviors have been key to our success 
over the past 36 years, and they’ve become even more 
important to us as we continue to define our purpose and 
articulate the values that underpin everything we do. 
Understanding what made us successful in the past will 
help us maintain our success in the future.   

What guides us 
Innovation is rarely a straight line. We've always known that 
it takes laser focus, multidisciplinary teamwork and a keen 
eye for how we can best help our customers. And even 
then, we've had to show grit. It took a decade of tenacity 
to get our technology off the ground. We've cared for this 
company like it was our own, and are proudly committed 
to its success. We believed then as we do now that even 
the biggest challenge can be overcome by chipping away, 
if necessary with hundreds of people over many years.  

We also learned to rely on others to come to a better result 
– without losing focus. That meant expanding our own 
knowledge and skills by building an ecosystem of expert 
suppliers, strategic partners, academia and service 
providers. We also acquired leading companies with 
unique technologies that strengthened our ability to deliver 
better solutions to our customers. We started to see 
ourselves as architects and integrators, inspiring our 
partners to innovate on the cutting edge of engineering 
while sharing risk and reward. And like us, some of our 
earliest customers are now leaders in the chip industry.  

We are geared towards providing long-term value to our 
customers and other stakeholders. Our direct value chain 
consists of our R&D partners, supply chain and customers, 
as well as our own manufacturing and service activities. 
Together we enable product and service manufactures, so-
called Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and 
Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs), to create end-use 
devices and services for the consumer market.

Our position in the semiconductor industry

Suppliers
Research partners

Development & 
   engineering partners

Supply chain (Tier-1)

Supply chain (N-tier)

ASML
Lithography equipment
manufacturer

Customers
Foundries and IDMs
(semiconductor 
manufacturers)

Semiconductor design

Manufacturers
Devices and software
(OEMs and ODMs)

Consumers
End-use products 
and services

11

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The role of lithography 
Lithography is a driving force in the creation of more powerful, faster and cheaper chips. Today’s most advanced 
processors, based on the Logic N5 node, contain billions of transistors. But shrinking transistors further is becoming 
increasingly difficult. We aren’t as close to the fundamental limits of physics as some would think. Next-generation chip 
designs will include more advanced materials, new packaging technologies, and more complex 3D designs, which will 
create the electronics of the future.    

The manufacturing of chips becomes increasingly complex as semiconductor feature sizes shrink, while the imperative to 
mass produce at the right cost remains. Our holistic lithography product portfolio helps to optimize production and enable 
affordable shrink by integrating lithography systems with computational modeling, as well as metrology and inspection 
solutions. Our computational models enable our customers to optimize their mask design and tape-out time. This works 
through mask-correction software to prepare and modify the design for optimized exposures, while the inspection 
solutions help in analyzing and controlling the manufacturing process in real time.

A lithography system is essentially a projection system. Light is projected through a blueprint of the pattern that will be 
printed (known as a ‘mask’ or ‘reticle’). With the pattern encoded in the light, the system’s optics shrink and focus the 
pattern onto a photosensitive silicon wafer. After the pattern is printed, the system moves the wafer slightly and makes 
another copy on the wafer.  

This process is repeated until the wafer is covered in patterns, completing one layer of the wafer’s chips. To make an entire 
microchip, this process is repeated layer after layer, stacking the patterns to create an integrated circuit (IC). The simplest 
chips have around 10 layers, while the most complex can have over 150 layers. The size of the features to be printed 
varies depending on the layer, which means that different types of lithography systems are used for different layers – our 
latest-generation EUV systems for the most critical layers with the smallest features to ArF, KrF, and i-line DUV systems for 
less critical layers with larger features.   

Semiconductor manufacturing process  

Computational lithography

Lithography

Metrology & inspection

Optical proximity 
correction

Source mask 
optimization

Optical

E-beam

Photoresist 
coating
Covering the wafer 
with unexposed 
photoresist

Exposure
Using light in 
lithography systems 
to make a pattern 
in the photoresist

Baking and 
developing
Leaving the chip 
pattern as a photoresist 
mask on the wafer

Deposition
Adding a new layer of 
silicon or other materials 
over the wafer

Repeat process to add each additional layer

Etching
Remove materials 
unprotected by the 
wafer resist mask 
using chemicals or 
a plasma

Removing 
photoresist

Ion implantation
Embed impurity atoms into
areas unprotected by resist,
changing parameters of the 
semiconductor material

12

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Rayleigh's equation that drives Moore’s 
Law
Moore’s Law, a prediction made over half a century ago, 
set the pace for our industry. Gordon Moore predicted that 
computing would dramatically increase in power, and 
decrease in relative cost, at an exponential pace. In other 
words, the number of transistors (tiny electrical switches) 
on an integrated circuit will double every two to three years 
at the same cost. This opens up two options to make 
microchips faster and more powerful: by using the same 
number of transistors on a chip at half the cost, or by 
doubling the number of transistors at the same cost. Even 
today the power of this prediction is the fundamental 
principle of the semiconductor industry and the driving 
force for innovations that benefit our daily lives.  

•  NA is the numerical aperture, indicating the entrance 
angle of the light and with larger NA lenses/ mirrors 
smaller structures can be printed. Besides larger 
lenses ASML increased the NA of our ArF systems by 
maintaining a thin film of water between the last lens 
element and the wafer, using the breaking index of the 
water to increase the NA (so called immersion systems). 
After the wavelength step to EUV, ASML is developing 
the next generation EUV systems, called high-NA where 
we push the NA from 0.33 to 0.55.

•  k1 is a factor relating to optical and process 

optimizations. Together with our computational 
lithography and patterning control software solutions we 
provide the control loops for our customers to optimize 
their mask designs and illumination conditions. 

At ASML, our job is to help the industry continue Moore’s 
Law. Our goal has always been to reduce the critical 
dimension (CD) – the smallest structure that a lithography 
system can print. This is defined by Rayleigh’s criterion, the 
equation on which all our innovation is based: 

CD = k1 x

λ 

NA

•  λ (lambda) is the wavelength of the light source 

•  CD is the critical dimension, a measure of how small the 
smallest structures are that the lithography system can 
print. 
λ
used and the smaller the wavelength the smaller the 
structures that can be printed. Our deep ultraviolet 
(DUV) lithography systems, known as the industry 
workhorse, dive deep into the UV light spectrum to print 
the tiny features that form the basis of the microchip. 
Over the years ASML made several wavelength steps 
and our DUV lithography systems range from 365 nm 
(i-line), 248 nm (KrF) to 193 nm (ArF). With the extreme 
ultraviolet (EUV) systems, we provide highest-resolution 
lithography in high-volume manufacturing, as these 
systems make a major step in wavelength as with 
EUV tin plasma we generate EUV light which has a 
wavelength of just 13.5 nm. 

ASML's goal has always been to reduce the critical 
dimension. By reducing the wavelength and increasing the 
numerical aperture, our systems can print IC structures in 
increasingly smaller feature sizes. If our customers can 
print smaller structures, the chips can be smaller and the 
cost per transistor become cheaper, which in turn makes it 
more profitable for our customers.

Extending Moore’s Law is becoming increasingly complex 
and costly. What will always be needed is a way to mass 
produce IC designs at the right cost. That’s where the full 
scope of ASML’s product portfolio will continue to play a 
big role to ensure affordable transistor shrink. We continue 
to push our entire system portfolio to new productivity 
levels and imaging performance. Our EUV and High-NA 
lithography will enable tomorrow’s most advanced chips. In 
our computational lithography solutions, we’re bringing 
machine learning and big data to the forefront in predicting 
both lithography and metrology processes with 100% 
accuracy. Finally, we have developed an entirely new class 
of e-beam inspection systems to help our customers 
control defectivity in manufacturing in next-generation chip 
nodes, as those smaller structures can hardly be detected 
with optical inspection.

13

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our products and services 

The semiconductor industry is driven by 
affordable scaling (the ability to make smaller 
transistors at the right price). This in turn is 
powered by ASML’s holistic lithography product 
portfolio. We provide our customers with a suite 
of patterning solutions to mass produce 
patterns on silicon, allowing them to increase 
the value and lower the cost of a chip. Our 
portfolio is aligned with industry trends and our 
customers’ product roadmaps, which require 
lithography-enabled shrink beyond the current 
decade.  

We continue to push our lithography systems to new levels 
of productivity and imaging performance so that 
chipmakers can continue to shrink nodes. However, as 
shrink continues, our customers face unprecedented 
engineering, material, structural and manufacturing 
difficulties. Our holistic lithography solutions integrate 
products from across our portfolio to help address these 
challenges. We help customers achieve their pattern fidelity 
requirements through increased control over the quality 
and consistency of the patterns being printed on the chip 
with our metrology and inspection systems and 
computational lithography solutions. In addition, we 
support our growing installed base with best-in-class 
customer support. Our highly differentiated solutions 
provide unique value drivers for our customers and ASML, 
working together to ensure affordable shrink.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography 
systems
More than two decades ago we started with the 
development of EUV technology. For sure it was "no walk 
in the park" and since the start we invested more than €6 
billion in R&D, as well as acquired Cymer to accelerate 
EUV source technology, and helped to solve several 
technical challenges to enable the EUV infrastructure to 
meet our customers high-volume manufacturing 
requirements. This partially explains why ASML is the 
world’s only manufacturer of EUV lithography systems.

Our EUV platform extends our customers’ Logic and 
Memory roadmaps by delivering resolution improvements, 
state-of-the-art overlay performance and year-on-year cost 
reductions. EUV lithography uses light with a wavelength of 
just 13.5 nm. This is a reduction of almost 15 times 
compared to the other lithography solution in advanced 
chipmaking, deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, which uses 
193 nm light. This allows our customers to use EUV single 
exposure instead of very complex multiple-patterning ArF 
immersion exposures, and allows them to further shrink the 
structures. Our EUV product roadmap is intended to drive 
affordable scaling to 2030 and beyond.

TWINSCAN NXE:3400C is our latest-generation EUV 
lithography system. It combines productivity, highest 
resolution, state-of-the-art overlay and focus performance, 
while also improving availability. Our next EUV model on 
this platform, the NXE:3600D, is planned for delivery in 

mid-2021 and will provide further productivity gains plus a 
significant improvement in overlay.

TWINSCAN NXE:3400C 

High-NA
We are also developing the next generation of EUV 
lithography systems with a higher numerical aperture (NA), 
known as High-NA technology. Our customers have 
ordered R&D system to evaluate the high-volume 
production opportunities in the 2025 time frame. This 
technology will enable geometric chip scaling beyond the 
current decade, offering resolution and overlay capability 
that is 70% better than our current EUV platform.

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography 
systems 
Although EUV is entering the high-volume manufacturing 
era, DUV lithography still produces the majority of layers in 
a customer device today and will remain important for 
future devices. Therefore, ASML continues to develop DUV 
systems to improve value for our customers. We offer 
immersion and dry lithography solutions that help 
manufacture a broad range of semiconductor nodes and 
technologies. Our DUV immersion and dry systems lead 
the industry in productivity, imaging and overlay 
performance for high-volume manufacturing of the most 
advanced Logic and Memory chips, while continuing to 
deliver value for the matured nodes.

Immersion systems
An enhancement to ArF lithography, immersion lithography 
maintains a thin film of water between the last lens element 
and the wafer, increasing NA and improving resolution to 
support further shrink. Our immersion systems are suitable 
for both single exposure and multiple-patterning 
lithography, and can be used in seamless combination with 
EUV systems to print different layers of the same chip.

TWINSCAN NXT:2050i is our current state-of-the-art 
immersion system and is being ramped up in high-volume 
manufacturing of the 5 nm Logic and third generation of 10 
nm DRAM nodes. The NXT:2050i is based on a new 
version of the NXT platform, which includes new 
developments in the reticle stage, wafer stage, projection 
lens, and exposure laser. Thanks to these innovations, the 
system delivers better overlay control at higher productivity 
than its predecessor.

14

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Metrology and inspection systems 
Delivering speed and accuracy, our metrology and 
inspection portfolio covers every step of the manufacturing 
process, from R&D to mass production. The information 
captured through our metrology and inspections systems 
helps us to control the thousands of knobs in the scanner 
to enlarge the process window and improve yield for our 
customers. Together with our computational lithography 
and patterning-control software solutions, these systems 
help chipmakers achieve the highest yield and best 
performance in mass production. 

Optical metrology and inspection
Our YieldStar optical metrology solutions can quickly and 
accurately measure the quality of patterns on the wafer.

YieldStar 385H offers the latest in-resist post lithography 
overlay and focus metrology, with enhanced throughput 
and accuracy. Overlay, how well one layer is aligned to its 
previous layer, is becoming more important as structures 
get smaller and error tolerance reduces. Compared to 
previous systems, key enhancements include a faster 
stage and faster wavelength changing. This enables highly 
accurate overlay measurements and tool matching using 
multiple wavelengths without impacting throughput. 

YieldStar 385H

YieldStar 1375F is the only optical tool on the market for 
fast, accurate in-device overlay and metrology. Capable of 
measuring multiple layers at once, it helps customers 
improve yield through post-etch process control.

E-beam metrology and inspection 
Our HMI e-beam solutions allow customers to locate and 
analyze individual chip defects amid billions of printed 
features, extending the possibilities for process control. 
Historically, e-beam solutions were too slow to monitor 
volume production processes. However, ASML has made 
progress in various methods for increasing the throughput 
of e-beam systems.  

Our pattern fidelity metrology option draws data from a 
wide variety of sources, analyzing it using predictive 
models to identify hotspots where defects are most 

15

TWINSCAN NXT:2050i

Dry systems
Our portfolio of dry systems offers tool types for all 
wavelengths currently used in the semiconductor industry, 
from i-line using 365 nm wavelength, KrF using 248 nm 
and ArF using light of 193 nm supporting the continued 
progress to enable shrink.

TWINSCAN NXT:1470 is our latest dry ArF lithography 
system. It is also the first dry NXT system, building on our 
successful immersion platform, and delivers improvements 
in matched machine overlay, productivity and its footprint 
in the fab.

TWINSCAN XT:860M is our most popular KrF system, 
supporting high-volume 200 mm and 300 mm wafer 
production at and below 110 nm resolution. For more 
critical KrF layers, the higher-NA TWINSCAN XT:1060K is 
our most advanced KrF lithography system, and offers 
best-in-class resolution and overlay.

TWINSCAN XT:400L is our latest i-line lithography system, 
printing features down to a resolution of 220 nm for 200 
mm and 300 mm wafer production.

TWINSCAN NXT:1470

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
probable or most critical. This insight is used to guide the 
e-beam inspection system and optimize scan strategies, 
increasing the effective productivity.  

In addition, in 2020 we shipped the first multiple e-beam 
(multibeam) inspection system. The HMI eScan 1000 
demonstrated successful multibeam operation, 
simultaneously scanning with nine beams. It increases 
throughput by up to 600% compared to single e-beam 
systems, thus reducing the cost of inspection.

eScan 1000 

Computational lithography 
Our computational lithography and software solutions 
revolve around creating applications that enhance the 
setup of the lithography system so chipmakers can print 
exactly what they want to print. Accurate simulation 
models of the lithography process are a foundational 
element for all these applications. These models 
represent a wide variety of physical and chemical 

effects. Machine learning solutions are now broadly used in 
the simulation models as well as in the applications.

Managing our installed base systems 
The installed base of ASML systems continues to grow, 
with many systems finding second or even third lives at 
new owners in new markets and applications. To provide 
all our customers with the best possible value proposition, 
we offer an extensive Installed Base Management portfolio, 
including a wide range of service and upgrade options. 

We develop and sell product options and enhancements 
designed to improve throughput, patterning performance 
and overlay. Through field-upgrade packages, it is possible 
to upgrade older systems to newer models in the field. This 
enables customers to optimize their cost of ownership over 
the system’s lifetime.  

Meanwhile, our Mature Products and Services (MPS) 
business refurbishes used lithography equipment and 
offers associated services. We focus on the refurbishment 
of three product families: the ‘classic’ PAS 5500, the first 
generation AT systems, and the early generation NXT and 
XT systems. We are investing to be able to extend the 
lifetime of the PAS platform until at least 2030. 

Customer support 
We support our customers with a broad range of 
applications, services, and technical support products to 
maintain and enhance our systems' performance. We have 
more than 6,200 customer support employees, including 
service engineers and applications specialists, who work to 
ensure the systems in our customers’ fabs run at the 
highest levels of predictability and availability. We offer 24/7 
support, next-day parts delivery, an easy, centralized 
customer portal, and training for customer engineers.

Visit www.asml.com for more product details and 
specifications.

16

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Our markets  

Our customers are the world’s leading microchip 
manufacturers, and our success is inextricably linked 
with theirs. We design our machines based on their 
input, engage in helping them achieve their technology 
and cost roadmaps, and work together to make sure 
our machines are running smoothly in their fabs.

Our customers can be grouped into Memory and Logic 
chipmakers. 

Memory chips can store a large amount of data in a very 
small area. They are used in an increasing variety of 
electronic products like servers, data centers, 
smartphones, high-performance computing, automotive or 
personal computers, and other communication devices. 
There are two main classes of Memory: NAND and DRAM.  

With NAND chips, data can be stored even when a device 
is powered off. DRAM memory is used to efficiently provide 
data to the processor. These DRAM and NAND chips are 
typically made in dedicated Memory-chip factories.  

Logic chips, which process information in electronic 
devices, are produced by two groups of manufacturers. 
The first group, known as integrated device manufacturers 

(IDM), designs and manufactures Logic chips. The second 
group comprises contract manufacturers known as 
foundries. Foundry manufacturers produce chips for 
‘fabless’ companies, which focus only on chip design and 
distribution, but do not manufacture themselves. 

Both Logic and Memory chips can vary greatly in 
complexity and capability. For example, the most 
advanced chips are powering leading-edge technology in 
artificial intelligence (AI), big data and automotive 
technology, while the simpler, low-cost chips are 
integrating sensing capabilities in everyday technology to 
create a vast IoT. 

The chip market has grown by 5% per year on average 
over the past 20 years, but the factors driving this growth 
have radically changed. In the 1990s, personal computers 
(PCs), both desktops and later laptops, drove chip 
demand. In the first decade of this century, the market 
driver evolved from PCs to smartphones. These in turn 
produced new market drivers, data centers and cloud 
solutions, where data from PCs and smartphones is 
routed, processed and stored with the extensive use of 
specialized Logic chips, in combination with DRAM, NAND 
and HDD storage.  

17

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Semiconductor industry 
trends and opportunities

Technology is evolving fast, and the next level of computing is dawning. The era of mobile 
computing – where you bring the computer with you – is evolving towards immersive ‘ubiquitous 
computing’, with computing power available wherever you go.

The transition to ubiquitous computing is enabled by what has been termed the ‘artificial intelligence of things’ (AIoT). AIoT 
is a smart and connected network of devices that seamlessly communicate over powerful 5G networks, allowing us to 
unleash the power of data better and faster than ever. This combination of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with the 
internet of things (IoT) infrastructure will achieve more efficient IoT operations, improve human-to-machine interactions, 
and enhance data management and analytics. The potential of AIoT will gradually open up as IoT and AI increasingly 
intertwine, facilitated by 5G. The vast amount of data that people can access, and the insights this provides, will fuel 
semiconductor business growth and transformation.  

There are around 40 billion connected devices currently in use, with more being added every second. This number is 
expected to increase to 350 billion devices by 2030. Connected IoT devices are expected to create up to 175 ZB 
(zettabyte) of data per year by 2025. In other words, one zettabyte (1021 byte) equals a trillion gigabytes, and to download 
175 ZB data with average current internet connection speed would take one person 1.8 billion years. This big data will 
need to become fast data to allow for ubiquitous computing as we move towards ‘edge’ computing, where processing is 
brought as close to the source of data as possible, rather than in the cloud.     

Semiconductor-enabled computing trends
Moore's Law is the guiding principle for the semiconductor industry, the motor driving the industry to transit from mobile 
computing to ubiquitous computing. This amplification continues to expand, facilitating three major trends in computing: 
applications, data and algorithms. 

Applications

Moore’s Law
Performance
Cost

Algorithms

Data

Applications
• Autonomous decisions
• Immersive resolution
• On-device artificial intelligence
• Virtual / augmented reality

Data
• 5G connectivity
• Real-time latency
• Growing data volumes

Algorithms
• From big data to value
• Enhanced processing
• Deep learning

These three trends supports several segments and 
applications, such as:

Smart home
Smart home devices such as thermostats, lights and smart 
TVs learn a user’s habits to provide automated home 
support for everyday tasks. Applications: energy efficiency, 
safety, entertainment, access control and personal comfort. 

Smart industry 
Smart industry devices use real-time data analytics and 
machine-to-machine sensors to optimize processes. Data 
generated from these devices helps foresee bottlenecks, 
preventing errors and injuries. Applications: autonomous 
manufacturing robots, automated supply chain 
management and predictive sensors. 

Smart city
Smart cities that integrated all levels of municipal services. 
Applications: open data for better urban planning, 
optimized energy consumption and increased public safety 
through smart traffic surveillance.

5G connectivity
5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to 
connect virtually everyone and everything together 
including machines, objects, and devices. It empowers 
new user experiences and connects new industries.

Wearables 
Wearable devices continuously monitor and track user 
preferences and habits. Applications include fitness and 
health trackers, heart-rate monitoring and wireless 
headphones.

18

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Self-driving cars
These supercomputers on wheels are enabled by 
electronics and semiconductors. Autonomous vehicles 
offer ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features 
that reduce accidents and casualties and allow us to stay 
connected continuously through infotainment systems.

Autonomous robotics
A new generation of lightweight robots fitted with smart 
sensors enables humans and machines to collaborate 
closely and safely. Smart robots that are connected to a 
greater network can benefit from big data and collective 
learning making it possible to reduce manufacturing costs 
and improve quality of products.

Mixed reality
Combining augmented reality and virtual reality technology 
will bring together the real world and digital elements and 
create the next-level user experience with potential 
applications in education and training, healthcare, 
entertainment. For example, imagine you can interact with 
your teacher and co-students as if you are in the class-
room, but this time from your living room. 

Predictive healthcare
Using devices connected to patients (bracelets, watches, 
and more) allows us to collect data on the health status of 
patients to diagnose disease in advance, provide treatment 
(even remotely), and prevent critical situations. When 
joining forces with AI, machine learning can save lives.

Semiconductor industry opportunities
Semiconductor technology plays a crucial part in shaping the interconnected and intelligent network future, and end 
markets continue to grow. The overview below shows the current market size and market opportunity for the entire 
industry based on external research of market outlook.

Market

Smartphone

Personal computing

Consumer electronics

Automotive

Industrial electronics

Wired and wireless infrastructure

Servers, datacenters and storage

Key driver

Continued refresh of all semiconductor content 
including image sensors
High-end compute and Memory, fast 
conversion to SSD
Legacy products and packaged ICs. Advanced 
ICs in add-ons
Strong IC content growth: GPU, sensors, V2X 
communication sensing
High-end compute for AI on big data and 
sensors
Devices for fast data processing, modem, base-
station infrastructure refresh
High processor and Memory growth, hardware 
accelerations including GPU

2019 market 
size ($bn)

2024 market 
opportunity 
($bn)

CAGR (%)

106

155

86

42

41

49

34

61

419

99

61

65

71

45

102

598

7.9%

2.8%

7.7%

9.5%

7.8%

5.5%

10.6%

7.3%

19

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Semiconductor industry dynamics 
Several factors are shaping the semiconductor industry landscape. These are some of the major trends driving industry 
development, today and tomorrow.

Rising consumer demand
The convergence of wireless communication, telecom, media and cloud via connected devices continues to drive demand 
for advanced semiconductors across the globe. Growing populations and urbanization are creating increasing demand for 
advanced consumer electronic devices. Microchips are at the heart of these devices. Significant growth drivers of the 
emerging technologies are demanding new and advanced chips that are specifically designed for a wave of new 
applications. Read more in: Semiconductor industry trends and opportunities, Customer intimacy

Global race for talent
Highly skilled people with a technical background are scarce in the labor market and competition is growing. Top-tier 
talent select their employer of choice, not the other way around. The global race for talent is becoming more crucial as the 
industry competes for a small pool of scientists, engineers and software developers with the skill set to develop innovative 
solutions. 

Companies are trying to staff up for growth, but the high-tech resource pool is shallow. The number of STEM jobs is 
projected to grow significantly, but it is challenging to fill these given the shortage of qualified candidates. Retaining talent 
has become crucial for tech companies. Read more in: Our people

Global geopolitics
The current trade environment presents significant challenges for the global semiconductor industry, and trade tensions 
and increased protectionism are likely to continue. US authorities took steps that further restrict US chipmakers and other 
companies from doing business with China. These actions are impacting the semiconductor industry’s ability to conduct 
business in the global marketplace.

The industry is being forced to manage trading costs. Ultimately, this could be passed on to the end-market resulting in an 
increase of prices of devices. Besides the financial implication, trade tensions and protectionism also introduce significant 
complexity throughout the supply chain and its processes. This is forcing the industry to relook at its global supply 
chain. Read more in: Our supply chain, How we manage risk, Risk factors

Expanding R&D costs
In the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry, access to the latest technologies, chip designs and manufacturing 
processes is the basis for competition. R&D is an ever bigger priority and expense. Chipmakers are faced with supporting 
applications and end markets that are becoming increasingly complex. Traditional semiconductor companies are 
challenged to diversify their portfolio, due to the rise of tech platform companies moving to in-house chip design. 

In addition, the incremental costs of executing innovation are rising, requiring higher levels of R&D investments to achieve 
the same goals. Getting products to the market faster is essential – or the chipmakers risk missing the boat. As a result, 
there is increased pressure to get solutions to the customers early. Read more in: Technology & innovation ecosystem, Risk factors, 
Financial performance

Changing landscape
To capitalize the convergence of mega trends such as AI, IoT, 5G and autonomous vehicles, the industry is investing 
significant amounts in assets that can unlock value across the portfolio. 

The global semiconductor industry has shown tremendous growth in recent years and this is set to continue. It is 
refocusing on increasing scale and proficiency in core competences as well as expanding into new capabilities and new 
markets. Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures are expected to be key parts of the chip-market strategy, with deals 
focusing on emerging technologies. Read more in: Semiconductor industry trends and opportunities, Our supply chain and Risk factors

Taking action on climate change
Climate change is an urgent matter around the world. It is a global challenge that requires global responsibility to limit a 
temperature rise to well below 2°C. Our industry has a role to play. 

The semiconductor manufacturing process consumes large volumes of energy and water resources. Driving Moore’s Law 
in enabling shrink and, at the same time, improving computing power and storage capacity, fuels the demand for these 
resources. New architectures and a new way of looking at the entire ecosystem will be required to enhance energy and 
water-resource efficiency. 

To meet these challenges, the semiconductor industry has to reduce power consumption. With data centers consuming 
about 10% of the world’s electric power, it touches the boundaries of scale. Taking action on climate change is a moral 
imperative. Read more in: Climate and energy

20

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020SWOT analysis
Acting on the global trends and developments in the semiconductor industry and in society is an important factor in the 
success of our business, as well as in creating value for our stakeholders. Using these external and internal factors, as well 
as current and future potential, we have evaluated our company's competitive position in the environment we operate in. 
The following table provides a brief overview of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). More 
information on how we manage the topic can be found in the reference sections.

Strengths +

Weaknesses —

• Technology leadership
(Read more in: Our products and services, Technology and innovation ecosystem)

• Fast-growing workforce
(Read more in: Our people, How we manage risk)

• Market leadership 
(Read more in: Our products and services, Our markets, Customer intimacy)

• Limited cost leadership advantage
(Read more in: Operational excellence, CFO financial review, How we manage risk)

• Collaborative & enduring innovation 
(Read more in: Technology and innovation ecosystem)

• Increasing complexity of our products and technology 
(Read more in: How we manage risk)

• World-class workforce with 'can-do' mentality 
(Read more in: Our core values, Our people)

• Strong financial position 
(Read more in: 2020 Highlights, Financial performance)

Opportunities ä

Threats æ

• Ride the tech megatrends 
(Read more in: Semiconductor industry trends and opportunities, Our strategy)

• Geopolitical tensions 
(Read more in: Semiconductor industry dynamics, How we manage risk)

• Holistic lithography portfolio expansion 
(Read more in: Our products and services, Our strategy)

• Supply chain disruption 
(Read more in: Our supply chain, How we manage risk)

• Emergence of new customers in semiconductor industry
(Read more in: Semiconductor industry dynamics)

• IP Technology leadership pressure 
(Read more: in How we manage risk)

• Raising brand awareness 
(Read more in: Our people)

• Competition for market share 
(Read more in: How we manage risk)

• Increasing sustainability drive 
(Read more in: Our strategy, Circular economy, Climate and energy)

• Competition for talent 
(Read more in: Semiconductor industry dynamics, Our people, How we manage risk)

• Narrow customer base 
(Read more in: Customer intimacy, How we manage risk)

• Outbreaks and the consequences of climate change 
(Read more in: Business as (un)usual, How we manage risk, Climate and energy)

21

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020How we create value

Supplier value
As we grow and our innovations enter ever-higher levels of 
complexity, we want our suppliers to grow with us. We 
innovate together with our supplier network, sharing 
knowledge and tapping into each other’s technology 
expertise. Long-term relations, close cooperation and 
transparency with our suppliers are key to our success. 

Employee value 
Our workforce has grown steeply in recent years. In the 
past five years, we have created around 12,000 jobs in the 
communities where we operate. For example, with 
14,269 employees in Veldhoven (our headquarters) we are 
a major employer in the  community. We are a proud 
employer of 120 nationalities, allowing for diverse points of 
view in our quest to develop the best ideas. Developing our 
people is crucial to the sustained success of our business, 
so we invest in their career development and well-being.  

Societal value
With our continuous innovations, we enable new 
technology that supports the growth and transformation of 
the semiconductor industry, using artificial intelligence to 
offer new applications and services to address society’s 
needs. Through our innovation ecosystem we nurture 
innovation by giving back to society, such as sharing our 
expertise with universities and research institutes, 
supporting young tech companies, and promoting STEM 
education worldwide. We also develop groundbreaking 
technology to reinforce our innovation footprint and 
minimize our environmental footprint. We do this by 
minimizing waste, maximizing the value of material we use, 
and taking every step possible to lower our carbon 
footprint.  

Sustainable impact
We believe the chip industry is in a unique position to 
tackle socioeconomic and environmental challenges. We 
focus on challenges and sustainability areas most relevant 
to our stakeholders and on which ASML can have the 
greatest impact in the long term. (Read more in: Materiality 
assessment, SWOT analysis). We focus on those United 
Nations Sustainable Development Goals on which ASML 
can make a real difference. 

The success of our business depends on strong, 
sustainable relationships with all stakeholders in the 
value chain to achieve the desired innovations in 
semiconductor technology. We use input from 
stakeholders and trends in our industry and society to 
develop our strategy, our products and services. We 
define our stakeholders as our shareholders, 
customers, suppliers, employees and the society we 
operate in.

We use the model of the International Integrated Reporting 
Council (IIRC) to optimize our long-term stakeholder value 
and sustainable impact. Below, we have concretized:
1.  The capital inputs we use for our products and services;
2.  The long-term value we create for our stakeholders; 
3.  The broader impact we generate towards the United 

Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Capital inputs
We use various forms of capital to manufacture our 
products, which we define as follows:
•  Financial capital: these are the funds available to ASML
•  Manufacturing capital: our human-created and 

production-oriented equipment and tools 

•  Intellectual capital: our investment in R&D to determine 

our competitive advantage

•  Human capital: the capabilities, knowledge, skills and 

experience of our employees 

•  Social capital: the high-tech ecosystem and 

partnerships we create

•  Natural capital: the natural resources we use and energy 

we consume

We aim to use these forms of capital in the most effective 
way to generate long-term value for all of our stakeholders.

Long-term stakeholder value
Our core values - Challenge, Collaborate, Care - are a key 
contributor to our culture aimed at long-term value creation 
and as such an important enabler in the execution of our 
strategy. Read more in: Our core values, Our people. We 
define our long-term value for all our stakeholders as 
follows: 

Shareholder value 
Our large and sustained investments in research and 
development to execute our business strategy enable us to 
maintain our position as a leader in holistic lithography. Our 
innovations contribute to the long-term growth of the 
semiconductor industry, which benefits our solid financial 
performance and capital return policy.  

Customer value
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of chip-
making equipment, we invest in innovations that enable the 
continued shrink of microchips. With EUV and the next 
generation of EUV, High-NA, we secure the continuation of 
Moore’s Law. This allows our customers to develop ever-
more powerful chips for new applications and devices. At 
the same time we help our customers to reduce their costs 
and environmental footprint by embedding circularity 
principles in our products. 

22

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Capital
resources

(actuals 2019)

Financial
€13.9bn
(€12.6bn)
Total shareholders'
equity

€4.7bn
Long-term debt

(€3.1bn)

Manufacturing

€7.2bn
(€6.5bn)
Total cost of sales

(7)

8
Manufacturing sites

12,918 FTE
Employees in 
operations

(11,886 FTE)

Intellectual

€2.2bn
R&D expenses

(€2.0bn)

4
(4)
R&D sites 

10,543 FTE
Employees in R&D

(10,166 FTE)

Human
28,073 FTE
Total employees

(€24,900 FTE)

(€19m)

€12m
Training and 
development 

120
Nationalities

(118)

Social
€0.9m
ASML Foundation

(€1.5m)

€3.1m
Community outreach 

(€3.4m)

Nurture high-tech 
ecosystem

Natural
1,412 TJ 
(1,367 TJ)
Energy consumption

Committed to 
circular economy 

Our purpose

Unlocking the potential of
people and society by pushing
technology to new limits  

Our strategy

Strengthen customer trust 

Holistic lithography 
and applications

DUV competitiveness

EUV industrialization

High-NA

2020
outcome

(actuals 2019)

Financial

€2.75
(€2.40)
Proposed annualized
dividend per share

(€2.6bn)

€3.6bn
Net income
€8.49
EPS

(€6.16)

Manufacturing
€14.0bn
Total net sales

(€11.8bn)

(229)

258
Lithography
systems sold 
48.6%
Gross margin

(44.7%)

Intellectual

>14,100
Patent portfolio

(>13,700)

(€843m)

€785m 
IP & developed
technology value

Human
80%
Employee
engagement score 

(77%)

(3)

5
Employer brand
ranking listing 

3.8%
Attrition

(4.3%)

(17)

Social
22
Projects supported
through ASML
Foundation 

Promoted STEM
education 

1,550 hrs
(1,300 hrs)
Startups and scaleups
in-kind support 

Natural
85%  
(80%)
Material recycling rate

-30.8%
(-32.5%)
 scope 1 and 2 
CO2
net footprint decreased

360 kg
(417 kg)
Waste generated
per €m revenue

Value
created

Sustainable
impact

Shareholder value

Long-term
organic growth

Customer value 
Continuing 
Moore’s Law 
and lower energy
consumption

Supplier value

Contributing to 
new technology 
and circular
economy 

Employee value
Sustainable
employment in
the community

Societal value

Enabling new
technological
advancement 

23

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020     
 
 
 
 
 
Our strategy 

The long-term growth of the semiconductor industry is 
based on the principle that the power, cost and time 
required for every computation on a digital electronic 
device can be reduced by shrinking the density of 
transistors on microchips. ASML invests in a 
technology-based innovation roadmap that enables the 
continued shrink of microchips by enhancing resolution 
with EUV and High-NA, together with the holistic 
scaling of overlay and pattern fidelity control. To 
achieve this we also invest in continuing innovations in 
DUV, Metrology and Inspection technology, to 
supplement the power of EUV-led shrink. This is how 
we pursue our long-term strategic vision.  

To enable ‘edge’ – which brings computation and data 
storage closer to the location where it is needed – our 
customers continue to invest in developing more advanced 
semiconductor processes to create more powerful Logic 
and Memory microchips. At the same time, these also 
need to be more energy-efficient and cost-effective. 

For the next decade, the semiconductor industry roadmap 
fires on three cylinders: 
•  3D integrated circuits enabling better performance, 

power, form factor and functionality 

•  Geometric scaling to reduce cost 
•  Domain-specific architecture driven by energy efficiency 

Geometric scaling (shrink) is a key industry driver 
supporting innovation and providing long-term industry 
growth. Our guiding principle is continuing Moore’s Law 
towards ever-smaller, cheaper, more powerful and energy-
efficient semiconductors. To enable shrink, lithography is 
key, as the process is used to pattern the structures on a 
microchip.

We innovate across our entire product portfolio at the same 
pace as our customers through large and sustained 
investment in research and development. To accelerate our 
product development, we engineer in parallel, not 
sequentially, all the while guarding the product’s quality, 
reliability, manufacturability and serviceability. This enables 
us to get our innovations into the hands of chipmakers 
faster. We collaborate with chipmakers to understand how 
our technology best fits their needs, including their 
challenges and visions of the future. It is through this 
collaboration and trust that we can build for today and 
develop for tomorrow. 

Five pillars of our core strategy
To realize our long-term strategic vision within the semiconductor industry, we continue to drive our core strategy, which 
we define around five major pillars: Strengthen customer trust, holistic lithography and applications, DUV competitiveness, 
EUV industrialization and High-NA.

Strengthen
customer trust

Enhance operational excellence capabilities by focusing 
on our customers’ needs to improve cost of ownership and 
deliver future nodes. Deliver on our commitment to 
accelerate improvements in our sustainability performance.

Holistic lithography 
and application

Strengthen our leadership position in in-device metrology, 
enabling high-order overlay correction. Secure a winning 
position in pattern fidelity control and combine this with  
superior computational lithography.

DUV 
competitiveness

Continue our innovation leadership, driving DUV 
to the highest level of performance by expanding our 
installed base and through continuous improvement 
and operational excellence.

EUV
industrialization

Secure high-volume manufacturing and improve cost 
effectiveness for our customers by enhancing the value 
of EUV technology for future nodes down to the 2 nm 
Logic node.

High-NA

Enable next-generation geometric shrink by extending 
our 0.33 NA product portfolio to enable High-NA EUV 
at the 2 nm Logic node, followed by Memory nodes at 
comparable density.

24

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Five sustainability areas 
At the same time, we want to ensure a sustainable impact while providing the best value for our stakeholders – today and 
in the future. Staying focused on what matters for our business and stakeholders is the cornerstone of our strategy. 
Through a materiality assessment, we identify and assess the topics most relevant to our stakeholders and which sustain 
ASML's long-term business growth. (Read more in: Materiality - assessing our impact)  

We are committed to sustainability. To accelerate our sustainability performance, we focus on five strategic areas of 
sustainability, to create long-term value for our stakeholders, shape a sustainable future, and contribute to the United 
Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Innovation 
ecosystem

We don't innovate in isolation to ensure the fast pace 
of innovation in our value chain. We develop technology 
together with the help of our partners and collaborative 
knowledge network.

People

Empowering individuals for the collective good 
to ensure our employees are proud to work for us 
and engaged with our ambitions as a company.

Responsible 
supply chain

Setting the bar higher for our world-class supplier 
network to achieve the innovations we strive for, 
by ensuring we conduct our business in a sustainable 
and responsible manner.

Circular
economy

Climate 
& energy

Minimizing waste, maximizing resources to extract the 
maximum value from the materials we use and repurpose 
our products across their life cycles.

Taking every step to lower our footprint to achieve zero 
emissions across our operations. While increasing 
productivity of our products, we are also working towards 
enhancing the energy efficiency of our products.

25

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020What we 
achieved 
in 2020

26

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Technology and
innovation ecosystem

We don’t innovate in isolation to ensure the fast pace of innovation in our value chain. 
We develop technology together with the help of our partners and collaborative 
knowledge network.

26,000,000

Wafers produced by 
EUV installed base 

€2.2bn

R&D expenses

1,550 hours

Support to high-tech
startups and scaleups

€28.5m

Contribution to four 
EU research projects

How we innovate 
Our ability to innovate is crucial to our business success. 
Through our innovations, we help our customers achieve 
their goals and realize new technology and applications. 
We have a solid system in place to manage and enhance 
innovation, achieving significant breakthroughs in recent 
years.  

Innovation through collaboration  
We innovate through partnerships. Our innovation 
philosophy is one where we see ourselves as architects 
and integrators, working with partners in an innovation 
ecosystem. We develop our technology in close 
collaboration with our customers to ensure we build today 
what they need tomorrow. Our machines are developed 
based on their input, and we engage closely with them to 
help achieve technology and cost roadmaps.   

In the same way, we work closely with our suppliers, 
trusting them to manufacture parts and modules for our 
systems. Many of them are deeply involved in developing 
new technology and achieving the innovations we seek. 
With some of these so-called ‘farmout suppliers’, we work 
as co-investors.

For example, we’ve been in partnership with Carl Zeiss AG 
for over three decades. This partnership runs according to 
the principle of ‘two companies, one business’ working 
together to drive operational excellence. To accelerate 
innovation in High-NA technology, we hold an interest in 
and support Carl Zeiss SMT in R&D and other capital 
investments for the design of optical columns in our 
lithography systems.  

We co-develop expertise within a wide network of 
technology partners, such as universities and research 
institutions. Some of our partners include imec in Belgium, 
the technical universities in Twente, Delft and Eindhoven in 
the Netherlands, and the Advanced Research Center for 

Nanolithography (ARCNL), also in the Netherlands. In 2020, 
as in previous years, these partnerships delivered good 
results. 

EUV research leads to unexpected discovery

Research by R&D partners we collaborate with has 
delivered numerous breakthroughs that have helped 
us innovate. Some of these findings surprise even the 
greatest experts. This was the case when Oscar Versolato, 
group leader and head of department at the Advanced 
Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL), and his 
team took a closer look at the EUV light that plays a key 
role in our EUV systems. 

EUV light is generated when a minuscule drop of tin is 
heated to a temperature of up to 400,000° Celsius. As 
the tin is heated, the electrons circle in a larger orbit than 
under normal circumstances. When these electrons return 
from their so-called ‘excited state’ to an orbit closer to 
the atom’s nucleus, energy is released in the form of light 
of several wavelengths, one of which is EUV radiation. 
Fundamental research by ARCNL found that many more 
electrons than thought, including those in even wider 
orbits, can contribute to EUV light. With this better 
understanding of how the process works, we might be 
able to further optimize EUV sources in the future. 

Since its start in 2014, ARCNL developed towards a 
mature research institute. With funding from UVA, VU, 
NWO and ASML this institute conducts fundamental 
research, focusing on the physics and chemistry that are 
important in current and future key technologies within 
nanolithography and its application within the 
semiconductor industry. In 2020, we enhanced our 
collaboration with ARCNL and a close interaction is now 
established on all topics ARCNL is working on.

27

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020One of the innovation highlights from our partners in 2020 
was the breakthrough imec achieved in printing narrow 
pitch lines. Using ASML’s NXE:3400B system and 
combining advanced imaging schemes, innovative resist 
and optimized settings in its cleanroom, imec 
demonstrated how our system is capable of printing lines 
at 24 nm pitch in a single exposure step. This innovation 
will enable imec and its partners that specialize in resist 
and patterning to help develop and test resist materials 
that will support the introduction of ASML’s next-generation 
EUV chip-manufacturing systems, our High-NA platform.    

We collaborate with, among others, a colleague 
semiconductor equipment company Lam Research (US) to 
further improve our EUV technology. In 2020, Lam 
introduced a new dry photoresist technology for EUV 
patterning that offers significant improvement in EUV 
lithography resolution, productivity and yield. This new 
technology will enable lower dose and increased 
resolution. By using five to 10 times less raw materials, 
Lam’s dry resist approach generates significant savings for 
customers on running costs, while delivering a more 
sustainable use of our EUV technology.

In our innovation ecosystem, long-term collaboration is 
based on trust. We share both risk and reward and work 
hard at developing long-term relationships with our 
partners, listening to each other and pushing each other to 
continuously innovate. This collaborative approach allows 
us to accelerate innovation. It also provides us with access 
to a large leading-edge knowledge base across a wide 
range of technologies. 

Pioneering smart algorithms in imaging

As lithography systems continue to push the edge of 
chip-manufacturing technology, YieldStar’s metrology 
performance must keep up – and one way to do 
that, ASML Fellow Arie den Boef believes, is moving 
metrology’s imaging from advanced optics to smart 
algorithms. 

Arie, who first led the development of YieldStar, heads 
a small group from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam 
and ARCNL that conducts fundamental research in 
computational imaging. The team seeks to create a 
metrology system that tackles these challenges cost-
effectively, with higher productivity and accuracy. 

Computational imaging may help achieve the quality of 
optical imaging that metrology will soon need, the team 
believes. But instead of using an advanced and costly 
optical design, this technology would use only simple 
optical elements such as a compact sensor and single 
lens. The result: performance that would be impossible 
with classical optical design methods. 

Managing innovation 
Every day, more than 10,000 of the brightest minds in R&D 
take on the exciting challenge to innovate the most 
advanced lithography systems in the world. We manage 
this process by balancing our customers’ needs, product 
capabilities and technology solutions. To stay ahead, we 
invest heavily in R&D. In 2020, we spent €2.2 billion on 
R&D, compared to €2.0 billion in 2019. 

Our Research department’s focus is to generate and 
explore ideas and demonstrate their feasibility in the long 
term. The department also helps to find technological 
solutions to challenges in our products and applications 
that have moved into development.    

Our researchers continuously scout for technological 
innovations and solutions – within the semiconductor 
industry and beyond – to assess if they can be applied in 
ASML’s technology roadmap to support our customers to 
drive the semiconductor device roadmap. We encourage 
our experts to build a wide network in the broader 
technology space.    

The constant stream of new ideas is crucial to fill our 
technology pipeline that flows through the so-called 
‘innovation funnel’. Here we select new ideas that have the 
potential to advance our products and customer 
application. Ideas that successfully pass the ‘proof of 
concept’ stage in our Research department are transferred 
to the Development & Engineering (D&E) department. D&E 
takes them on into our Product Generation Process (PGP) 
for product development. We then build and test system 
prototypes in the necessary environments. Prototypes that 
pass these tests may eventually lead to new product 
releases.  

Technology Conference rewards imagination

In 2020, the ASML Technology Conference went 
virtual for the first time in its history and attracted a 
record number of attendants. This unique 21st edition 
allowed employees across the globe to listen to keynote 
speeches and gain insights about key technical projects 
across all R&D competencies

Our Poster Award ceremony, which honors employees 
with the most imaginative presentation demonstrating 
their contribution to technological advancements, 
continued this year. More than 300 teams submitted 
posters. The results were as follows:

Best Innovation: ‘Frequency encoding technique and its 
applications’. The team developed a solution for current 
inconsistencies in particle detection and sizing for DUV 
and EUV systems by using a projector as an illuminator 
to facilitate inspection while reducing false alarms.

Best Customer Solution: ‘Integrated overlay control 
solution to reduce rework by 100%’. The team designed 
a solution to meet the 2.5 nm overlay in EUV machines.

28

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Innovation funnel 

Research department  

D&E department

Ideation
Scout for ideas

Selection
Fill the research 
pipeline

Research
Assess 
feasibility

Development
Design and engineer

ASML
product
Integrate 
and deliver

Our D&E engineers drive our machines forward by creating 
new components or subsystems, integrating them into the 
functional system, or developing new applications to help 
move the industry forward. 

In D&E, we work on a multitude of advanced optical and 
mechatronic modules, along with application software, 
data science and operating systems. D&E innovates with a 
strong focus on time-to-market, often starting new system 
development before the previous generation has even 
reached the customer. Teams in D&E have extensive 
contact with leading research institutes, keeping up to date 
with the latest developments in their respective fields. 

Innovation achievements
We continue to make solid progress in EUV. For example, 
in 2020 we successfully introduced a new vacuum 
chamber for the EUV light production, the so-called 
modular vessel. The success of this breakthrough modular 
vessel project was due to close collaboration with 
customers, technology partners and suppliers, and a 
dedicated effort to integrate competences. 

This new modular vessel solves the issue of lengthy 
system downtimes when parts were virtually inaccessible 
leading to long down time of the EUV machine during 
regular maintenance requirements. Next to the new vessel 
architecture, the tin droplet generation and positioning 
received a complete design overhaul to enable the supply 
of tin to be refilled while the EUV source remains 
operational. This eliminated the need for a costly operation 
in terms of time, effort and man-hours. While systems 
without inline refill like the S3-GWE vessel need to shut 
down weekly for a six-hour tin refill, for systems with a 
modular vessel, the inline refill is a major time-saver 
improving availability and increasing value to the customer. 

In 2020, we shipped our first HMI eScan 1000, an 
innovative inspection tool to detect defects on wafers. The 
eScan 1000 is 600% faster than previous e-beam wafer 

inspection tools, thanks to its multibeam technology, high-
speed wafer stages, and advanced computational 
algorithms. The tool can scan those areas on a wafer 
where critical defects are most likely. It detects electrical 
and patterning defects down to 10 nm.   

An important achievement in our DUV technology was the 
shipment of our first NXT:2050i system. The scanner is 
equipped with the new XLR 960ix laser developed by 
Cymer, an ASML company. This scanner is based on 
improvement in so-called ‘speckle’ performance, and 
moves both overlay and productivity forward significantly. 
The NXT:2050i enables the next-generation DRAM nodes, 
and is also crucial in meeting future requirements in Logic 
chip production.

The first shipment of our NXT:1470 was another milestone 
in DUV. It is the first lithography system that produces more 
than 300 wafers per hour. The NXT:1470 is also the first 
‘dry’ DUV system based on our NXT platform, which was 
previously used for immersion products only.  

Innovation pipeline
To nurture innovation by our future talent pool and to fuel 
the innovation pipeline we collaborate and establish 
partnerships with various universities and institutes. This 
collaboration allows us to accelerate innovation and gives 
us access to a large pool of research scientists, high-tech 
students, and academics. It also presents opportunities for 
scouting new talent. In these partnerships, ASML provides 
financial support and shares knowledge.  

In 2020, we continued our close involvement in the High 
Tech Systems Center (HTSC), set up by Eindhoven 
University of Technology (TU/e) to facilitate fundamental 
research with a focus on understanding the needs of the 
mechatronics and mechanical engineering industry. Since 
its launch three and a half years ago, the HTSC has 
supported the start of several new projects broadening the 
scope of our cooperation with TU/e towards electrostatic 

29

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020fundamentals and new developments in optical design. At 
the moment the strong cooperation between ASML and 
TU/e is evident through, among other things, the more than 
30 PhD positions in which we, as an industrial party, are 
currently involved.  

ASML also works with the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence 
Systems Institute (EAISI), set up by the TU/e to make the 
Brainport region of Eindhoven a center for the application 
of AI in engineering. EAISI focuses on the use of data and 
algorithms in machines, such as robots and autonomous 
cars.  

We are involved in the multidisciplinary project Eindhoven 
Engine, which accelerates innovation in the Brainport 
region. High-tech students, scientists and academics from 
a wide variety of disciplines cooperate with business-
oriented partners to share knowledge. They also draw on 
the benefits offered by multidisciplinary collaboration in 
working toward identifying new and timely technology-
based solutions. 

We have a long lasting cooperation with Delft University of 
Technology (TU/Delft). For example, ASML is participating 
in the Imsys-3D program, a public-private partnership to 
create next-generation high-performance motion systems. 
The goal of this project is to use innovative computer 
algorithms to design optimal shape and dynamic 
properties of modules in our lithography machines, which 
can then be 3D-printed, offering never before realized 
efficiency.

We also cooperate with LINX (Lensless Imaging of 3D 
Nanostructures using Soft X-Rays), a collaboration 
between Dutch universities and both national and 
international industrial partners. 

With the University of Twente we have, among others, a 
strong cooperation with the XUV Optics Industrial Focus 
Group at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology. In 2020 
we extended the cooperation contract with this group for 
another 4 years. We work together on high-tech optical 
applications of thin films. These industrial applications 
require fundamental physical insights to further boost 
performance of coating materials in a harsh EUV 
environment.

Collaborating with R&D partners 
We monitor the level of engagement with our innovation 
ecosystem by measuring our investments in R&D partners. 
This includes investments in suppliers that innovate and 
help us develop system parts or modules. We also 
measure the degree to which we invite external technology 
experts to share competencies with us by the number of 
R&D partner agencies we engage with. 

Our collaboration with and investment in our wide network 
of R&D partners enables us to share our expertise with the 
ecosystem. Together we build a strong knowledge network 
to create technological solutions that society can tap into. 
In our shared projects, partners in the ecosystem take 
responsibility for their own areas of expertise and invest in 
these to advance their own businesses.   

We also cooperate with partners in research and innovation 
projects subsidized by the European Union. Horizon 2020, 
the EU’s program for financing European research and 
innovation projects, aims to secure Europe's global 
competitiveness through innovation breakthroughs, 
discoveries and world-firsts. It also seeks to drive 
economic growth and create jobs. In 2019, we participated 
in four EU subsidy projects: TAKE5, TAKEMI5, TAPES3 and 
Pin3s. In 2020, we successfully completed TAKEMI5. Its 
objective is to discover, develop and demonstrate 
lithographic, metrology, process and integration 
technologies enabling module integration for the 5 nm 
node.  

Partnering in EU research projects

Together with a group of European companies and 
research institutes, we run collaborative subsidy projects 
aimed at advancing IC technology for the next node via 
the program called 'More Moore'. For example, we are 
leading the three-year PIn3S research pilot project into 3 
nm semiconductor technology. It is due to be completed 
in 2022. The European Union is contributing up to €30 
million of the total cost of €141.6 million for this project, 
as part of its objective to strengthen the European 
high-tech industry. Our partners in the project include 
Prodrive, Reden, Sioux CCM, Solmates, Thermo Fisher 
Scientific (FEI), TU Delft, the University of Twente, VDL 
ETG, imec, NOVA, KLA and Applied Materials. The PIn3S 
project will form the basis for innovations yet to come, 
enabling solutions that address societal challenges in 
communication, mobility, healthcare, security, energy, 
and safety and security. 

PIn3S is by far the largest of 11 research projects 
launched under the umbrella of the program ‘Electronic 
Components & Systems for European leadership’ 
(Ecsel). Ecsel is a so-called joint undertaking, a public-
private partnership established in 2014 by the European 
Union. It receives €1.17 billion in subsidies from the 
EU’s Horizon 2020 program. National and regional 
governments and project participants supplement this 
subsidy by about €5 billion. This money will be spent 
on research and innovation in nanoelectronics, cyber 
technology and system-integration technologies.

30

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020We have clear systems and processes in place to support 
our approach to product safety. When we start designing 
our systems, our safety engineers conduct an initial Safety 
Risk Assessment (SRA). They take nine key risk areas into 
account that we have identified, and alert risk experts if 
they believe designs might pose a safety risk. Our product 
designers are trained to identify any safety issues in the 
early stages of the design process.  

In each subsequent stage of the product lifecycle, we 
evaluate product safety. We track any reported product-
related incidents – including supply chain incidents – 
through our incident-reporting system. Every year, we 
provide management with a product-safety review, where 
we report any product-safety incidents of the past year. In 
2020, as in previous years, we are proud to say there were 
no recordable incidents caused by our equipment.   

EUV modular vessel: high-pressure gas 
systems safety test

Before an EUV S3-modular vessel system can be 
shipped to South Korea, an inspector from the South 
Korean gas and safety authorities must verify the high-
pressure gas system by proof-testing in the Veldhoven 
cleanroom. Travel restrictions during COVID-19 meant 
this step risked severely delaying clearance for shipment. 
Instead, a cross-sector team from ASML was able to 
demonstrate the high-pressure compliance of the EUV 
S3-MV system, with South Korean authorities and 
the customer viewing a live feed from the cleanroom. 
Afterwards, serial numbers of the manufacturing record 
book were checked and validated by showing the parts 
in the system to verify that the manufacturing record 
book matched the hardware in the system. With no 
deviations found and good results on the pressure proof 
test, the authorities approved the system, enabling 
clearance for shipment of the second S3-MV system to 
South Korea.

In 2020, ASML began coordinating a new EU collaboration 
project, called IT2, aimed at exploring, developing and 
demonstrating the technology options needed to realize 2 
nm CMOS Logic IC technology. This will extend the scaled 
semiconductor technology roadmap to the next node in 
accordance with Moore’s Law, and further support leading-
edge manufacturing. The three-year program is valued at 
more than €90 million. Project activities cover the creation 
of lithography equipment, processes and modules, and 
metrology tools capable of creating and dealing with new 2 
nm node 3D structures, defect analysis, overlay 
improvement and feature size reductions.

Our contribution for 2020 is nearly €28.5 million. In most of 
these projects, we work with universities, research and 
technology institutes and other high-tech companies to 
help enable the industry to move towards next-generation 
technology. The projects in the series are built around three 
main pillars: lithography, metrology and process 
development. It is mutually beneficial to support the 
companies around us that provide us with what we need. 
We push these projects and involve our ecosystem 
because it is important for us to build together. 

By collaborating in European projects, ASML and its 
partners play a role in giving the region a degree of 
sovereignty by driving and accelerating fundamental 
research and groundbreaking innovation in Europe. This 
collaboration also generates significant business value, 
fuels job creation, and creates knowledge. This is borne 
out of, for example, the increasing number of patent 
requests per year, both for ASML and the other members 
in the various consortia, which reflects the success of the 
collaborations. 

Product safety 
We want to innovate, but always with safety top of mind. 
It’s our duty to provide a safe work environment at all 
times. In our products and processes, we think about how 
to supply machines where all safety risks are mitigated to 
guarantee a safe place to work and deliver accordingly. We 
do this at every stage of a product lifecycle: research, 
development, production, transport, installation, 
maintenance, upgrades and decommissioning. And we 
make sure we cover all our stakeholder groups, including 
employees, customers, suppliers, contractors and visitors.  

How we manage product safety 
Safe products start with good design. As part of this 
philosophy, we try to eliminate the human factor as much 
as possible. We emphasize safety by design in hardware 
followed by safety by procedure. Prevention is key. We 
seek to ensure all the products and tools we develop 
comply with the world’s most stringent product safety 
regulations, and legislation applicable to the countries 
where we do business. In some cases, where there are no 
safety precautions available to address potential hazards, 
we develop our own precautions for the tools and products 
we develop at ASML.  

We create safe products through our technical capabilities 
and design to guard against the human factor becoming a 
risk factor. One example of this is the way we interlock 
laser-beam activities to limit our employees' exposure to 
dangerous laser beams. This helps prevent workplace 
activities from turning into potential accidents.  

31

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020As we have grown, so has our product complexity and the 
number of geographical locations we operate in, and 
therefore it is becoming more complex to assess which 
safety legislation and regulations apply to our products and 
tools. At the same time, it is also more complex to 
determine the rules and procedures we need to follow to 
demonstrate this compliance. Some of our technology is 
so innovative and new that it is not always immediately 
clear which regulatory regime applies. 

In 2020, we launched a legislation and compliance project 
in our D&E department. Through this project, we are further 
improving our ability to assess which legislation and 
regulations apply in each country we operate in, how to 
interpret them, and demonstrate how our products and 
tools comply. As always, we provide safety documents for 
our machines – including the results of the safety tests of 
parts, and the machines’ functioning – taking regulatory 
requirements into account. In some cases, government 
regulations stipulate that safety tests must be conducted in 
the presence of a licensed inspector. This presented 
several challenges due to global travel restrictions and 
quarantine measurements.  

The legislation and compliance project has led to updates 
of the Safety System Performance Specification (Safety 
SPS) – the list of safety and compliance requirements our 
D&E department maintains for our products and tools. The 
Safety SPS is formally updated every three years and on 
an ongoing basis for changes in relevant legislation. 

Ensuring safety compliance 

Our D&E safety competence leads are on hand to 
provide thorough knowledge about the way of working 
and design rules around specific safety hazards. The 
products and tools we develop comply with the EU 
Safety Directives and semiconductor industry guidelines 
(SEMI S2) to ensure product safety is taken into account 
at all times. These guidelines are incorporated in the 
Safety System Performance Specification (Safety SPS). 
We also take into account customer-specific safety 
guidelines.

We are SEMI S2 compliant for every product type 
shipped. In 2020, a report confirming SEMI S2 
compliance was available for every product type we 
shipped. We also have a CE declaration of conformity for 
all ASML products and tools. 

In 2020, we continued to run pilot projects aimed at 
ensuring our suppliers are abreast of all relevant safety 
specifications. The legislation and compliance project has 
led to updates of the Safety SPS, the list of safety and 
compliance requirements our D&E department maintains 
for our products and tools. We share this information with 
our suppliers prior to them manufacturing the parts, 
modules and/or tools for us. We expect our suppliers to 
also provide safety-related data and supporting 
documentation for the parts or tools they make for us. We 
screen suppliers to assess how they are meeting these 
safety requirements. 

We completed a project aimed at adopting best practices 
related to the shipping of dangerous goods. This resulted 
in, among other things, the appointment of a specialist 

dedicated to the technical competence ‘dangerous goods’. 
We focused on increasing our knowledge of the thousands 
of potentially hazardous items we produce and ship 
worldwide every year. By identifying at an early stage which 
materials are hazardous, we can take measures for their 
safe handling and transportation in time, and with more 
efficiency.  

RoHS and REACH
We are committed to complying with EU guidelines for 
handling hazardous materials and chemicals, the so-called 
RoHS directive and the REACH regulation, even though the 
products we manufacture are currently excluded from the 
RoHS directive. We aim to, whenever possible, reduce and 
eliminate any use of hazardous substances and replace 
non-compliant parts with RoHS-compliant alternatives.

REACH regulations are ever changing, which presents a 
potential challenge. Each year, there are new additions to 
the hazardous substances list. As ASML machines consist 
of thousands of parts not manufactured at ASML locations, 
we need to keep in very close communication with our 
suppliers to identify the Substances of Very High Concern 
(SVHC) content of our products. However, our huge 
supplier portfolio and six-monthly updates of the SVHC list 
means this process is challenging. Currently, there are 
more than 250 hazardous chemicals that need to be 
assessed.

In 2020, our D&E department launched a project to update 
our REACH policy and further embed REACH compliance 
in D&E’s operations at all our locations and in our 
worldwide supply chain. Our REACH project, which will 
continue in 2021, includes training stakeholders to 
familiarize them with REACH requirements. The project 
also aims to align our policy and procedures with new EU 
legislation and the EU ‘SCIP’ database of hazardous 
materials. 

Supporting startups and scaleups  
We are now 36 years old, but it’s our startup mentality – 
one that is innovative, adaptable and purpose-driven – that 
has helped us grow into the multinational company we are 
today. We believe an inclusive and sustainable innovation 
ecosystem can unleash dynamic and competitive 
technologies that provide new solutions to society’s 
challenges. To nurture innovation by new generations of 
technological talents, we also recognize that our expertise 
is valuable in supporting entrepreneurs and startups.  

We make use of our experts’ in-depth competencies and 
knowledge to support startups and scaleups. By fostering 
entrepreneurship, we aim to help these young enterprises 
excel and grow. What we share is based on what we are 
good at, like building complex manufacturing systems. 
This is where we can play a role and make a difference.    

Sharing our expertise is a way to strengthen our regional 
high-tech ecosystem. This region has a competitive edge 
globally, and we need to make sure we maintain this 
position. Building a strong regional foundation benefits not 
just ASML and associated partners, but also other 
companies and organizations. It also helps attract a broad 
base of talent to the region.

32

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our employees benefit from the work with startups too. 
Placing our people into startup teams during certain 
phases of programs is a way to further develop 
entrepreneurial thinking within our company.

In 2020, we provided around 1,550 hours of support to 
high-tech startups and scaleups. The total value of our in-
kind support is around €0.6 million.

ASML as a venture-builder 
Through the Eindhoven Startup Alliance, we have 
supported startups and scaleups in their various stages 
over the years in collaboration with other tech-minded 
peers from our region. In 2020, we further developed and 
mapped out a new focus area started in 2019: becoming a 
startup venture-builder.   

Every startup goes through similar phases as it strives to 
become the next world-class company: 'Dream' (ambition), 
'Stand' (idea), 'Step' (problem statement and solution) and 
'Walk' (value proposition). Each individual phase of this life 
cycle presents unique challenges. Through sharing our 
expertise, together with HighTechXL, we aim to support 
startups along their journey. We monitor and assess their 
maturity through objective assessment and a set of 
deliverables per KPI, such as business model, finance, 
technology, sustainability and execution skills. 

After successful completion of phase 'Walk', the startup 
evolves to a scaleup, ready to generate its first revenue and 
seeking ways to expand to a mature business model. We 
offer support to scaleups. By providing them access into 
our ecosystem and sharing our knowledge, together with 
the Make Next Platform, we help them grow into a 
sustainable company.   

Insights we’ve gained in recent years showed that our past 
successes were based on working with scaled-up startups 
with a ‘deep tech’ component, and that these were difficult 
to find. The solution was to build our own in partnership 
with other technology providers. In 2019, we chose a 
promising – existing but innovative – technology, and 
selected a team of experts from the region to build a 
startup company based on this licensed technology (Read 
more in: Incooling combating waste heat). 

In 2020, we further developed this initiative, reaching 
agreements with several companies and organizations, 
including TNO, imec, the European Space Agency and 
Fraunhofer, to work together to build new deep-tech 
companies. This shift in focus takes the existing high-tech 
startup accelerator HighTechXL, in which we have been a 
partner since its launch in 2016, and moves it into the next 
development phase.

ASML was involved in two HighTechXL FasTrackathons in 
2020, focused on deep-tech venture building. Teams made 
up of around 16 different nationalities, and different ages, 
backgrounds, skills and competencies, came together to 
explore synergies and work towards bringing new 
companies to fruition.

In March, the FasTrackathon  had to move online. The  
event was recreated as a virtual hackathon while keeping 
the collaboration philosophy of the original – introductions, 
team familiarizations, brainstorming, business plans and, 
finally, the pitches that are the first step toward strangers 
becoming effective startup teams.

Although we gained momentum with our new approach in 
2020, progress was hampered. We had to organize 
ourselves offline, with associated challenges around 
communications and logistics. And while the spend rate of 
startup companies is relatively low, some ran into financial 
difficulty. ASML helped to arrange funding and subsidies 
for some of these. Overall, many startups had to rearrange 
their priorities.

Incooling combating waste heat

Established with ASML’s support at the start of 2019, 
Incooling uses cooling technology developed by CERN, 
the European Organization for Nuclear Research, 
to address one of the datacenter industry's major 
challenges: waste heat. It is predicted that by 2025 no 
less than 20% of global energy consumption will be 
consumed by datacenters. A large part of this energy is 
needed for cooling. This produces 1.9 gigatons of CO2 
(equivalent to the annual emissions of the aviation and 
shipping industry combined). Incooling has developed 
highly efficient cooling systems that in the future will offer 
datacenters higher performance against substantially 
lower energy consumption.

This young venture has accelerated in a very short 
period of time and, with ASML’s collaboration, has 
been recognized with the first CoSta* Award for the 
most successful and impactful innovative collaboration 
between a corporate and a startup. The award 
acknowledges the wide-ranging support offered by 
ASML in helping the young company establish itself and 
tap into the fast-moving innovation ecosystem.

*The CoSta program of Dutch employers alliance VNO-
NCW and MKB Nederland was set up to stimulate 
cooperation between corporates and startups.

Eindhoven Startup Alliance 
Over the years, we’ve provided in-kind support to new 
companies at different stages of development.  For 
startups that have moved beyond the stage of an idea, we 
offer support through two initiatives: the Eindhoven Startup 
Alliance, together with HighTechXL, and the Make Next 
Platform.  

We set up the Eindhoven Startup Alliance in 2016 with six 
tech-minded peers from the region to boost innovation and 
entrepreneurship in the Eindhoven Brainport area. The 
alliance facilitates collaboration between multinational 
corporations, SMEs, research institutes and government. It 
supports promising new companies with the aim of 
accelerating their development and strengthening the 
ecosystem for high-tech manufacturing in the region. 

Since its inception, the Eindhoven Startup Alliance has built 
a portfolio of about 70 startups. Of these, more than 60% 
are still in business, while about 16% have achieved the 
steep growth envisioned by the alliance and as such have 
been awarded the alliance’s ‘Star’ status. A supported 
high-tech start-up is assumed to have reached 'Star Level' 
once it's business value has multiplied by more than 10 
times.    

In 2019, the alliance narrowed its focus to those startups 
that build business cases on the most complex types of 

33

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020high-tech technology, a category the alliance dubbed 
‘deep-tech’. Supporting startups that work with these 
sophisticated technologies creates more value for alliance 
partners and the Eindhoven region.  In 2020, we moved 
forward with this new focus area. 

The Eindhoven Startup Alliance had a total of eight 
companies using a licensed technology in the pipeline at 
year-end 2020. Our goal over the next five years is to 
establish about 45 startup companies through the alliance 
based on this technology licensing model. Our own target 
is to help at least 20% of startups reach the ‘Star’ level.   

We encourage ASML staff to join alliance projects and help 
startups by sharing their expertise, which also benefits our 
innovation and business processes. Not only do our 
experts gain knowledge about new technologies, they also 
get the opportunity to experience the different stages of a 
young company’s evolution – from developing a product 
proposition to going to market and needing to find 
customers. We believe this makes our top experts better 
leaders and all-rounders.

Make Next Platform  
We set up the Make Next Platform to help young 
technology companies that have moved beyond the 
startup phase and are ready to expand. This platform 
provides the future generation of tech companies with a 
unique opportunity to gain access to the networks, 
knowledge and expertise of the leading Dutch companies 
in the technology industry.   

These companies, so-called scaleups, face challenges 
such as finding the funding needed to grow, knowing how 
to target new customer groups, and recruiting new 
employees with the right skills. Through exchange of best 
practices, business experience and coaching, the Make 
Next Platform partners aim to support them in their 
development to become global players by giving them 
access to the inside networks.  

Together with ASML, the Make Next Platform partners 
include, for example, the engineering company Huisman, 
airport logistics specialist Vanderlande, and aerospace, 
defense, public transport and security-systems specialist 
Thales NL. 

The Dutch non-profit Stichting Technology Rating provides 
due diligence services that help the Make Next Platform 
select companies it wants to support.   

In 2020, support for scaleups took a different form. There 
was a more focused and urgent need for funding to see 
companies through the lockdown period. In some cases, 
ASML and the CEOs of founding companies arranged 
letters of support for the companies we support.

One of the scaleups we supported in 2020 was Medtech 
company IME Medical Electrospinning, which was 
admitted to the Make Next platform in March. The 
company is a global leader in electrospun medical devices 
and regenerative medicine. IME has developed the 
revolutionary MediSpin® XL platform for large-scale 
industrial production of reproducible and scalable fiber-
based scaffolds for medical devices. The platform ensures 
control of the crucial parameters of the electrospinning 
process, leading to identical and consistent end-products. 
It also allows for non-stop production, while safeguarding 

the structure of the fibers and thus the quality of the 
medical mesh. 

We also supported the Enschede startup Sound Energy, 
which has developed a sustainable machine that can cool 
industrial processes with sound waves using residual heat. 
In this way, the company creates an air conditioner that 
uses hardly any electricity. And for large factories and 
ships, its Thermo Acoustic Energy Converter can save up 
to 88% energy.

ASML Makers Award 
We support new companies at different stages of 
development. For those seeking to transform a high-tech 
idea into a business case, we offer help in kind. ASML 
experts make themselves available for an agreed number 
of hours to share knowledge and experience with these 
startups. We provide this support to winners of our ASML 
Makers Award. These are usually university students or 
young scholars who successfully pitched an as-yet 
embryonic high-tech innovation or prototypes. 

In 2020, we granted the ASML Makers Award to a team of 
students from TU/e for their business case on a ‘Bicycle 
lighting solution’, aimed at encouraging cyclists to use 
bicycle lights by designing an easy-to-use product. The 
small, pocketable bicycle light is easily attachable to a 
keychain, so reducing the chance of loss and theft. 

34

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Technology and innovation ecosystem KPIs 
The table below shows the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the related 2025 targets. In 2019, we adopted a new 
sustainability strategy – as a result no comparative results for 2018 are available for new performance indicators. See Non-
financial statements - Non-financial indicators for our performance indicators (PIs) and related results.   

KPI

R&D expenses (€, in billions)
Investment in R&D partners (€, in billions)

Number of R&D partner agencies

Startups reached Star level from total startups supported (in %)

Number of scale up companies supported (in #)

2018

1.6
—

—

—

—

2019

2.0
0.5

144

17%

5

2020

Target 2025

2.2
0.6

130

16%

7

n/a
n/a

n/a

> 20%

14

Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals 
Our ambitions, commitments and programs as described in this chapter contribute to the following SDGs. For more 
information on the performance, see section Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators.

SDG target

SDG target 9.1 - Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, 
including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic 
development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable 
access for all.

How we measure our performance

•  Supporting startups to Star level
•  Supporting scaleup projects
•  Collaboration in EU projects

SDG target 9.4 - By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make 
them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of 
clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all 
countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.

•  Collaboration with research partners
•  Energy efficiency of our products measured per 

wafer pass

SDG target 9.5 - Enhance scientific research, upgrade technological capabilities 
of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries. For 
developing countries, this includes, by 2030, encouraging innovation and 
increasing the number of research and development workers per one million 
people, as well as public and private research and development spending.

Investments in R&D 

• 
•  Collaboration with R&D partner agencies

35

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Customer intimacy 
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of chipmaking 
equipment, we enable our customers to create the patterns 
that define the electronic circuits on a chip. Our customers 
are the world’s leading microchip manufacturers, and our 
success is inextricably linked with theirs. 

As ASML matures and grows, our innovations lead to more 
sophisticated solutions and interactions with our 
customers. As customer requirements become more 
complex, it takes longer to align, so we need to start earlier. 
Transparency is key in this process, and our customer 
intimacy strategy supports this.      

We collaborate with our customers to understand how our 
technology best fits their needs and challenges. For this 
reason, we engage with our customers at all levels: 
building partnerships, sharing knowledge and risks, and 
aligning our investments in innovation. We develop our 
solutions based on their input, engage in helping them 
achieve their technology and cost roadmaps, and work 
together, often literally in the same team, to make sure our 
solutions match. 

In 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic shaped our 
approach to how we continue to support our customers. It 
drove us to devise creative support solutions and 
collaborate with our customers in a number of different 
ways, to make sure we could serve them around the globe 
without significant interruption.

From the start, our account teams stayed in constant 
communication with the regions affected by the pandemic 
as it unfolded. In alignment with our corporate crisis team, 
we ramped up our customer communications, providing 
more frequent status updates, usually through weekly or 
bi-weekly calls.

It’s crucial to be in a true partnership with our customers, 
to share in the risks and rewards of what we do. Trust and 
a shared vision are at the heart of this.   

Staying close to our customer
To support and sustain our partnerships with customers, 
we have a structure of customer interactions across 
various channels in the organization, including, for 
example, customer alignment meetings. Here, members of 
our Board of Management, senior managers and customer 
representatives come together to make sure our product 
development plans are in line with their business goals and 
needs. 

We run regular customer alignment meetings with our key 
customers. These meetings include our Executive Review 
Meetings, at which members of our senior management 
team and Board of Management discuss business and 
strategies with customers; Technology Review Meetings, at 
which our senior technology experts and CTO discuss 
technology plans and requirements with customers, and 
Operational Review Meetings, where we review topics 
related to our customers’ operational activities.

Despite travel restrictions, mandatory quarantine and 
manpower constraints, and thanks to our collaborative 
efforts across the company and our business partners, we 
were able to prevent any major impact on our customer 
business requirements. Customers around the world have 
recognized our additional support efforts and interventions 
during the pandemic. We were presented with several 
‘customer awards’ in recognition of our rapid response to 
customers' needs and good overall customer service. 

We have a dedicated Sales and Customer Management 
department, which is responsible for building and 
maintaining our customer relationships and ensuring all 
relevant ASML departments contribute to meeting their 
needs. We market and sell our products directly to our 
customers, without agencies or other intermediaries. Our 
account managers, field and application engineers, and 
service and technical support specialists are located 
throughout Asia, the US and Europe.  

Augmented reality enables remote support

Continuous customer support  

As we responded to the unique situations present in 
2020, our new ability to provide remote support became 
a game-changer. A cross-functional team used gaming-
inspired augmented reality (AR) to turn a potential 
problem – delays in providing customer support – into 
a new opportunity, ushering in a new era of remote 
support.

We developed an AR solution using Microsoft 3D 
HoloLens headsets that allows subject-matter experts to 
enter customer cleanrooms virtually to both troubleshoot 
and complete service actions. Using AR, we are now 
able to have our top experts support our machines from 
anywhere in the world.

Achieving customer intimacy 
To us, customer intimacy is about the entire customer 
relationship across all channels, from the early stages of 
innovation onwards. We aim to foster loyalty, advocacy and 
continuous engagement with the goal of achieving 
complete customer satisfaction. 

Our customer support engineers have gone above 
and beyond to continue supporting our customers 
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including the use 
of ASML’s remote service capability: Basic Remote 
Equipment Support (BRES). BRES allows engineers 
to check error logs, diagnostic reports, and even ‘see’ 
a machine screen remotely in certain locations. Our 
customer support team relied heavily on this capability 
to solve machine issues quickly – without any face-to-
face interaction. It also allowed specialists from other 
locations to provide support. 

Another focus area is training – boosting the capabilities of 
the local customer service teams as well as enhancing 
local technical expertise. The travel restrictions, among 
others, highlighted just how essential the need is for well-
trained engineers in the regions where we operate.

We opened two EUV technology training centers in 2020, 
one in Hwasung in South Korea and one in Tainan in 
Taiwan. Bringing service engineers up to speed on our 
technology is critical to the industrialization of EUV. The 
EUV training center enables both ASML and our customers 
to train EUV engineers locally in a safe and cost-effective 
way.

36

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The new training center in Tainan features live EUV 
machine modules and comprehensive training courses to 
train EUV engineers for EUV customers, including EUV 
machine operating practice in the cleanroom.

Measuring our approach
Our Voice of the Customer program helps ensure our 
employees hear firsthand about our customers’ needs and 
challenges. This is especially important for employees 
without direct access to customers. To reach as many of 
our people as possible, the program makes use of different 
channels of communication: live presentations and Q&As 
with senior customer representatives, recorded customer 
interviews, online articles, and personal engagement with 
customer representatives based near our offices in 
Veldhoven. In 2020, travel restrictions and other mitigation 
measures related to COVID-19 limited our in-person 
interactions. 

Our account teams adapted quickly, introducing alternative 
solutions such as more local Voice of the Customer 
initiatives and remote customer interviews. Local account 
and support teams visited our customers at their locations, 
interviewed them on video, and then shared feedback with 
teams at ASML. Except for live presentations with a bigger 
audience, we could adhere to our regular schedule of 
interactions throughout the year.  

Another valuable customer feedback tool is our biennial 
Customer Feedback Survey, which asks our customers to 
rate our performance. We also use this opportunity to 
collect open feedback. The direct ratings and frank 
comments provide valuable insight into customers’ 
successes and challenges. It presents them with questions 
on the most important areas of improvement for our 
account teams and business sectors. 

Customer intimacy KPIs

KPI

Overall Loyalty Score (Customer Feedback Survey) 
VLSI Survey results
Large suppliers of chipmaking equipment - score (scale 0 to 10)

Suppliers of Fab equipment - score (scale 0 to 10)
Technical leadership for lithography equipment - score (scale 0 to 10)

We ran the survey in 2020, and drawing on the results, 
identified improvement areas. Common themes include 
driving timely solutions to structural problems, improving 
quality and cost of ownership. We shared these findings 
with business sectors and other relevant internal 
stakeholders.

We also set ourselves a target of achieving a top-three 
ranking among large suppliers of semiconductor 
equipment. The VLSI research annual Customer 
Satisfaction Survey benchmarks the performance of 
suppliers across the semiconductor industry. The 2020 
VLSI research Customer Satisfaction Survey saw us 
achieve our highest-ever score, with an average rating of 
9.3 out of 10, up from 9.2 in 2019. We've maintained our 
position in the top three overall ‘Large Suppliers of 
Chipmaking Equipment’ and also top three individual 
categories: ‘Best Suppliers of Fab Equipment’, ‘Wafer to 
Foundation Chipmakers’, and ‘Wafer Fabrication 
Equipment to Specialty Chipmakers’.  

In line with our business strategy, we continued in 2020 to 
work towards securing our full product portfolio that will 
sustain our company into the future. This includes bringing 
EUV to high-volume manufacturing at customer sites, and 
securing our products in the mature markets and installed 
base and service offering. 

Our product portfolio is aligned to industry trends and our 
customers’ detailed product roadmaps, which require 
lithography-enabled solutions. Our strategy is clearly 
resonating with our customers. They are showing their trust 
in us by investing in our newest technology, supporting the 
industry driver of shrink beyond the current decade.

2018

73.3%

9.1

9.1
9.6

2019

n/a

9.2

9.2
9.6

2020

72.6%

9.3

9.3
9.7

37

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Operational excellence
ASML has achieved strong growth over the past few years, 
thanks to groundbreaking innovations and technology 
leadership. We’ve introduced several generations of 
cutting-edge chipmaking systems and built a strong 
market position in the semiconductor equipment 
manufacturing industry. As we mature as a company and 
build on this position, we are putting effort into ways to 
continuously improve the customer experience and help 
customers reduce the cost of ownership. Customers look 
at both the cost of the systems and running costs. As 
such, improving quality requires an end-to-end approach. 
We need to look at the whole chain to identify the real 
issues and find solutions. We seek to combine our 
innovation power with operational excellence. 

Our New Enterprise program
The strong growth in our business operations and the 
evolution of the company drove us to review our work 
practices and determine where we can increase efficiency 
in our operational processes to improve the customer 
experience and unlock business value. We put ample effort 
in reshaping our processes and IT landscape. The Our New 
Enterprise (ONE) program is centered on improving our 
business processes and IT enterprise management 
system. It builds on the steps taken in recent years to 
improve our IT systems, which were built in the 1990s and 
not optimized for tailored customer solutions. This is a 
multi-year program, with the rollout being done in phases. 

The ONE program addresses the complex processes that 
have resulted from a fragmented application landscape 
with numerous customized applications. The aim is to 
ensure flexibility while introducing standardization. ONE will 
enable ASML to function in a more unified and efficient 
way by simplifying processes to ensure a future-proof and 
more sustainable system. The program adopts a cross-
sector, company-wide, and end-to-end approach that will 
enable us to deliver higher business value for our 
stakeholders, which we define as: 

•  Shareholders: Increased competitiveness of our 

products and services 

•  Customers: Increased performance and reliable product 
life-cycle management of our products and services 
•  Suppliers: Stable and clear requirements on parts, tools, 

and timing through decoupled planning
•  Employees: Empowered through simplified, 
standardized, and cross-sector operations

Quality culture
ASML is committed to providing a high level of customer 
satisfaction by delivering top-quality, sustainable products 
and services that consistently meet, or exceed, our 
customers’ expectations. Quality and operational 
excellence are essential elements of our technology 
leadership. This leadership is reinforced by a company-
wide quality culture that creates an environment to excel. 
Together with our suppliers and partners, we ensure high-
level performance for our products and services. As a 
learning organization, we continuously improve our 
offerings and processes.

The aim of our quality culture is to shorten Time to Mature 
Yield and ensure end-to-end quality of our products and 
services in several ways: 

•  First Time Right: Apply risk management processes on 
products and execution to minimize the impact for our 
customers.

•  Zero defect: Embed controls to guarantee adherence to 

our policies, processes and procedures.
•  Zero repeat: Learn from failures and prevent 

reoccurrence, driving structural improvement in our 
products, services and processes.

We have established a Quality Program Review Board, 
chaired by our Chief Operating Officer (COO), tasked with 
steering and monitoring on quality. We are also committed 
to internationally recognized quality management systems 
and standards. Our quality-management system complies 
with the ISO 9001:2015 standard, and in November 2020 
we again received third-party re-certification for the next 
three years. This demonstrates our robust quality 
governance, effective quality management system, and 
quality compliance across the company.

Training from ZEISS

The ZEISS projection lenses in our DUV systems are 
usually serviced on-site by ZEISS engineers traveling 
from South Korea, Taiwan, the US and Germany. To 
make sure we could continue to service our customers 
efficiently, especially in the face of travel restrictions, our 
customer service engineers looked for ways to reduce 
the need for on-site support from ZEISS.

And they found a way: by freeing up machine time 
and having a resident ZEISS engineer train local CS 
engineers from China, Japan and Singapore in the 
TWINSCAN factory in Veldhoven, local ASML engineers 
are now able to cover those locations. With local ZEISS 
engineers continuing to cover South Korea, Taiwan, the 
US and Europe, support has increased on critical-service 
actions from less than 70% to more than 90% coverage.

38

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our people

Empowering individuals for the collective good to ensure
ouremployees are proud to work for us and engaged with 
our ambitions as a company.

80%
Employee engagement score 

3.8%
Attrition rate

€4m
Community engagement

(listings)

5
Employer brand ranking
    4 Netherlands
  22 Taiwan
  24 South Korea
  99 US
168 China

Every day, our employees come together to unlock the 
potential of each nanometer to break new ground. Without 
our diverse and highly educated workforce, we wouldn’t be 
able to push the limits of technology. Therefore, we want to 
offer our people the best possible employee experience at 
all our sites, enabling them to develop their talent, feel 
respected and work to the best of their abilities. Providing 
the best possible employee experience enables us to 
attract and retain the best talent.      

Strengthening our company culture  
ASML’s workforce has grown steeply in recent years. This 
strong growth in total workforce, the large number of new 
employees, and the evolution of the company has driven 
us to review what we stand for as a company and 
determine how we can help our people embrace our values 
and familiarize themselves with our strategy and purpose. 
We need to provide a unified direction and anchor ASML’s 
identity deep in the organization. 

In 2020, we were faced with an unprecedented global 
crisis, the effects of which reached into every corner of our 
lives and across every aspect of our business. From one 
day to the next, we had to change how we were used to 
doing things. From a people perspective, we had to 
transform how we organized ourselves, our way of 
working, our day-to-day lives at ASML, and how we 
attracted new talent to the company.

Operationally, we were able to continue with our business 
activities and priorities, but the way we worked, learned 
and interacted with each other and our stakeholders 
changed significantly. This was challenging, but there have 
been positive outcomes, such as new ways of working, the 
ability to collaborate remotely and, in some cases, faster 
progress with some of our plans.

Our primary goal is to make sure, as best as we can, that 
our colleagues and their families around the world stay 
safe. Our second goal is to make sure we continue to serve 
our customers. As an employer, we provide a safe work 
environment, but we rely on our employees to take 
personal responsibility to protect themselves and those 
around them, both at work and in their personal lives. And 
at all times, we follow government guidelines.

Gradually, we will work on defining how to resume regular 
business activities. We were and still are in different phases 
of these priorities in the countries and regions where we 
operate. 

Given the significant number of new employees who have 
joined the company in recent years, we need to be even 
more explicit about what we stand for, articulating the 
values that should guide the way we work together. Based 
on employee feedback, we’ve developed a representative 
set of values: Challenge, Collaborate and Care. These 
values ensure we are all working from a commonly 
understood base that can be applied across our 
organization, and guide us in our dealings with colleagues, 
customers, suppliers, shareholders and the communities 
we serve. (Read more in: Who we are and what we do - 
Our core values). 

In 2020, with our refreshed company purpose and values 
statement in place, we focused on further deploying our 
culture and values framework, and implementing our 
values in our day-to-day work. 

One of the ways we did this was to set up a Culture 
Ambassadors workgroup. This network of 120 cultural 
ambassadors from all levels of the organization has been 
tasked with helping leaders and employees anchor our 
corporate values and behaviors in daily routines. Their role 
is to understand the values, live them by example, and 
connect with others in the organization to promote them. 
We see them as multiplicators within ASML, to help embed 
our culture and way of thinking. This process of embedding 
our values is an ongoing journey, but we will make good 
progress if we can begin to apply them every day.

39

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Employee engagement
Employee engagement is critical to the performance of our 
organization and our long-term success as a company. 
Boosting engagement depends on a wide variety of factors 
and activities, such as talent attraction and retention, 
onboarding experience, leadership, learning and 
development and labor practices.

Our we@ASML employee engagement survey is a crucial 
tool for collecting and measuring employee feedback. The 
insights our survey provides enable us to improve the 
employee experience and work on our policies and 
processes. Our ambition is to have a highly engaged 
workforce. We set ourselves the target of achieving an 
employee engagement score that is at least on a par with 
our peers.

We are proud of the progress we made on this in the 
challenging context of 2020. Our overall employee 
engagement level is high, up from 77% 
in 2019 to 80% in 2020 – 7% above our external global 
benchmark of 73%. We have shown improvement on 
topics such as quality, well-being, inclusiveness, and 
customer focus. Also impacting this upward trend is our 
positive response to COVID-19, which external research 
shows influences company engagement scores.

We still see clear differences in engagement levels, across 
regions and departments. And while the three priority areas 
from we@ASML 2019 – ‘Enabling Processes’, ‘Cross-team 
Collaboration’ and ‘Clarity of Expectations’ – have all 
improved significantly this year, they are still top of the 
agenda, as we still score well below the external 
benchmark. For example, following on from issues raised 
in the 2019 we@ASML feedback, the Brion executive team 

launched a new virtual event – known as Product Day in 
the US and Product Week in China – to better enable 
cross-team collaboration. Through these events, 
employees were able to quickly learn about products, 
share in customer successes, and foster collaboration to 
inspire new ideas.

How we grew in 2020
We hired 1,932 new payroll employees in 2020, growing 
our workforce to 26,481 FTE at year-end, excluding the 
almost 1,600 FTE joining from the Berliner Glas acquisition. 
This is a sharp increase compared to the 14,681 FTEs we 
employed in 2015.  

Our attrition rate – the percentage of employees leaving our 
company – was significantly below that of our industry, 
meaning we again met our target. After a few years of 
modest increase – though always remaining well below 
that of our industry – our attrition rate significantly 
decreased in 2020, standing at 3.8% versus 4.3% in 2019. 

This shows that our efforts to create a unique employee 
experience, our employee engagement programs, and our 
onboarding of new employees are paying off. Of course, in 
2020 this was also shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, 
which may have resulted in people being less inclined to 
look for other jobs.  

While attrition can open up a knowledge gap in the 
company, we also view it as an opportunity to bring in new 
talent and enhance existing talent. We strive for a healthy 
attrition rate, currently aiming for between 3.0% and 8.0%. 
For high performers, our target is to have a rate 50% lower 
than the overall attrition rate target. The attrition rate of our 
high performers was 1.7% in 2020, outperforming our 
target.

Our workforce trend

30,000

25,000

)

E
T
F
(

s
e
e
y
o
p
m
E

l

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

3,203

20,044

2,997

16,219

2,513

2,656

12,168

13,991

1,681

1,399

23,219

25,082

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Payroll employees (FTE)

Temporary employees (FTE)

Attrition rate %

The 2020 FTEs in the chart above do not include the FTEs acquired through the acquisition of Berliner Glas Group.

A

t
t
r
i
t
i
o
n

r
a
t
e
%

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

40

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
Building a strong talent pool 
In an innovative, high-tech, fast-changing industry, it’s vital 
to strengthen and continuously invest in our talent pool to 
anticipate evolving business requirements and 
developments in the labor market. We empower our 
employees to develop their talent, pursue their career 
ambitions and to thrive. We strongly believe that personal 
development works best when our employees can invest in 
themselves. At ASML, we give employees the time, 
opportunity and support, while they put in the effort, 
passion and drive needed to enhance their development. 
We offer tailor-made training and development programs to 
help grow the highly skilled professionals we employ at 
ASML.  

Training
To maintain our technological leadership and pace of 
innovation, we need to ensure the right knowledge is 
available to our people at the right time. To do this, we 
have our own technical development centers in-house for 
our D&E, customer support, and manufacturing employees 
to tailor training to the specific technical needs of these 
departments. 

Most of our trainings take place on the job, given the 
nature of our innovative business and co-value creation. 
Overall, we are promoting the 70-20-10 approach for 
learning interventions, meaning that 70% is on the job 
learning, 20% is through coaching, and 10% is learning 
through training courses. The average number of training 
hours in this last category, including development 
programs, was 28 hours per employee in 2020. 

In addition, we started working on redesigning specific 
development programs to establish an effective mix 
between remote and in-person training, addressing how 
we can bring people from different locations together, and 
how to make training more digestible for online purposes. 

Career development opportunities 
Developing our people is crucial to the sustained success 
of our business. Employee development is never a straight 
line as employees are at different stages in their employee 
journey and have different needs. We offer various career 
paths and have various tools in place to support our 
employees’ career navigation.  

We are continuously looking into ways to improve how we 
can help employees identify opportunities for professional 
development within ASML. 

In 2020, we started the discussion and thinking process 
around how our performance management approach and 
philosophy can better align with our refreshed culture and 
values. This forms part of a broader look at the future of 
performance management in the company. We know that if 
we want to deploy our culture and values in a certain way, 
we need to weave it into certain processes, including 
performance management, which we will start doing in 
2021. Together with our executive committee, we started 
defining how to do this more fundamentally in coming 
years, looking ahead to a proposed go-live date for a new 
performance management approach in 2022.

EUV training centers open in Asia

With the world’s largest installed base of EUV systems, 
Asia leads the way in EUV adoption. Getting service 
engineers up to speed on this technology is critical not 
only to ensure they can service this fast-moving location, 
but also to the overall industrialization of EUV – which 
is why ASML has opened new EUV training centers in 
Tainan (Taiwan) and Hwasung (South Korea) in 2020. 

It can take more than a year for an EUV engineer to 
develop the skills needed to work independently. With 
these long development times and ongoing travel 
uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, these 
EUV training centers enable ASML and our customers to 
train engineers locally in a safe and cost-effective way, 
bringing EUV knowledge to where it is needed most.

In 2020, we increased virtual training. We had been looking 
into adopting this over time but accelerated our efforts due 
to COVID-19. We dedicated a lot of time and effort to 
adapting this training during the year. There were some 
challenges as it was not possible to make all our training 
virtual. 

For example, we postponed some of the development 
activities that have a strong networking component to 
them, ones where we needed to bring different sectors and 
countries together. Due to travel restrictions and different 
time zones, these activities were not viable. 

41

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Strengthening our leadership 
To remain a market leader, we must provide unified direction. This means we need authentic leadership to give our 
people a clear picture of where ASML is heading. As our company grows, so does the need for clarity around roles and 
expectations. Leaders need to play a part here in providing role clarity for employees, as well as being clear about their 
own roles and responsibilities. We need to formulate and capture this more clearly so our people can better understand 
what is expected of them. In response, we started to develop a Leadership Framework in 2020, which will set out clear 
guidelines of what we expect from our leaders. 

Leadership framework

Role 
Model

• Live the values
• Self-develop & renew
• Show courage
• Personal well-being

Business
Leader

• Own your content
• Act end-to-end
• Build stakeholder relations
• Display business acumen

e l           

o d

Role M

B

u

s

i

n

e

s

s

L

e

a

d

                                C

o

a

Challenge

Collaborate

Care

c

h

r 
e
d
a

              P e o ple Le

er                              

Coach

• Connect
• Enable
• Develop
• Trust

People
Leader

• Create the setting
• Adapt the situation
• Share vision & set direction
• Make it happen

The framework outlines and clarifies a leader’s role in 
business leadership, role-modeling the values within the 
company, and what it means to be a people manager and 
coach for employees. This Leadership Framework was 
officially launched in October 2020 at ASML’s Annual 
Global Leadership Conference, attended by around 3,000 
leaders and people managers within ASML.

At the same time, we are deploying behavioral 
competencies to inspire and enable personal development. 
We have leadership programs where we fast-track the 
careers of our most promising managers through our 
Potential Acceleration Program. These programs ensure 
our managers are aware of what’s expected of them, and 
help them develop the skills and competencies they need 
to become better leaders.

Onboarding as a joint effort 
As our global workforce grows exponentially, onboarding 
has become one of our key priorities. 

A positive onboarding experience builds a sense of 
connection, helps employees fit in quickly, and boosts 
retention. We believe onboarding is a joint effort, driven by 
everyone. It is now two and a half years since our new 
onboarding program started, and the benefits of an aligned 
and improved onboarding experience are clear. We have 
decreased new hire attrition by 20% and pulse surveys 
show a 6% increase in how new hires positively rate their 
onboarding experience. More importantly, new colleagues 
have indicated a positive increase of 11% in how 
supported they felt by managers during their onboarding 
period. 

Onboarding at ASML looked very different in 2020: the 
hiring managers and the new employees needed to adjust 

to a completely new way of doing things, yet pulled 
together to replace first-person interactions. To give new 
colleagues the best possible start, hiring managers and HR 
teams across the globe created a virtual onboarding 
experience. Previously, in-person elements like our 
Onboarding Day connected new colleagues with each 
other to learn more about all aspects of ASML. For now, 
they take place completely online, with teams finding 
creative virtual ways to make new colleagues feel welcome 
and part of their teams. Campus walkabouts for new hires 
at Veldhoven were adapted to a virtual setting, including 
gamification elements.

We began developing virtual games and business 
simulation tools to make onboarding more fun and 
efficient. Sectors, business lines and functions also 
continue to build on our global onboarding initiatives, 
making sure we’re providing one consistent experience 
across the company, further tailored to the various 
departments. 

In 2020, we finalized all the building blocks of the program, 
bringing it to the framework stage. 

Strong employer branding 
With the demand for top-tier talent increasing year-on-year, 
employer branding is a vital strategy to ensure ASML gets 
its share of this talent. Our strong growth means we need 
to hire large numbers of employees. Highly skilled people 
with a technical background are scarce in the labor market 
and competition is growing. We see that top-tier talent 
selects their employer of choice, not the other way around. 
This is a general development of employees choosing their 
future employer, and it’s important for employees that a 
potential employer has a proper value proposition.   

42

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020           
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
  
 
Developed in 2019, our employee value proposition defines 
who we are, what we stand for, and how we create a 
unique employee experience. It forms the basis of our 
recruitment strategy and Labor Market Communication 
program. In 2020, our Labor Market Communication team 
took feedback from this new employee value proposition 
and translated it into tailored strategies in the countries 
where we operate.

We view recruitment as an ongoing process, and 
continuously seek to improve and professionalize how we 
go about it. We use this information to fine-tune our target 
audiences and recruitment efforts. 

More than ever, the internet is the optimal platform to 
communicate. Our labor market communications team is 
continuously working to optimize how we reach, inform 
and engage our target audiences online. To leverage 
recruitment efforts, we facilitate job postings and manage 
ASML’s presence on online social network channels. We 
also promote the ASML employer brand through online 
advertising. 

We continue to improve our employer brand and values 
on our corporate website, creating a better understanding 
of what we do and what we stand for as an employer. We 
measure how ASML is perceived by external audiences – 
and potential employees in particular – by monitoring our 
position in an independent external employer-branding 
ranking. We have defined targets for the different local 
labor markets on our positioning by 2025. See Our people 
KPIs 

Our efforts have been positively received. For example, in 
June 2020, ASML was named the winner of 2020 Top 
Graduate Employers of China by recruiters 51job.com and 
yingjiesheng.com. The award recognized ASML's long-
term campus recruitment plan as being a vital part of our 
HR strategy. ASML has recruited college graduates for 
many years, supported dynamic campus talk and science 
knowledge sharing events, and earned broad recognition 
and a positive reputation among students. 

In 2020, restrictions on travel and large group gatherings 
limited our ability to meet future talent in person. Various 
planned activities were either postponed or adapted to a 
virtual space.

Recruitment campaign goes virtual in Taiwan

An example of our online recruitment efforts is in Taiwan 
where, to support customer production, our team 
showed some real agility and adaptability. ASML Taiwan 
took part in a virtual press conference hosted by one 
of the most influential career websites in Taiwan. ASML 
Taiwan’s Senior HR Manager was invited to the press 
conference and interacted with the press through a 
smartphone. 

ASML also hosted online career talks. With all 
physical events being cancelled, our Taiwan Labor 
Communications team found new ways to proactively 
approach prospective talents by shifting all career-
oriented communications events online.  Following 
successful collaboration across different sectors, ASML 
Career Talk LIVE was born.

Promoting diversity and inclusion
We believe a diverse and inclusive workforce provides the 
necessary mix of voices and points of view required to 
develop the best solutions and ideas for how we innovate 
to drive our business forward. We know a great idea can 
come from anyone, so we foster a culture where different 
identities, backgrounds, talents and passions are valued 
and celebrated. With employees from 120 different 
nationalities, we're proud of our diversity, and believe it 
makes us stronger. 

Our Code of Conduct is our guiding principle to ensure all 
employees are treated fairly and equally without 
discrimination. We are committed to equal opportunities, 
regardless of gender, age, religion, nationality, sexual 
orientation, and so on. By putting the right person into the 
right position, we enable our employees to contribute to 
the company where they are most needed, and which 
allows them to develop with the company. Our Ethics 
Office and Liaisons, as well as a third-party Speak Up 
Service, ensures we uphold and correct any potential 
issues to maintain and protect an inclusive environment. 
Additionally, our corporate values further embed respect 
for our people and their differences within daily work 
experiences and interpersonal interactions. 

In 2020, we made progress in gender diversity among all 
employees and senior management. Female employees 
now make up 17% of our workforce worldwide, having 
gradually moved up from 10% in 2010. We deploy many 
initiatives to promote STEM (science, technology, 
engineering and math) education among the future female 
talent pool. However, the effect of these initiatives takes 
many years to become visible in our performance. In 
addition, looking at the dynamics of our workforce, nearly 
90% of job positions are STEM related, while peers in the 
high-tech industry have more diverse, non-STEM related 
job positions. Overall, the global STEM talent pool is scarce 
and it is even more challenging to recruit female talent. Our 
female senior management teams moved up from 9.6% in 
2019 to 10.5% in 2020 to include greater gender diversity. 
Yet we still have work to do in this area. 

Gender diversity is a general concern in the technology 
industry. Historically, there is a lower ratio of women 
compared to men in technology and science-related 
studies. Although ASML continuously seeks to recruit and 
retain women in our workforce, male candidates still make 

43

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020up most of the labor market in STEM (science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics) fields. Aiming to close the 
gender gap in STEM across the world, we continue to 
implement organizational strategies to recruit, retain and 
empower women at ASML. To increase the number of 
females in our future talent pool, we run an intensive 
technology promotion program to foster interest among 
young girls. We also raise awareness of career prospects in 
a sector offering many development opportunities. Still, we 
need to improve our gender diversity, and we see an 
effective gender policy as a challenge. See Non-financial 
statements - Non-financial indicators for details on 
Diversity & inclusion.

In 2020, we worked on developing and formalizing our 
approach to diversity and inclusion. 

To foster greater understanding and inclusion across our 
diverse populations, we have employee network groups – 
like Pink ASML to promote LGBTI people. We are a 
member of the Workplace Pride organization, which is an 
international platform for LGBTI inclusion at work. We also 
promote the inclusion of people with disabilities and other 
characteristics protected by law. Although we have worked 
a lot on this, we have not reached the level of integration 
we’d like to see. This remains one of our challenges.

Regional achievements
Supported by managers and leaders, 39 female engineers 
from ASML’s Taiwan Applications team gathered in 
Taichung in June to celebrate International Women in 
Engineering Day. This dedicated annual event encourages 
female engineers to learn, share and support each other in 
the workplace. It also serves as an international awareness 
campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and 
focus attention on career opportunities.

In the US, we established an ASML US Diversity Council in 
2020. This will serve as an advisory board and govern 
diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs, such as employee 
resource/affinity groups, diversity events, recognition and 
education across the US. It will consist of a group of 
leaders who act on behalf of ASML to develop and drive 
our D&I programs. The council will help ensure strategic 
accountability for results, provide governance and 
oversight on diversity efforts, and support company-wide 
communication on progress. 

Building on the experiences in US we will install a Global 
D&I council. Like in the US, this council will consist of a 
group of leaders who act on behalf of ASML to develop 
and drive our D&I programs. The council will help ensure 
strategic accountability for results, provide governance and 
oversight on diversity efforts, and support company-wide 
communication on progress.

Although data shows we are improving, we are aware of 
certain areas where we need to improve, such as the 
percentage of female managers. Therefore, we will focus 
on improving ASML' attractiveness for female talents, and 
will set realistic objectives for improvement per sector. Also 
next year we will use more data to see where we still need 
to improve. and also use focus groups to learn more about 
what is behind the numbers. 

We will also prepare a more detailed action plan to set 
minorities up for success, through actions such as 
sponsorship, mentoring and training on unconscious bias 
or managing diverse teams.

Fair remuneration
We want our remuneration to be fair and balanced. In our 
remuneration policy, we are committed to gender equality 
and we strive for global consistency while respecting what 
is common practice in local markets. We continuously 
review how our remuneration compares to the market 
benchmark for technology professionals in each region 
where we operate and, where necessary, make changes to 
our remuneration policies and levels. Each year, we analyze 
paid salaries for gender disparity. In 2020, as in previous 
years, we found no major differences in these salaries. See 
Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators for 
details on gender payment.   

Living wage
At ASML, we are committed to meeting adequate living-
wage requirements, meaning that employees earn salaries 
that meet their and their families' basic needs, but also 
provides some discretionary income. Our company has a 
predominantly highly educated workforce with relatively 
high levels of remuneration. In 2020, we conducted an 
analysis of how our lowest base salary compared to the 
local minimum wage and local ‘living wage’ in the countries 
and regions where we operate. We did not detect any 
gaps. On average, our salaries are significantly above local 
living wage. 

Labor relations
We want to provide fair labor conditions and social 
protection for all our employees, regardless of their location 
and whether they are on a fixed or temporary contract.

We support the principles of the International Labor 
Organization (ILO) and we respect the rights of all 
employees to form and join trade unions of their own 
choosing, to bargain collectively and to engage in peaceful 
assembly. 

We strive to comply with the relevant legislations in every 
country we operate in. In those countries where we have 
employee representation, we engage in regular dialogue 
with the different organizations representing our 
employees. In these conversations, topics are put forward 
and discussed by both the company and the employee 
representatives.  

We do not have operations in countries where the freedom 
of association and collective bargaining for ASML 
employees is restricted.  

In the Netherlands, we have requested dispensation from 
the Metalektro Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) in order 
to develop our own CLA. Our unique position in the global 
market, our size and growth as well as our very unique 
group of employees, the large range of competencies and 
activities we bring together to deliver our products have 
created a need for our own direction in labor conditions. 
The purpose of a future ASML CLA is to offer a set of labor 
conditions that match the diversity and needs of all our 
employees.

The new CLA will be developed in close collaboration with 
the unions represented in the Metalektro. Once we have 
our new CLA in place, we will continue to work with the 
unions regarding labor conditions within the framework of 
our own CLA and maintain our active membership in 
various labor organizations, such as FME and PME.  

44

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Ensuring employee safety
At ASML, safety is not just a priority – it’s a core value. We 
owe our employees and others working for us a safe 
working environment. We do everything in our power 
therefore to provide injury-free and healthy working 
conditions for everyone on our premises and ensure all our 
operations are safe and secure. This includes employees, 
contractors, suppliers, customers, and visitors. We count 
on each other – every one of us working at and for ASML – 
to share this commitment. 

Our employee and product safety commitment is captured 
in our Sustainability Policy, which applies to ASML 
worldwide. In addition, our ASML Environment, Health and 
Safety Guide aims to provide practical, useful and essential 
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) information for our 
employees, contractors, and any other parties working for 
us. The guide explains our aims and objectives, and clearly 
describes the rules and policies we follow. It’s designed to 
create awareness and ownership. 

We provide employees with EHS training to raise their 
awareness, encourage responsible behavior and familiarize 
them with EHS standards. For more information on product 
safety see What we achieved in 2020 - Technology and 
innovation ecosystem - Product safety.

Our highest level of preparedness is represented by 
ASML’s crisis management plan, which was crucial and 
effective in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.  A 
hotline with global coverage was established to provide 
instant support for our employees. At site level, ASML has 
documented emergency response procedures in place for 
each ASML location.

Ensuring health and safety is our first priority. Experiencing 
COVID-19 like symptoms can be a cause for anxiety and 
worry. Testing  is an important measure in controlling the 
spread of the virus. The waiting times for regular tests via 
the public health services (GGD) were long, and we 
therefore sought a solution to help our employees. In the 
Netherlands we offered voluntary COVID-19 tests to our 
employees and their direct family members. These tests 
were performed by an authorized external provider, using 
test-sets that are high quality and compliant with all 
applicable laws, regulations and guidelines. Privacy is 
guaranteed during the performance of the tests organized 
by ASML.

The pandemic had no impact on EHS performance and 
initiatives. Operations continued and internal EHS audits 
were performed remotely.

Our approach to employee safety
We take responsibility for protecting our employees by 
making ASML a safe place to work. EHS is crucial to 
creating a safe and trusted working environment. We 
believe that all work-related injuries and occupational 
illnesses are preventable. As such, we are working towards 
a long-term ambition of zero injuries and work-related 
illnesses. 

Our target is to prevent occupational health and safety 
incidents. To benchmark our performance against industry 
standards, we use a targeted recordable injury rate of 0.25, 
which represents world-class performance. But our 
ongoing ambition is zero, and this drives our continuous 
improvement in processes, working conditions and 

employee behavior. We use the highest possible 
professional standards, and continuous improvement is a 
key principle of our management system. 

We are committed to a well-established EHS management 
system. Our EHS management system is based on the ISO 
45001 and complies with these requirements. We ensure 
continuous improvement through internal EHS audits. 

Incident management and risk management are key 
elements of our EHS management system. This process 
ensures we not only record incidents and injuries but also 
cases where we have unsafe situations or near-misses. 
These allow us to address high-risk situations before they 
can turn into actual incidents, and cause injuries to our 
employees. We investigate all incidents and near-misses to 
determine the root cause and take corrective action to 
prevent them from recurring or occurring in the future.

It’s impossible to completely eradicate risk, but we can 
work proactively at all levels to identify potential issues or 
concerns in the workplace and develop measures towards 
reducing these. We believe we need to do everything within 
our reach to minimize risk, and that it is our responsibility to 
provide our people with the right protection, procedures 
and processes to keep them safe.

Five life-saving rules 

The dynamic nature of ASML’s business today – 
continuous technology and product innovation, rapid 
growth, many new colleagues and geographic expansion 
– brings opportunity, but also potential safety risk. 
Our lithography platforms, in particular, are becoming 
bigger and more complex, with a growing number of 
components presenting potential safety hazards that can 
lead to severe or even fatal injuries.

We introduced five safety rules to not only ensure 
our employees are prepared for these hazards, but 
also to create a safer workplace and enhance our 
safety performance. Underpinning each safety rule is 
a high-potential safety risk, meaning these rules have 
the greatest potential to prevent serious injuries and 
fatalities. Everyone should adhere to these rules knowing 
that in the event of a threat or breach, the work must 
stop with the full support of management.

1. Verify isolation and lockout before beginning work
2. Get authorization before entering a confined space
3. Take precautions while moving heavy loads
4. Protect yourself while working at height
5. Drive safely

Respecting and adhering to these rules could not only 
save lives, but also make us collectively more aware of 
safety risks across our organization. The rules apply to 
everyone, and we require everyone to know them, even 
when they don’t directly apply in daily activities.

Managing a safe workplace
To ensure that we implement our EHS guidelines 
effectively, we have a safety program in place. ASML’s 
Board has appointed the Chief Operating Officer (COO) as 
the lead for the EHS management system. We’ve also 

45

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020established a Corporate EHS Committee to oversee and 
approve ASML EHS strategy. Our line managers are 
responsible for day-to-day EHS management. Our EHS 
Competence Center gathers the best practices and defines 
the EHS standards for ASML, helping our managers to 
implement these standards at the workplace.  

To improve our EHS performance, we encourage our 
employees to speak up whenever they encounter safety 
risks. Every employee is empowered to stop working if 
they feel unsafe. Together with their manager and EHS 
expert, a safe way of working will be defined, so the work 
can resume.

We conduct regular hazard and risk evaluations, with a 
focus on preventing employees’ potential exposure to 
hazards such as chemicals, fire, radiation, mechanical 
handling, and ergonomic risks. These provide us with 
further insights into the main hazard and risk areas at 
ASML. We can then take appropriate action to mitigate 
these risks. 

Stepping up to the next level

Implementing standardized EHS processes and systems 
alone is not enough to prevent accidents when working 
to deliver our customer commitments under stressful 
conditions. We also need to increase our maturity in the 
way we approach safety as a whole.

We are well underway in our journey towards a stronger, 
more proactive safety culture across ASML. We have 
conducted a company-wide safety-culture survey to 
measure our current position on the safety culture 
maturity ladder across all sectors, and to benchmark 
ourselves within our industry.

The overall outcome of the survey provides us with 
insights on how to reach the next level of maturity 
towards an independent safety culture. We are deploying 
initiatives and focus on creating awareness to accelerate 
and embed the independent safety culture at ASML.

How we did in 2020
At ASML, it is standard practice to inform our employees 
and anyone else accessing our premises and customer 
sites independently – including contractors and suppliers – 
about our safety culture requirements and to raise 
awareness around these. Training is one of the ways we 
prepare and inform our people about this safety culture. In 
2019, we updated our EHS Fundamentals training, tailoring 
it to the needs of our people. The EHS training features 
real-world situations. It is compulsory for everyone working 
at ASML. 

We updated our EHS Fundamentals with training focused 
on our five new life-saving rules. Introduced and rolled out 
in 2020, we view these as a step forward towards an 
independent safety culture. By December, 94.4% percent 
of eligible candidates had completed this mandatory 
training.  

Our recordable incident rate decreased to 0.18 in 2020 
(0.28 in 2019), outperforming industry benchmark of 0.25. 
The main reason for this decrease is the absence of office 
related injuries due to the work at home policy in 2020. In 
2020, we continued our efforts to reinforce our safety 
culture program. As in previous years, we did not record 
any work-related fatalities or permanent disabilities. We 
register EHS-related incidents in line with the US 
Occupational Health and Safety Act.  

ASML Taiwan wins 2020 CHR award

ASML Taiwan won the 2020 Corporate Health 
Responsibility (CHR) award, becoming the only company 
from the semiconductor industry in Taiwan to ever win 
this prestigious award. Presented by Commonwealth 
Media Group, the award received more than 200 entries, 
compared to 168 in 2019. Participation was open to a 
broad range of industries in Taiwan – from insurance 
to banking, car components and even aerospace 
companies – and corporations were scored on criteria 
including awareness, activities, aliment, assistance, and 
epidemic-prevention measurement.

46

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Community engagement
As a global technology leader and employer, we are also part of the communities where we operate. Being part of a 
community means not only caring for our own employees but also looking out for those beyond our organization. We 
foster close community ties and encourage our employees to get involved and do their part as well. ASML needs the 
support of the community to be successful and will earn that support if ASML lets the community benefit from its 
presence and is considerate of the community's needs. 

Our community engagement program, which falls under our CEO's area of responsibility, is built on three pillars where 
ASML has competence and can create impact: 
1.  Culture 
2.  Local outreach
3.  Education

The total amount of cash commitments and in-kind support that ASML spent on charities, community engagement, 
organizations, and our own ASML Foundation in 2020 was around €4.0 million. In addition, our social community support 
during the pandemic amounted to €2.7 million.

Culture
Culture is the invisible bond that ties the people of a community together. To strengthen that bond, ASML 
supports initiatives and organizations that are vital for the community’s culture and help open them up for 
newcomers and the underprivileged. We focus on cultural icons in our communities: organizations and 
initiatives with significant importance to society, and with an impact and reach that goes beyond the local 
community.  

Key programs

Region

Results 2020

Supporting cultural 
landmarks

Netherlands

In Nuenen, one of the towns in the Brainport Eindhoven region where the famous painter 
Vincent Van Gogh created some of his breakthrough work in the late 1800s, we are 
initiating the realization of 'Vincent's Lightlab' within the planned expansion of the Vincentre 
Museum. Visitors will be able to learn more about light and how Van Gogh experimented 
with it in his paintings.

Muziekgebouw Eindhoven: supporting the main concert hall in the Brainport Eindhoven 
region and co-organizing events and programs that target diverse audiences. Every year, 
ASML organizes a music festival, 'ASML on stage', for employees and their family and 
friends. The festival covers all kind of music styles, from hard rock to classical music, from 
folk to dance. Despite the fact that we had to postpone the tradition to 2021, we organized 
an ASML on Stage 2020 virtual quiz event. Around 39 teams took part, from Asia, the US 
and the Netherlands – roughly 600 streams! 

Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam: partnership to support the work of Van Gogh who was a 
child of the southern Dutch province of Brabant where ASML is located. ASML contributes 
research to safeguard Vincent’s work for the future. We are running education programs 
together with the museum aimed at students and the underprivileged.

Through the Brainport National Action Agenda, we support initiatives related to sports, 
culture and education.

We support an alternative edition of GLOW – Next Generation project – where school 
children can follow workshops on how to 'make light' and how to communicate via Morse 
code, using this light.

Sustainable transport 
and ensure the region is 
accessible for all

Netherlands We aim to significantly reduce the number of cars on our campus at Veldhoven. We 

encourage our employees to use public transportation, and we also actively promote the 
use of (e-)bikes for a healthy commute.

47

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Local outreach
We support local initiatives and organizations that are vital for our communities and that connect the 
people in our communities. Together with ASML employees we contribute and make these initiatives 
attractive and accessible and pay special attention to stimulate integration, promote diversity and 
empower the underprivileged. 

Key programs

Region

Results 2020

Employee Volunteering 
program

Worldwide

Promote vitality

Netherlands

Charity

Netherlands

We encourage our employees to work one day per year as volunteers to lend a helping 
hand. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the number of volunteering hours decreased significantly 
this year to 1,333 hours versus 7,500 last year. A good example of an alternative activity 
that was done despite COVID-19, was an online hackathon to help develop a new website 
for an NGO. Other activities included the collection of winter coats for people in need, and 
of Christmas presents for children from financially disadvantaged families.

Partnership with Dutch first-division football club PSV Eindhoven (European champions 
of 1988). Long-term commitment, together with other large companies in the Brainport 
Eindhoven region, to support PSV - the community’s favorite and most successful sports 
institution. This includes putting the spotlight on the region by marketing Brainport on 
the team jersey (a world first in professional football). We also run an integrated program 
with the other partners to promote vitality for all citizens in the community. ASML donates 
tickets from our sponsorship allocation to families who are not able to afford to attend PSV 
matches. 

Brainport Eindhoven & PSV jointly launched an online platform aimed at inspiring and 
motivating everyone in the Brainport region in the area of health and well-being. We shared 
our knowledge and expertise around seven well-being themes: setting goals, exercise, 
nutrition, sleep, energy and time management, social environment and relaxation. The aim 
is to create a vital and healthy region for all.

ASML is a longstanding donor of the Voedselbank Eindhoven. In addition this year, we 
donated 400 tickets for five matches of PSV's home games to the Voedselbanken and 
Leger des Heils (the shelter organization). We also supported the Ronald McDonald House 
in Veldhoven.

Brainport partners and PSV established the Brainport Eindhoven Partner Fund, with the 
aim of working together to find solutions to urgent societal problems in the region. This new 
charity foundation will help to improve the lives of disadvantaged residents in the Brainport 
area. The fund will unite parties in a joint approach to several urgent societal challenges, 
such as poverty, vitality, unemployment, opportunities for children, and social cohesion.

US

We donated $10,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego which creates a donor 
and volunteer-supported mentoring network that makes meaningful, monitored matches 
between adult volunteers and children, ages 7-18, in communities across the country. It 
develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young 
people.

We donated $10,000 to Alpha Project, which serves over 4,000 men, women and children 
in San Diego through activities such as affordable housing, residential substance abuse 
treatment, supporting housing for people with special needs, basic and emergency 
services for the homeless, transportation assistance, mental health counseling, 
employment training, outreach and community services.

48

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Education
ASML recognizes the need to prepare people of all ages for an increasingly digital future, 
and specifically the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and 
Mathematics) competences to help all children reach their potential. We organize and 
sponsor numerous initiatives that aim to share our enthusiasm for and expertise in 
technology to inspire all generations. We partner with multiple organizations and 
educational events that promote opportunities and potential of careers in technology. Our 
employees act as role models and guides for these initiatives.

We execute our education programs through the following:

1.  The Education team works closely with schools and education programs in the communities where ASML has 

operations. The Education team provides hands-on support and coordinates a network of ASML volunteers (our so-
called ASML ambassadors) who visit schools and events, and support children and schools in their curricula, some as 
part-time ('hybrid') teachers, some as tutors of disadvantaged children, and some as technology and STEM promoters. 
Our intensive STEM education program aims to boost interest in technology among young people and increase the 
local and regional talent pool. We also raise awareness of career prospects in a sector offering many development 
opportunities.

2.  The ASML Foundation is an independent foundation, but has strong ties to ASML. It operates at arm’s length and has 
its own board and budget. It aims to increase the self-sufficiency of disadvantaged children around the world through 
educational initiatives that develop their talent and help unlock their potential. For more, see section ASML Foundation.

Key programs

Region

Results 2020

Promote STEM 
initiatives worldwide

Netherlands

US

Asia

To address the shortage of STEM teachers, we created the hybrid teaching program. We’re 
not only growing our number of technology ambassadors but also enabling 100 engineers 
in the Netherlands to become part-time or ‘hybrid’ teachers, paid by ASML. We plan to 
expand it to the US and Asia.  
We also partner with multiple educational events that promote opportunities and potential 
of careers in technology, such as Dutch Technology Week (DTW) and FIRST. 
As an example, we distributed 5,000 Blink Bug build your own bug kits to elementary 
schools in the Brainport Eindhoven region to get kids connected to technology.  

ASML San Diego supported the EXPO Day where employees helped promote STEM 
education at Petco Park during the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering by 
showing kids how to program robots. 

In Shanghai, ASML supported the 2nd ASML Youth Maker and Hacker Science & 
Technology Innovation. Some 80 school children from 15 elementary and secondary 
schools took part in the contest. The contest was designed to promote science education 
and inspire more students to choose STEM in their future education and careers.

We joined hands with Yuan T. Lee Science Education to launch a three-year 'ASML Taiwan 
Science Rooting Project'. The project consists of a three-year seed teacher-training 
program planned for three schools, funded by the ASML Foundation. It is estimated that 
more than 1,500 Taiwanese students will learn basic scientific knowledge through hands-
on experience over the next three years.

STEM education 
program 

Netherlands

In the Eindhoven area, ASML participated in a mini edition of the Night of the Nerds online 
event during Dutch Technology Week (DTW). An online offering for secondary school 
students was set up to create awareness around technology and technology studies.

Asia

ASML is proud to sponsor the Taiwan Railways Fair of Popular Science. This national 
project, held by the Ministry of Science and Technology, aims to inspire and engage more 
than 9,000 primary school students from 23 cities in Taiwan. We cooperated with 80 SPIE/
OSA Student Chapters from six universities in Taiwan to host a unique Optical Sciences 
train cabin. 

49

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020ASML Foundation 
The ASML Foundation, which funds projects to improve the lives of young 
people with inclusive, quality education, is our charity of choice. In 2020, 
the Foundation donated around €1 million, supporting 22 projects in 11 
countries. Although closely linked to our company, the ASML Foundation 
operates independently. Over the last three years, we have reached over 
17,000 children.

Through funding and partnerships, the ASML Foundation aims to help disadvantaged children become more self-
sufficient by supporting educational initiatives that develop their talent and unlock their potential. We promote the 
sustainable development of less-privileged children around the world by supporting inclusive and quality education for all 
and promoting lifelong learning. By doing this, we aim to make a sustainable impact on SGD 4 Quality Education, and 
contribute to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduce Inequalities).

We want to make a difference in the community in the locations where we operate. As such, we mainly support projects 
and initiatives in ASML countries in Asia, Europe and the US. These projects address the specific needs in that region. In 
the US, for example, projects focus mainly on preventing school dropouts in less-privileged areas, and on promoting 
STEM, especially for girls. Projects in Asia differ per country. In developing areas in Asia, for example, there is a focus on 
education for girls to reduce inequality and also to prevent child marriages. In China, the focus is on STEM for girls in rural 
areas. In Europe and in the Netherlands, the foundation focuses on education for disadvantaged children, and children 
lacking in education, providing help that suits their specific needs. Tackling illiteracy in the Brainport region also became a 
key focus area for the ASML Foundation in 2020.  

ASML employees support the ASML Foundation financially when they purchase goods from the ASML employee store 
and through donations. ASML Foundation is also responsible for ASML’s volunteering program: it coordinates the 
volunteering activities and  keeps track of the volunteering hours that ASML employees contribute to education initiatives 
and other causes. ASML employees are allowed to take eight hours per year to do volunteer work; many volunteers also 
donate their own time.   

In 2020, we maintained our focus on education, as well as helping and financially supported our current partners needing 
to, for example, convert education efforts from physical classes to virtual learning. 

Examples of projects supported in 2020

STEM - Girls Can Do It 
(China)

Trudo Weekend School  
(Netherlands)

The STEM - Girls Can Do It project focuses on young people – especially girls – in rural China, near ASML’s 
offices in Chengdu and Xi’an. It aims to promote more gender-balanced STEM education. The project 
will expose about 1,200 young people, of which 70% are girls, to STEM, and teach them coding and 
programming. Employees from the local ASML offices have been actively involved in the partnership as 
volunteers, hosting, for example, in-person events at ASML’s offices, and involving female engineers as 
role models. We are planning to continue this volunteer partnership through an online program to enable 
interaction with the girls.

In the Netherlands, the ASML Foundation has adopted a class of students for three years through Trudo 
Weekend school, located in the Brainport region. Trudo Weekend school is a ‘school’ for children, aged 
10-14, from lower socioeconomic neighborhoods in Eindhoven who are motivated to invest in themselves. 
The school offers these children the opportunity to reach their potential by attending classes every Sunday 
for three years. The program covers science, society, culture and art education, as well as interpersonal and 
social skills. We also provided the children in their final year with laptops, needed when starting secondary 
schooling. 

Girls Inc. of the PNW-
Portland, OR 
(US)

In Portland, Oregon, near our offices in Hillsboro, we are supporting the girls-empowerment NGO Portland 
Girls Inc. We fund a five-year program that supports girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and focuses 
on instilling an interest in STEM. In addition, we are making progress in launching a volunteering program 
involving ASML employees, including female engineers, who will give of their time as role models and 
mentors. The ASML Foundation is currently supporting 125 girls for a five-year period.

Friendship Bangladesh 
(Bangladesh)

Friendship Bangladesh provides access to healthcare, education and other necessities to people – 
especially children – in the country's remote northern island region. As there are few to no qualified teachers 
available, the Friendship Secondary Education Program, supported by the ASML Foundation, provides 
education to children in these remote communities through ICT. Thousands of hours of educational videos 
were made by highly qualified teachers living in Dhaka. The program also serves a secondary purpose: it 
gives girls from underserved communities an alternative to early marriage by enabling them to continue 
their education. The Foundation has supported Friendship Bangladesh since 2015 and funded their digital 
education pilot. It has been so successful that during the lockdown period, the Bangladeshi government 
reached out to Friendship Bangladesh for help and insight into best practices for online learning. In this way, 
Friendship Bangladesh was able to expand its scope to state schools, YouTube, and television.

50

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020TechMeUp 
(Netherlands)

Together with many technology education providers, we decided to support TechMeUp. Its purpose is 
to make education accessible to everyone. The organization aims to invest in people's opportunities by 
providing interest-free loans to support those who would like or need to retrain for a job in technology, but 
don’t have the means to do so. These loans need to be repaid in monthly installments once the student has 
found a job. 

For more information, visit www.asmlfoundation.org

Supporting communities during COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic affected every age group, and every aspect of the lives and the world we live in - 
health, education, work, and so on. It is our duty to reach out and help our communities, and we're 
committed to supporting them during the pandemic. ASML also supports the coordinated actions of the 
national and regional authorities, as well as the efforts of other local organizations.

Our support area Region

Examples

Medical supplies 

Netherlands

Asia

US

April 2020 - We used our network to ensure the shipment of more than 300,000 face masks 
to hospitals and other care institutions. Together with our logistic partners, we helped with 
the shipment of two face-mask production machines to a Dutch supplier to boost face-
mask production. 

April 2020 - We donated 200 care packages to medical frontline workers.

April 2020 - We donated $250,000 worth of critical personal protective equipment to 
several Connecticut hospitals. To help with humanitarian activities in California, we donated 
300 face masks to first responders of the California Army National Guard.

Education support

Netherlands

March 2020 - We provided 500 laptops to help ensure that students in the Brainport 
Eindhoven region could continue their schooling online.

Asia

May 2020 - Since 2017, ASML Korea employees have hosted several science events for 
children from disadvantages backgrounds. This year, the Science Camp Korea program 
went online so the science camps could continue.

Engineering support 

Netherlands

May 2020 - We made a €100,000 donation into a small start-up relief fund, in partnership 
with Brainport partners and the province. The Bright Move fund provides financial support. 

Social support

Netherlands

Asia

US

April 2020 - We donated 400 tablets to nursing homes in the Brainport Eindhoven region. 
We also donated ‘hero hospital gowns’ to the children's wards of four hospitals, in 
collaboration with PSV and Brainport Eindhoven.

November - December 2020 - ASML Singapore donated over €900,000 to the following 
five Singaporean charities: Children’s Aid Society; SPD (door-to-door transport services 
for the disabled); AMKFSC Community Services; Food from the heart; Metta Welfare 
Association.

March - June 2020 - In San Diego, employees and family/friends took part in a bike tour 
and raised $5,000 for Multiple Sclerosis research and funding. In the spring of 2020, the 
Silicon Valley and Wilton teams organized virtual food drives for local food banks during the 
pandemic. Between the two drives, they donated a total of $39,000 to help families in need. 
We have donated €5,000 to Food bank San Diego.

51

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our people KPIs 
The table below shows the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the related 2025 targets. In 2019, we adopted a new 
sustainability strategy - as a result no comparative results for 2018 are available for new performance indicators. See Non-
financial statements - Non-financial indicators for our performance indicators (PIs) and related results.

KPI

Engagement score We@ASML survey 1

Employer brand ranking 2
Netherlands

US
China

Taiwan
South Korea

2018

—

—

—

—

—
—

2019

77%

10

—

—

—
19

2020

Target 2025

80% Be on par with peers

4

99
168

22
24

Top 10

Top 75

Top 100

Top 20
Top 20

In 2019, we redesigned our employee engagement survey (previously me@ASML) and changed the frequency from every 18 months to annual.

1. 
2.  Employer brand ranking from Universum: engineering students.

Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals
Our ambitions, commitments and programs as described in this chapter contribute to the following SDGs. For more 
information on the performance, see section Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators. 

SDG target

SDG target 4.3 - By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to 
affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including 
university

SDG target 4.4 - By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and 
adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for 
employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

SDG target 4.5 - By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure 
equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, 
including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable 
situations

How we measure our performance

•  Employee training and development indicators
•  Diversity indicators

•  Community involvement and technology 

promotions

•  Scholarships granted

•  ASML Foundation projects

SDG target 8.1 - Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with 
national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7% gross domestic product 
growth per annum in the least developed countries

•  Financial performance

SDG target 8.2 - Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through 
diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a 
focus on high value-added and labor-intensive sectors

•  Human capital return on investment
•  Employee engagement score

SDG target 8.5 - By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent 
work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with 
disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

•  Workforce data including diversity and inclusion 
•  Fair remuneration pay ratio

SDG target 8.6 - By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in 
employment, education or training

•  Employee attrition rate
•  New hires 

SDG target 8.8 - Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working 
environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women 
migrants, and those in precarious employment

•  Employee safety indicators

52

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our supply chain

Setting the bar higher for our world-class supplier network to achieve 
the innovations we strive for, by ensuring we conduct our business 
in a sustainable and responsible manner.

€7.6bn

Total sourcing spend
40% Netherlands
39% EMEA (excl NL)
15% North America 
  6% Asia

4,750

Total suppliers
1,475 Netherlands
   700 EMEA (excl NL)
1,275 North America 
1,300 Asia

88%

Completion of
RBA self-assessment 
questionnaire by 
key suppliers

0

Supplier overall 
score 'high risk' on 
sustainability (RBA)
and ASML assessment

At ASML, we rely heavily on our supplier network to 
achieve the innovations we strive for. Our goal is to ensure 
we get the products, materials and services we need to 
meet our short- and long-term needs. This supports our 
operations from the earliest moment of development to the 
end-of-life stages of our systems. 

ASML invests considerable resources to develop and 
introduce new systems and system enhancements, such 
as EUV lithography, e-beam metrology and holistic 
lithography. As these are complex technologies, ASML 
focuses on a high value-added integration role to maximize 
the total system competence and shorten cycle times. To 
enable this focus on system-integration, ASML relies on an 
extensive supply base of around 780 Product Related (PR) 
suppliers and around 3,970 Non-Product Related (NPR) 
suppliers. Long-term relations, close cooperation and 
transparency with suppliers and partners are key to 
success.  

Our supply landscape
With around 4,750 suppliers in our total supplier base, we 
distinguish between product-related and non-product 
related suppliers. Product-related suppliers provide 
materials, equipment, parts and tools used directly to 
produce our systems. This category comprises 780 
suppliers and represents the highest percentage of our 
procurement volume, accounting for 68% of our total 
spend. From this total number of product-related suppliers, 
188 suppliers are critical suppliers, accountable for 95% of 
the product-related spend. 

Non product-related suppliers are goods and services 
suppliers, providing products and services supporting our 
operations, varying from temporary labor to logistics and 
from cafeteria services to IT services. With around 3,970 
suppliers, this group represents nearly 85% of our total 
supplier base in terms of the number of suppliers.

We invest in developing our supply landscape to help 
suppliers meet our requirements with regard to quality, 
logistics, technology, cost and sustainability. Our supply 

chain strategy includes six priorities regarding the 
capabilities of our suppliers and how we work with them: 
we enable the product roadmap through the development 
and maintenance of best-in-class competencies and 
capabilities; efficient and dedicated operations that enable 
cost-per-wafer economics for our customers, having 
resilient suppliers able to adjust to volatile market cycles; 
close cooperation to secure early supplier involvement in 
the new product introduction process; a commitment to 
quality and expectation that our suppliers will proactively 
invest in and maintain a state-of the-art quality 
management system, and active contribution to our 
sustainability strategy.

ASML acquisition of Berliner Glas Group
On October 30, 2020, ASML acquired all shares of Berliner 
Glas Group, a key supplier to ASML for many years. 
Berliner Glas Group is one of the world’s leading providers 
of optical key components, assemblies and systems, high-
quality refined technical glass as well as glass touch 
assemblies. Berliner Glas Group is headquartered in Berlin 
and has facilities at five locations throughout Germany, 
Switzerland and China. With the acquisition of Berliner Glas 
Group, we acquired technical capabilities that are critical to 
secure the future roadmap for our EUV and DUV products 
and will provide increased value to ASML's customers 
through strengthened collaboration and bundling our 
competences to accelerate our innovation.

Sourcing and supply chain strategy
ASML's continued growth, in combination with our 
ambitions, requires us to significantly improve our key 
business processes. To help achieve our strategic 
objectives, we decided to combine the activities of 
Strategic Sourcing & Procurement and Supply Chain 
Management into a single new sector, called Sourcing and 
Supply Chain (S&SC). This took effect on May 1, 2020. Jan 
Keller, a member of the ASML's Executive Committee and 
of the Operations Management Team, was appointed 
Executive Vice-President to lead this new sector. The aim 
of this new organization is to deliver the best possible 
supply chain for ASML, to have one ASML voice for our 

53

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020suppliers, and united representation within ASML to secure 
preconditions for suppliers' quality, logistics, technology, 
cost and sustainability (QLTCS) performance.

Continuously improving our suppliers’ performance and 
capabilities is at the heart of our sourcing strategy. We have 
a framework to communicate process requirements and 
compliance expectations to suppliers. One example is our 
supplier-profiling methodology, consisting of a supplier 
performance dashboard, a supplier capability self-
assessment and a risk profile. The framework outlines our 
approach to supplier management and development 
towards the desired ASML supplier landscape. This 
provides an enhanced knowledge base to improve our 
dialogue with suppliers around their performance and 
development potential.

ASML always strives to select the best supplier that meets 
our requirements on all five capability dimensions. We 
monitor supplier performance in terms of quality, logistics, 
technology, cost and sustainability. When performance 
drops below annually set thresholds and does not recover 
upon request and within a reasonable time frame, ASML 
will take action to secure reliable future supplies.

Critical EUV supplier back up and running after 
lockdown

When one of our critical EUV suppliers had to lock 
down their entire facility following California’s Shelter at 
Home order (in March 2020), it threatened to severely 
impact our supply chain. To reopen, our supplier, which 
produces many of the essential assemblies for the 
NXE top module, needed to establish that they are an 
essential business supporting a critical infrastructure 
industry and put in place all adequate measures to 
secure a safe environment to their employees. They 
managed to do this in only a few days, thanks to the 
ASML Sourcing and Legal teams, which quickly gathered 
the appropriate information.

With the facility now working again, our Supply Chain 
Management team continues to closely monitor the 
supply versus demand picture, expediting materials 
where necessary so they do not constrain output. This 
approach requires close daily cross-sector management 
to avoid disruptions. 

At the start of the COVID-19 crisis, we rapidly established 
crisis management protocols. We created a global cross-
sector team tasked with securing continuity of supply. We 
set up daily communication to inform our suppliers on 
ASML's COVID-19 restrictions and requirements. The team 
aimed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on suppliers by 
identifying and implementing solutions to secure supply to 
global ASML factories and field warehouses. The team 
reviewed, on a daily basis, supply shortages or pending 
restrictions that would affect our supply. We implemented 
solutions in close collaboration with our suppliers where 
required.  Through the dedication of our suppliers and our 
people, we experienced only temporary shortages, and 
these were resolved before they could impact our 2020 
output.  

In 2019, we indicated that we would expand our Re-use 
program. In 2020, we introduced a dedicated cross-sector 

Re-use department, representing Factory, Customer 
Support, S&SC, D&E, Program and Finance. This 
department is hosted by Sourcing & Supply Chain. The Re-
use team will establish an end-to-end process that 
supports the increase of parts, tools and packaging re-use, 
set-up of local and global repair centers, and improve the 
learning loop. Re-use strongly contributes to a circular 
economy and the reduction of operating costs. For more 
information, see Circular economy - Accelerating re-use of 
parts, tools and packaging and materials.

Our risk-management approach 
We rely on our suppliers to develop, manufacture and 
deliver the innovative and unique parts used in our 
lithography systems. Due to the highly specialized nature 
of many of our parts and modules, as well as limited set 
size, it is not always economical to source from more than 
one supplier. Our sourcing strategy therefore (in many 
cases) prescribes 'single sourcing, dual competence'. Our 
reliance on single sourcing requires us to proactively 
manage supplier performance and risk.

To that end, Sourcing conducts continuous performance 
and risk management of the supply base with the purpose 
to: i) Assure and improve performance, ii) Secure continuity 
of supply, iii) Protect our intellectual property and maintain 
a leading technology position, and iv) Prevent reputational 
damage. Five risk domains are assessed (Calamity, 
Ownership, Financial, IP & Information Security, and 
Compliance). In cases where risk exceeds the agreed 
threshold, mitigation measures are taken.  

As suppliers operating in the same industry or market are 
typically exposed to similar risk, we evaluate suppliers’ risk 
and performance within the context of their supply market 
category. We will adjust our category strategies where 
required to meet ASML's short and long-term business 
needs.  

In 2020, we continued to focus on improving business-
recovery capabilities through the review of business-
continuity plans focusing on increasing the quality of 
preventive measures and improving financial transparency 
through more frequent assessment of financial health for 
the most critical suppliers. In addition, we continued to 
expand our information security and cyber-resilience 
program with suppliers.

To improve business-recovery capabilities, we require 
suppliers to have business-recovery capabilities in line with 
the ISO 22301 standard. Supplier-recovery plans are 
requested, evaluated and, where needed, improved to 
prevent potential business disruptions. In 2020, we 
included 188 business critical product-related suppliers in 
our business-continuity program, and extended the scope 
with 34 non-product related suppliers.  

Suppliers with access to top secret information or with 
privileged access to our IT systems are asked to improve 
information security through the ISO 27001 standard. In 
2020, we included 143 suppliers in our information security 
program. ASML uses the ISO 27001 framework to support 
suppliers in a standardized way in their efforts to raise 
cyber resilience. Going forward, the maturity of our 
ecosystem will be further reinforced by establishing a 
'circle of trust', a network of suppliers that jointly embrace 
the information security standards and raise their 
performance against these standards. 

54

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Other examples of successful risk mitigations are: getting long-term supplier agreements (LTSAs) and/or continuous 
supply agreements in place, ensuring the availability of IP in escrow, requiring suppliers to put their inventory in separate 
locations, requiring suppliers to implement fire prevention controls, and increasing buffer stock. For a further description of 
our risk management, see How we manage risk.

Building relationships through our Annual Suppliers’ Day

Our annual Suppliers’ Day helps us foster strong relationships with suppliers. To ensure we could continue to do so even with 
COVID-19 restrictions, we organized a hybrid event, which featured a virtual event attended by over 250 supplier representatives 
and a live event with 16 strategic suppliers. 

The event was an opportunity for our suppliers to familiarize themselves with our strategy and targets through senior leadership 
presentations. The live and virtual Q&A session allowed suppliers to pose questions to senior management, including our Chief 
Strategy Officer and Chief Technology Officer.

During the cyber resilience satellite session, a total of 30 CIOs and IT directors of our suppliers discussed the increased focus 
on cyber resilience, which has become a top priority for companies. The event closed with an awards presentation to recognize 
several suppliers for their work with ASML, including two awards for valuable contributions to ASML’s circular-economy ambitions. 

Responsible supply chain
At ASML, we are committed to conducting our business in a caring and accountable manner, and being recognized as a 
responsible business partner. 

RBA Code of Conduct commitment
Since 2011, we have been a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), the world’s largest industry coalition 
dedicated to corporate social responsibility in global electronics supply chains. We have adopted the RBA Code of 
Conduct (Code), which is a  standard to ensure that working conditions in the electronics industry or industries in which 
electronics is a key component and its supply chains are safe, that workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that 
business operations are environmentally responsible and conducted ethically.

We promote the principles contained in the RBA Code to our suppliers and subcontractors, and expect key suppliers to 
participate in this common effort, by acknowledging and adopting the RBA Code. We screen our supplier base on 
sustainability performance using this standard from the RBA.

Standard

Labor

RBA Commitment
To uphold the human rights of all workers (direct and 
indirect), and to treat them with dignity and respect as 
understood by the international community, including the 
International Labor Organization's (ILO) eight fundamental 
conventions.

Number of high risks identified from RBA SAQ

2019 2020 Main gaps identified

3

1

•  Own management system, but 

not third-party verified

•  No public reporting of labor 

metrics

Health and Safety To minimizing the incidence of work-related injury 

Environment

Ethics

and illness and to ensure a safe and healthy working 
environment. Communication and education is essential 
to identifying and solving health and safety issues in the 
workplace.
Environmental responsibility is integral to producing 
world-class products and services. Adverse effects on the 
community, environment and natural resources are to be 
minimized while safeguarding the health and safety of the 
public.
To meet social responsibilities and to achieve success in 
the industry, the highest standards of ethics should be 
upheld, including but not limited to business integrity, 
anti-bribery and corruption, antitrust and competition, 
protecting privacy.

0

0

1

0

3

1

•  Own management system, but 

not third-party verified

•  No public reporting of ethics-

related metrics

Members and participants are committed to establishing a management system to ensure: 
•  compliance with applicable laws, regulations and customer requirement; 
•  conformance with the Code standards; 
• 
•  facilitate continual improvement.

identification and mitigation of operational risks; and 

It is our policy to discuss all high-risk findings with the supplier in scope. In 2020, the RBA SAQ indicated a high risk on the 
elements labor and ethics for one supplier. We evaluate all RBA SAQs, and based on this evaluation and engagement with 
the supplier, we determined that the risk did not relate to actual breach or incident and no improvement plan was needed.

55

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020To underpin our commitment to a sustainable and resilient 
supplier network, we expect our key suppliers and their 
suppliers to comply with the RBA Code of Conduct as well. 
This requirement is included in our long-term product-
related suppliers’ contracts. We encourage our suppliers to 
develop their own sustainability strategies, policies and 
processes, and actively pursue our suppliers’ adherence to 
this code. 

Sustainability risk approach
We assess compliance with the RBA Code of Conduct 
through a risk-based approach. We scan all new suppliers 
for potential high risks and work with them during the 
onboarding process to remedy any issues we identify. We 
expect our strategic and high-risk suppliers to complete 
the RBA Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) each year 
to validate their compliance with the RBA Code of Conduct 
and to determine a supplier’s potential gaps in relation to 
the standards set forth in the RBA Code of Conduct. 

In general, the RBA SAQ results show a relatively low risk 
level in our supply base, as most of our suppliers operate 
in countries with a strong rule of law and are law abiding.  

Managing high-risk suppliers
A key performance indicator of our approach to ensuring a 
sustainable supply chain is the percentage of suppliers in 
scope who complete the RBA SAQ. In 2020, we expanded 
the scope of our RBA assessment to include non-product 
related suppliers and high-risk regions covering 80% of our 
total supply base spend. In 2020, 88% of the major 
suppliers in scope completed this questionnaire. Our target 
is to achieve a 90% completion rate by 2025, which puts 
us well ahead of our ambitions. If a supplier does not 
conform to our required standards, our policy is to discuss 
mitigating measures. Our second key performance 

indicator is to have 100% improvement plans in place for 
high-risk suppliers, as identified by the RBA self-
assessment.

We also conduct supplier audits to address risks we 
identify in our regular risk assessments. These audits 
intend to verify supplier self-assessment and completion of 
improvement plans. However, in 2020 we did not conduct 
on-site supplier audits on sustainability criteria due to travel 
limitations and the focus on securing continuity of our 
supply chain as a result of the global impact of the 
pandemic. 

Assessing human-rights risks
Our robust risk-based assessment and audit process for 
suppliers covers human rights issues. In our due diligence 
process, we use the RBA Risk Assessment Platform to 
identify inherent risks in labor (including human rights), 
ethics, health & safety and environmental standards across 
our full supply base. In the event of a medium or high risk 
relating to labor being identified, we engage with the 
supplier and conduct a more detailed analysis. For major 
product-related and non-product related suppliers covering 
80% of our spend, we expect them to complete the annual 
RBA SAQ. This SAQ covers more than 400 risk elements 
related to labor (including human rights), ethics, 
environmental and safety factors, control elements and 
management systems, including their performance. It helps 
us to determine a supplier’s risk profile on sustainability. 
When we identify compliance gaps, we engage with the 
supplier to determine corrective action plan(s). 

In the 2020 RBA SAQ program, we identified one supplier 
with high risk on labor. This related to management 
systems rather than actual breaches of human rights. 

Total supply base 2020

€7.6bn total spend
4,749 suppliers

Suppliers
Product-related 

68% of total spend

779

Suppliers

95% of PR spend

188

Due diligence 
screening 

Applied to total supply base 
using RBA Risk Assessment 
Platform

Supplier 
risk profile
Applied to business-critical 
suppliers of strategic 
importance 

RBA Self-assessment 
questionnaire (SAQ)

Applied to major suppliers

Suppliers
Non-product related 

32% of total spend

3,970

Suppliers

16% of NPR spend

34 

82% of PR spend

27% of NPR spend

49

Suppliers

16

Suppliers

56

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Circular procurement
As part of ASML’s commitment to enhancing sustainability, 
we want to play our part in realizing a circular economy 
model. We do this by reusing parts, increasing energy 
efficiency in our processes, and reducing scrap where 
possible. We see this as a responsibility to be shared 
between ourselves and our customers and suppliers.  

•  The requirement for suppliers to comply with our policy 

is included in our supplier Code of Conduct and supplier 
handbook.

•  We require our suppliers and sub-suppliers to have 
relevant policies in place, and take due diligence 
measures enabling us to investigate if products and 
components supplied to us contain conflict minerals.

We comply with Section 1502 of the US Dodd-Frank Act 
and its application rules from the US Securities and 
Exchange Commission (SEC). We are committed to 
publicly disclosing information related to the use of these 
minerals in our products. For more information, see www.
asml.com for our Conflict Minerals Statement and Conflict 
Minerals Report. 

As we rely on our suppliers to develop, manufacture and 
deliver the unique parts and modules used in our 
lithography systems, the sourcing of these minerals goes 
beyond our Tier 1 suppliers. There are several tiers of 
suppliers between ASML and any smelter or refines of 
conflict minerals, and even more when tracing a mineral all 
the way back to the mines. This means that we do not 
have a direct purchasing relationship with mines, smelters 
or refiners. 

Despite continuous efforts, we are unable to determine the 
precise origin of the 3TG minerals included in our products. 
This is due to several reasons: 3TG supply-chain 
complexity, the number of tiers of suppliers to trace the 
source, and the limited number of certified conflict-free 
smelters for all conflict minerals. To obtain correct data 
from our supply chain is a challenge, but we continue our 
efforts in this regard. In 2020, we started a project to 
refresh our responsible minerals sourcing policy and due 
diligence processes. Although we are not subject to these 
particular directives, we aim to incorporate EU regulations 
concerning supply chain due-diligence obligations 
regarding 3TG minerals. 

Our procurement team plays an important role in 
implementing circular economy principles by promoting 
circular procurement at all times. We aim to raise 
awareness of circularity among our procurement 
managers, so they incorporate re-use and recycling in their 
way of thinking and procurement practices.  

Our ambition for 2025 is to increase our circular-
procurement practice. In 2020, we started a process of 
defining key performance indicators to measure progress 
in our circular procurement. The cross-sector Re-use 
program in ASML aims to re-use parts and materials 
valued around €75 million. A key development is the setup 
of new circular processes and contracting with the majority 
of our first-tier supply base and align incentives for 
maximizing re-use value. Our focus for 2021 and beyond is 
to further expand our circular-procurement efforts. For 
more information about our approach to the circular 
economy policy and programs, see What we achieved in 
2020 - Circular economy.

Conflict minerals
Like many companies in the electronics industry, our 
products contain minerals and metals essential to the 
manufacturing process. Examples of these are tantalum, 
tungsten, tin and gold (3TG), so-called conflict minerals. 
Although we do not use a significant amount of these 
minerals, we need certain 3TG minerals to make our 
products, and for them to function. Gold, for example, is 
used in coating critical electronic connectors, and tin is 
used for welding electronic components and creating EUV 
light. 

At ASML, we are committed to a conflict-free minerals 
policy regarding the responsible sourcing of materials in 
our supply chain. We support international efforts to ensure 
the mining and trading of 3TG minerals from high-risk 
locations does not contribute to conditions of armed 
conflict and/or serious human-rights abuses in the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or its neighboring 
countries. We have adopted a series of compliance 
measures based on industry best practices. These include:

•  ASML has established a due diligence process and 
closely monitors the use of conflict minerals in our 
supply chain.

•  Our processes are based on the due diligence 

framework set by the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development (OECD). 

•  We are a member of the Responsible Business Alliance 
(RBA).  As such, we support initiatives which foster 
better working conditions and raw material production.

•  We support the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), 

including the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process 
(RMAP) and Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI).
•  Annually, we ask our suppliers in scope to complete 
a Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT). This 
allows us to validate compliance with our conflict-free 
minerals sourcing policy.

57

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our supply chain KPIs
The table below shows the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the related 2025 targets. In 2019, we adopted a new 
sustainability strategy – as a result no comparative results for 2018 are available for new performance indicators. See Non-
financial statements - Non-financial indicators for our performance indicators (PIs) and related results.   

KPI
RBA self-assessment completed (in %) 1
Suppliers with high risk on sustainability elements evaluated and 
follow-up agreed (in %) 2

2018
—
—

2019
78%
25%

2020
88%
0%

Target 2025
90%
100%

1.  This indicator shows the percentage of major suppliers in scope that completed the annual RBA self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ).
2.  One supplier was identified with a high risk on sustainability elements. Based on the evaluation of the risk no improvement plan is necessary. 

Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals
Our ambitions, commitments and programs as described in this chapter contribute to the following SDGs. For more 
information on the performance, see section Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators.

SDG target

How we measure our performance

SDG target 8.8 - Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working 
environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women 
migrants, and those in precarious employment 

•  Compliance with RBA Code of Conduct
•  RBA self-assessment questionnaire completion 
•  Suppliers with high risk on sustainability elements 

SDG target 12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient 
use of natural resources 

evaluated and follow-up agreed

•  Promote circular procurement

58

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Circular economy

Minimizing waste, maximizing resources to extract the maximum 
value from the materials we use and repurpose our products 
across their life cycles.

360 kg

Waste generated 
per €m revenue

85%

Material recycling rate

90%

ASML PAS 5500 systems still 
in use (from total ever sold)

€1,151m

Value of parts re-used

As we move away from the linear ‘take, make, dispose’ 
model, we believe the circular economy is key to 
ensuring the future success and competitiveness of the 
semiconductor equipment industry.

this end, we also work closely with our value chain. 
Transforming our economy to a circular model and 
promoting a conducive mindset is the joint responsibility of 
ASML, our customers and suppliers.  

We are committed to minimizing waste and maximizing the 
use of resources, and believe that by doing so we not only 
limit our environmental impact but also generate business 
value. The modular design of our products lets us extract 
the most value we can from the materials we use, and 
repurpose our products across their life cycles.

While continuously innovating, we also want to ensure the 
increasingly sustainable use of materials across our 
processes and value chain to reduce our environmental 
footprint.

Our commitment
We are committed to circularity in our operations and our 
products. We do this by responsibly managing waste 
throughout our operations and maximizing the lifetime of 
materials in our systems, so extending their lifespans. To 

Given the modular designs of our products, we ensure that 
those in use at our customers’ sites can be upgraded to a 
higher performance level without having to replace the 
entire product. After use in the most advanced chip-
making factories, we further extend the lifetime of our 
products by refurbishing systems and repurposing them for 
other customers and semiconductor environments.

Our initiatives in the service and upgrading of parts ensure 
that modules can be restored to and qualified as ‘as-new’ 
for re-use within our systems. This re-use practice is 
becoming increasingly important in our efforts to transition 
to a circular business model. In 2020, we set up a specific 
cross-sectoral Re-use department with full ownership of 
this objective to broaden and accelerate initiatives to re-
use parts, tools, modules and packaging while reducing 
our total operational cost. 

59

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our circular economy approach

Re-use program

Waste recycling

Field repair

Modular system design 

Field upgrades

Materials
Upstream

Parts supply
Upstream

ASML
Midstream

Customers
Downstream

Waste treatment
collectors
Downstream

Re-use program

Waste recycling

As-New program

Extending life of ASML systems 

REduce

Re-use

REcycle

Reduce waste
Reducing our environmental footprint and managing our 
waste – both from our operations and products – is key to 
ASML’s circular economy approach and our sustainability 
practices. There are several waste sources within our 
operations: these include office, packaging, and hazardous 
waste from the chemicals we use in our processes. 
Another source is product waste from parts resulting from 
upgrades or defective spare parts.    

We highlight the environmental impact of waste in our 
sustainability strategy for the period 2019-2025. Our target 
is to reduce our ‘waste intensity’ – the amount of measured 
waste in kg per € million revenue – by 50% compared to 
baseline year 2019, and increase material recycling to 85% 
by 2025. These targets include hazardous and non-
hazardous waste.  

To achieve these targets, we are focusing on reusing parts 
and components in our systems, packaging and tools, 
non-product related waste such as IT hardware, office 
materials, canteen waste and construction waste from our 
real estate portfolio. We will also continue to carefully 
monitor the hazardous waste we generate in our 
manufacturing processes.  

We are committed to reducing, reusing and recycling our 
waste as much as possible, rather than sending it on to an 
incineration plant or landfill. Based on Lansink’s Ladder 
Waste hierarchy, we manage our waste through proper 
classification, separation and safe disposal. For more 
information on our re-use of parts and materials, read 
in What we achieved in 2020 - Circular economy - 
Accelerating re-use of parts, tools and packaging and 
materials.

Reducing our environmental footprint is a shared 
responsibility between our operations and supply chain. To 
this end, we are raising awareness of our circular economy 
principles with our procurement managers and engaging 
with suppliers.   

Waste-management challenges
Managing waste from our operations is a complex issue 
and relies on having detailed and accurate insight into 
waste streams to and from ASML. While we’ve developed 
procedures to monitor and measure waste that leaves our 
premises, including packaging materials and organic waste 
from our cafeterias, it’s much harder to gain insight on the 
waste streams of our customers. 

Our focus in 2020 was to gain better insight into all relevant 
waste streams, including assessing what happens with our 
waste at customer sites. We also conducted a feasibility 
study into whether it makes sense to send used packaging 
back to our manufacturing sites for re-use, comparing the 
carbon footprint of transporting this used packaging 
against the environmental gain of re-using it. The study 
showed that the weight of the packaging is the most 
relevant environmental aspect during transportation. These 
assessments led to a lifecycle assessment model for 
calculating the impact of waste and waste-reduction 
activities that we will start applying in 2021.

We use the European Union’s waste-classification system 
to determine what constitutes waste. The COVID-19 
pandemic led to waste reduction in our cafeteria as more 
people were working from home. This waste category 
represents just a small percentage of our overall waste 
production, however, so the decrease did not significantly 
change our overall waste generation.   

Hazardous waste
We use hazardous substances to produce and operate our 
products and systems. This makes us subject to a variety 
of governmental regulations relating to environmental 
protection (as well as employee and product health and 
safety), including the transport, use, storage, discharge, 
handling, emission, generation, and disposal of hazardous 
substances.

Hazardous waste can include lamps, batteries, hazardous 
liquids, empty packaging from hazardous materials, and 

60

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
cleaning wipes and filters. Liquids, including acetone and sulfuric acid, are among the most important of our waste 
streams. Most of these materials are recovered through recycling. In 2020, we completed the first phase of an 
investigation into solutions for sulfuric acid re-use. Based on this investigation, we’ve designed and built an installation for 
pilot testing. We will conduct the second phase of the investigation and testing in 2021. 

We are committed to reducing our hazardous waste, aiming to draw as much as possible from materials, and using no 
more than we need. The scope of our 2025 target to cut our waste intensity by 50% includes both hazardous and non-
hazardous waste.  

Waste-management initiatives
To achieve our target of cutting our waste per revenue by 50% by 2025, we plan to launch new initiatives in 2021. In 2020, 
we achieved waste reduction through several ongoing programs as listed in the table below. One of these programs 
consisted of a series of local waste-reduction initiatives, initiated by our employees, including plastic recycling, working 
with re-usable gloves in cleanrooms, and reducing the number of single-use coffee cups. 

Programs
Local waste-reduction 
programs

Examples
•  Reduce single-use coffee cups
•  Plastic recycling
•  Reusable cleanroom gloves

Circular IT Lifecycle

•  After four years of use, all functioning computers and laptops are given a second life. Around 6,500 

laptops, representing 64,000 kg materials, were re-used in 2020.

•  Defective computers are recycled in clean, separated  streams of recycled plastic, iron, steel, copper, 

aluminum, glass, and precious metals. We recycled nearly 24,000 kg materials in 2020.

Real-estate portfolio 
management

•  BREEAM score ‘Excellent’ for Campus 2.0
•  Recycling construction waste

Return4Re-use

•  Re-use parts and transportation packaging. This program led to nearly 4,000,000 kg of materials re-used 

in 2020. 

•  The Reclaim program at our facility in the US focuses on re-using a constant flow of returned parts. This 
program includes design for reclaim, improving the ability to re-use and recondition the assemblies to 
enable further increase of circularity of parts and materials, so it can either be re-used for spare parts 
or incorporated into new system builds. This program has been successfully running for more than a 
decade. 

Flexible cleanrooms

•  Our new ‘flex’ cleanrooms can move between locations and be assembled quickly, while providing 
the same standards and performance as our current fixed cleanrooms. More than 95% of materials 
in the flex cleanroom system are re-usable, and has a lifespan of >30 years. In 2020 we used the flex 
cleanroom two times.

Accelerating re-use of parts, tools and packaging and materials
We are committed to re-using parts, tools and packaging whenever possible in our value chain to reduce and prevent 
waste, reduce costs, and accelerate learning. Working together with our customers and suppliers, we aim to 
remanufacture used system parts, re-using as if they were new parts and preventing unnecessary waste.  

We strongly accelerated our efforts in 2020, working towards formalizing and structuring this process, with the long-term 
ambition of having the circular use of parts fully embedded in our business by 2025. We extended the re-use policy to all 
parts and tools, and created a dedicated cross-sector Re-use department to drive material re-use on a global scale. We 
apply re-use to all product-related parts and materials that come back from the field, from well-functioning used parts, to 
defective parts and unused parts. We include parts that we can repair, harvest, upgrade, downgrade, and parts that are 
reusable as 'As-New' parts after qualification.  

With an eye towards a more sustainable future, the department will increase our re-use efforts through their dedicated 
groups for re-use in D&E, Sourcing & Supply Chain, Customer Support and the Factories, and dedicated repair centers in 
Manufacturing and Customer Support. These will focus on extending local repair centers for service parts, tools and 
materials, and set up global repair centers to repair field and factory materials and to function as repair competence 
centers. Designing for re-use in the product design phase is also a key component of preventing waste and helps  us 
meet our long-term goals.

It is not only about making sure that the sectors learn how to re-use and prevent scrap, but also about teaching them how 
to adopt re-use into their normal ways of working. The department’s end-goal is to ensure re-use is a default activity 
across everything that we do. Our dedicated cross-sector leadership will report into sector heads, who in turn will report to 
a newly set up Re-use Board, chaired by our Chief Operations Officer and our Chief Technology Officer.

61

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Creating a learning organization
Learning is also an important aspect of our Re-use 
department: by designing for re-use, and improving 
processes, we aim to close the learning loop and ultimately 
prevent waste in the future.

To achieve this, we need to leverage our organization to 
start working on re-use everywhere, in both big and small 
ways. For example, by replacing scrap beds in our 
factories with what we now call ‘re-use collection corners’, 
we encourage employees to think of used parts as having 
potential rather than being seen as waste.

Our re-use ambitions require a change of mindset. 
Communication is key to this, through a top-down and 
bottom-up approach. Setting the right example, talking to 
teams, attending all-hands meetings, leveraging our Re-
use representatives across the sectors, and providing 
support where necessary. Senior management also play a 
crucial role in getting the message across, both to their 
internal colleagues and to our suppliers. 

Customer Support triage process 
In 2020, we added an important step – a Customer 
Support triage process – to the steps we follow when 
handling used parts. We piloted this in the field in South 
Korea and in our factories in Veldhoven, and plan to roll this 
out in 2021.

This triage involves a new process to deal with a part that 
is not working, either because it’s worn out or defective. In 
the past, our teams would evaluate what was wrong with 
the part, note the results down through material 
notifications, and, where appropriate, send it back to the 
relevant suppliers.

The new focus is on processing the defective parts and 
thinking more critically about their potential. For parts that 
are not scrap, this means thinking about what we can do 
with them, either repairing them locally or sending them to 
the next level of triage.

Repair centers
We are increasing ASML’s re-use efforts by extending local 
repair centers for service parts and materials, and setting 
up global repair centers for factory materials.

We currently have local repair centers in South Korea and 
Taiwan and will be rolling out to China in 2021. Our 
ambition is to increase the re-use rate of our parts to 85% 
by 2025.

One of the ways to achieve this is by establishing more 
local repair centers, with each region getting its own. There 
are several benefits to enabling ‘simple’ repair and re-use 
activities in the field, including reduced logistics time, 
prevention of stocking of parts, and reduction of our 
environmental impact. We will also be setting up global 
repair centers in each factory hub in Wilton, San Diego, 
Linkou, and Veldhoven. 

Our activities are closely linked to our supply chain. We are 
efficient at shipping new parts to the field for service and 
for new systems, but we need to place more attention on 
improving the return flow. To tackle this, we have set up a 
supply chain re-use team, which looks at re-use planning 
and reverse logistics to improve the flow of the part. We 
also operate a re-use supplier network, connecting with 
suppliers on re-use.

Overall, ASML is taking ownership of repairs, not only 
looking to the original owner, the supplier, but taking 
ownership if a supplier is not able to carry out repairs. 

Maintaining As-New quality
We set high quality standards on As-New parts and expect 
suppliers to be involved to meet these standards. This 
qualification standard and requirement is identical to new 
parts, meaning that the same specifications, performance 
requirements, warranty, and so on, apply. We allow our 
customers to audit the quality of As-New modules.  

Our ambition is to increase the usage of As-New modules 
in our systems, to prevent unnecessary scrapping of well-
functioning parts and modules. In 2020, we took an 
important step forward in our procedures by extending the 
program to service parts, taking us into the next phase of 
the As-New program.

We are in the process of adopting this next phase, but this 
will take time given that the qualification standards and 
requirements are identical to new parts. We are looking at 
our processes critically with the aim of simplifying them 
while still ensuring high-quality standards. 

As-New has been well received by our business sectors. 
There’s been an active pull on the program by the 
manufacturing lines wanting to see more parts qualifying 
for As-New. 

As-New SMASH system 

The first As-New SMASH pilot was successfully built 
and shipped in mid-2020, a major milestone for both 
the SMASH project and the overall As-New program. 
SMASH is one of the advanced alignment sensors in our 
scanners. Depending on the configuration, the recovery 
value ranges from €35,000 to €60,000 per sensor. 
Following a second pilot, this project moved to high-
volume manufacturing in Q3 2020. 

The SMASH As-New project is an early pilot for our 
As-New program, helping to define what is needed 
to requalify a module. The Wilton cross-sector team, 
including Optical Fabrication, Planning, Logistics, 
Warehousing, Technicians, Production Engineering, 
Product Lifecycle Management and D&E have worked 
together to implement the As-New processes and 
procedures over a two-year period.

62

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Re-use challenges and roadmap
We made good strides on re-use and are committed to 
continuing to reduce waste streams. To fully embed our 
Re-use vision however, there are several challenges to 
overcome and processes to be defined. These include:

•  Configuration control: To re-use As-New parts in a 

system requires traceability of those parts. This means 
we need to be able to trace its history, where it comes 
from, and know how many times it was used and 
repaired.

•  Organization: Across our operations, there are a variety 
of separate processes related to return and re-use. Our 
Re-use department has been tasked with addressing 
this, with a spotlight on aligning the overall end-to-end 
process flow.

•  Repair engineering and processes: Part of our new 

focus is to create awareness on design for re-usability, 
and define processes around how to include re-use in 
redesigns and engineering changes.

In 2020, we have also added re-use to the different 
milestones in the product generation process (PGP). This 
means that re-use requirements are now part of the design 
specs. In the ramp-up phase, we want to plan with re-
usability in mind when we order new parts. And in the 
volume release phase, we want to make sure the repair 
procedures are also reduced for volume, and not just the 
build procedures.

Lifetime extension of mature 
products
Our refurbished products business, known as MPS (Mature 
Products and Services), refurbishes and upgrades our 
older lithography systems to extend their lives and offer 
associated services. MPS’ customer base is wide and 
active in a variety of markets, especially in the More than 
Moore space. 

MPS focuses on the refurbishment of three product 
families: the ‘classic’ PAS 5500 (around 2,000 systems and 
customers worldwide), the first generation TWINSCAN AT 
systems, and the first generation TWINSCAN XT systems. 
Given the growing market and wider application space of 
our PAS platform, ASML will invest significantly to extend 
the lifetime of our PAS platform to at least 2030. For 
TWINSCANs, we focus on measures to proactively 
manage the announced end of life by guaranteeing the 
availability of spare parts through 2021, with a program to 
extend that as long as possible on a best-effort basis.  

We believe our approach supports our customers' ambition 
to extend their installed base lifespan, draw the best value 
from their capital, and underpins our broader circular 
economy approach.

PAS platform and implantable devices 

Lithography is applied in a wide range of life-changing 
medical device research to manufacture implantable 
devices. And more companies are getting active in this 
market – one that is expected to reach more than one 
million implants per year by 2030. These companies 
are using our technology because of the superior stage 
control for stitching accuracy, 3DAlign, and High Bow 
Wafer handling in our design. 

Among these are neuroprobes, that can interface with 
a human brain. Neuroprobes are being manufactured 
using a PAS 350 by a startup company that will mass 
produce brain machine interfaces (BMI). BMIs use brain 
activity to control external devices, that will help people 
with paralysis and inventing new technologies that will 
expand our abilities, our community and our world.

Life cycle management
Managing the continued availability of spare parts is key to 
the extended lifetime service we offer. A well-maintained 
ASML lithography system can last for decades and be 
used by more than one fab. Many ASML lithography 
systems start out in cutting-edge fabs – once that fab 
needs to upgrade, the lithography systems are given a new 
lease of life in a fab where the manufacturer requires 
comparatively less sophisticated chips, such as 
accelerometers or radiofrequency chips. Almost every 
lithography system that we’ve ever shipped is still in use at 
a customer fab today.   

We are making significant investments to ensure continued 
supply for our PAS platform, either through redesigns, a 
parts harvesting strategy or finding an alternative with 
same form, fit and function. If this does not work, we are 
generally able to secure components through Last Time 
Buy – a supplier's 'last call' for a part or component before 
production switches to its successor. Over time, when that 
is no longer workable, we redesign parts. 

Additionally, we track the spare parts we have in our 
portfolio, see how they are being used, and when we 
expect to run out of these parts. For the PAS systems, we 
use this information to update our priorities for redesigning 
parts. For the AT systems, we try to continue supplying 
parts by harvesting them from systems that are 
decommissioned by our customers.  

Customers are continuing to use the current PAS 5500 
installed base to produce devices on 200 mm wafers and 
below, and we foresee this demand growing. We set 
ourselves the ambition and target to provide our customers 
with a guaranteed service roadmap until at least 2030. To 
this end, we guarantee our customers that all support, and 
the necessary services and spare parts they need to 
maintain their systems, will be available for at least the next 
10 years.  

63

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Dedicated resources
MPS has a dedicated worldwide customer support network, which includes our own resources for field refurbishment and 
D&E. Our competence center in Linkou, Taiwan, concentrates mature product knowledge in one place. We have more 
than 250 specialized engineers in the field, working together with our customers. 

Our service engineers are an integral part of our customer-engineering teams, which jointly execute service tasks, as well 
as being specialized in the more complex service activities that take place less often.

These service engineers report back on what they see happening in the field. We use this intelligence to keep our 
customers informed and establish if we need to devise a service product. Based on this, we continuously update our 
redesign plans.

As ASML’s technology and innovations evolve, the servicing of 20-year-old systems, and older, calls for expertise that is 
not always readily available. In some cases, customer and ASML engineers with PAS 5500 expertise are retiring, while, 
internally, engineers are attracted to our newer technology. It can be a challenge to maintain the competence of PAS 5500 
service engineers, with expertise on the PAS systems, in the field. We seek to achieve this by developing a knowledge 
base, training and job rotation. 

Ultimately, all ASML’s systems will become legacy products. So MPS is a key part of ASML’s offering, enabling our 
customers to get the best value from their capital investment and at the same time support the circularity principles we 
aspire to around the globe. 

Circular economy KPIs
The table below shows the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the related 2025 targets. In 2019, we adopted a new 
sustainability strategy - as a result no comparative results for 2018 are available for new performance indicators. See Non-
financial statements - Non-financial indicators for our performance indicators (PIs) and related results.    

KPI

Total waste generated normalized to revenue (kg/Million €) 1

Material recycling (% of total waste) 1
ASML PAS5500 systems sold still in use (in %) 2

2018

—

—
—

2019

417

80%
90%

2020

Target 2025

360 -50% of 2019 
baseline
85%
n/a

85%
90%

1.  Construction waste is excluded from the calculation of this indicator, because this waste is not resulting from the daily operations of ASML. The amount of construction waste 

tends to fluctuate over the years and can therefore make the trend of the indicator unclear.  

2.  Due to a definition change in 2020, the KPI is based on PAS5500 systems sold. For other PAS systems it is not possible to determine the status of use mainly because 

service contracts have been terminated. 

Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals
Our ambitions, commitments and programs as described in this chapter contribute to the following SDGs. For more 
information on the performance, see section Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators. 

SDG target

How we measure our performance

SDG target 12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient 
use of natural resources 

•  Material recovery
•  Promote circular procurement

SDG target 12.4 - By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of 
chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed 
international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water 
and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the 
environment

SDG target 12.5 - By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through 
prevention, reduction, recycling and re-use

•  RoHS / REACH compliance of parts used

•  Waste reduction
• 

Increase re-use of parts and modules in our 
products 

•  Lifetime extension of used systems
•  Re-use of packaging

64

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Climate and energy

We are taking every step to lower our footprint to achieve zero emissions 
across our operations. While increasing productivity of our products,
we are also working towards enhancing the energy efficiency of our products. 

1,412 TJ
Energy consumption

100%
Renewable electricity

-30.8%
Net emissions footprint
(scope 1 & 2)

per €m revenue

0.6 kt
Value chain emission intensity
(scope 3)

Climate change has become an urgent matter around the 
world. It affects every country on every continent. It’s a 
challenge that requires global responsibility to limit a 
temperature rise worldwide to well below 2°C. It poses 
risks, but also opportunities for all companies. 

At ASML, we’re committed to decreasing our greenhouse 
gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere and reducing 
our carbon footprint across our operations, as well as in 
our value chain by enhancing the energy efficiency of our 
products and utility installations that operates our 
manufacturing building and offices. 

We aim to invent, develop and manufacture our products in 
a more environmentally friendly way, striving to ensure that 
our products are manufactured and can be operated 
responsibly across their entire life cycle.

Our renewable energy strategy sets out our ambition to 
achieve zero emissions across our operations. We aim at 
optimizing the efficiency of our utility installations in our 
buildings as well as our manufacturing process. While 
we’re increasing the productivity of our products, we're 
also working towards reducing their energy consumption 
to enhance our energy efficiency.  

Climate change risk and opportunities
Climate change is a global challenge that requires urgent 
action by everyone. This also impacts ASML. We identify 
and assess the impact of climate-related risks and 
opportunities through an Enterprise Risk Management 
model. We assess risks both top-down (company-level) 
and bottom-up (organization and process-level). Read 
more in: How we manage risk - How we manage risk, How 
we manage risk - Risk factors.  

We assess the risk related to climate change and its 
impact, using the assessment guidelines of the Task Force 
on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). We 
defined climate-related risks relevant to us, as well as risks 
related to the transition to a lower-carbon economy. As 
national governments respond to the threat of climate 

change, political and regulatory risk increases. Our TCFD 
Recommendations: climate-related disclosure is available 
on www.asml.com.  

We have seven manufacturing sites around the world. 
Veldhoven is the largest of these, representing 76% of our 
total gross greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1 and 2 
emissions). A signatory to the Paris Agreement, the 
Netherlands has set its goal to reduce emissions by 49% in 
2030, and expects a considerable contribution from 
industry to achieve this. Should carbon pricing be 
implemented, the financial cost of our energy consumption 
will increase. 

The physical risks of climate change – e.g. extreme 
weather conditions, chronic heat waves (drought) and the 
rise of sea level (floods) – that could disrupt our operations 
and/or damage our assets are evaluated regularly in our 
Enterprise Risk Management process. The impact of these 
risks is deemed limited, as our main facilities and suppliers 
are not located in high-risk areas.  

In addition, climate change may trigger issues concerning 
the availability of natural resources, and energy or health 
and safety matters. It may also indirectly impact the 
political situation in a country, which may cause supply-
chain disruption in first tier and beyond. We see that these 
risks already exist in our industry. We monitor these, as 
changes can occur at any time. 

With increased global awareness of climate change, 
managing the environmental impact of products is a 
concern for our customers and other stakeholders, and 
their preference may shift towards lower carbon-footprint 
products. While helping the semiconductor industry to 
continue to realize Moore’s Law, we are committed to 
taking every step to lower our carbon footprint.  

To realize this, we have deployed a renewable energy 
strategy to reduce exposure to dependency on fossil fuel 
and enhanced energy efficiency in our operations by 
optimizing our global real-estate portfolio and efficiency of 

65

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020asset installations. Climate change and the increase in 
outside temperature will also force us to monitor the 
cooling capacity in our factory locations. If necessary, we 
may need to install more efficient and effective cooling 
systems, which will reduce overall energy consumption of 
the installed cooling capacity. 

We are committed to taking every step required to lower 
our carbon footprint. Our sustainability strategy sets out 
our ambition to achieve zero net emissions across our 
operations by 2025. Read more in: Carbon footprint of our 
operations.

Climate and energy is a major focus area in our 
sustainability strategy to combat climate change. Being at 
the front end of the semiconductor value chain, our direct 
contribution and influence on low carbon end-use products 
is indirectly visible. Nevertheless, we recognize our 
responsibility in this entire value chain ecosystem. Read 
more in: What guides us, The role of lithography. 

By providing more innovative leading-edge lithography 
systems to the IDMs and foundries, we contribute to a 
more sustainable semiconductor production process (clean 
tech). Besides the production process, our technology 
enables our customers to design and manufacture more 
powerful chips that consume less energy (low carbon) for 
the end-markets. Not only are we focused on the end 
products of our customers, we also a focus on energy 
efficiency in their semiconductor manufacturing facilities. 

Paris Agreement

The Netherlands is part of the UNFCCC and a signatory 
to the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement’s central 
aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat 
of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise 
this century well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels 
and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase 
even further to 1.5°C. The Dutch government has set 
a goal to reduce its GHG emissions by 49% in 2030. 
Dutch industry's ultimate aim is to be circular and to emit 
virtually no greenhouse gas by 2050. Factories will then 
run on sustainable electricity from the sun and wind, or 
energy from geothermal energy, hydrogen and biogas. 
By 2030, the industry must already emit considerably 
less CO
full sustainability. Politicians can implement measures 
to achieve these goals, such as implementing carbon-
pricing mechanisms to reduce GHG emissions. 

That is an intermediate step on the way to 

2. 

Energy efficiency of our products
Growing consumer demand for faster, ever-more 
sophisticated devices in our increasingly interconnected 
world fuels the need for constant innovation and 
development in the semiconductor industry. Lithography is 
one of the driving forces in creating more powerful, faster, 
and cheaper chips. But just as the demand for enhanced 
chip functionality increases, so does the complexity of our 
lithography systems. Gross energy consumption of both 
lithography-equipment manufacturers and chip 
manufacturers is expected to rise, due to increasing IC 
demand and energy consumption of the systems needed 
to enable the production of higher-capability chips while 
consuming less energy per chip while in use.  

To enable this, chip manufacturers look to us to continue to 
achieve lithography-enabled shrink with the aim of 
producing higher-density chips. This translates into stricter 
requirements for our systems, which means they use more 
power to run. By increasing the productivity of ASML’s 
lithography tools and with the higher resolution, more 
products can be printed on a wafer. In addition, by 
enhancing the resolution with EUV and High-NA, together 
with scaling of overlay and pattern fidelity control, we 
enhance energy efficiency of the produced chips while in 
use. 

Our ongoing challenge is to meet our customers’ 
expectations of increasing the performance of our products 
while also reducing their energy consumption. 

Our product-efficiency strategy
Our product-efficiency strategy is based on making our 
systems more efficient and improving the conversion 
efficiency of wall-plug power into EUV light, while ensuring 
we use energy in the most efficient way. Our focus areas 
include:  

•  Reduction of energy use per wafer output   
•  Responsible use of energy by committing to only using 

the energy we need and eliminating waste 

•  Contributing to energy-efficient facilities by providing 

more energy-efficient installation solutions   

We want to increase throughput, both by increasing a 
system’s source power and its efficiency by optimizing 
sequences, control schemes and other components, such 
as higher reflectivity mirrors and faster stages. The benefit 
to our customers is the ability to produce more wafers per 
day, as well as increasing capacity with the same number 
of systems. This enables customers to increase 
productivity without building a new fab, which translates 
into less overall energy use. Most of these enhancements 
are also offered as upgrades for the installed base tools.  

A way to enhance energy efficiency in EUV relates to the 
conversion efficiency of laser radiation into EUV. Most 
energy is used in the conversion process, and it’s the key 
focus area for our design efforts to make our systems more 
efficient. If we can increase our conversion efficiency, we 
can decrease a system’s energy consumption at constant 
wafer output. Making this happen, while at the same time 
limiting the energy loss by reducing the collector 
degradation, pellicle transmission and mask defectivity are 
the key challenges for our R&D teams. 

Managing our energy efficiency
With our EUV systems now being used in high-volume 
manufacturing at customer sites, reducing their energy use 
has become a priority for us, our customers and suppliers.  

In 2020, we measured the energy efficiency of our EUV 
3400C, which showed significant improvement compared 
to its predecessor, the EUV 3400B. The energy 
consumption decreased from 1.4 MW to 1.3 MW thanks to 
more energy-efficient prevac systems, while productivity at 
30 mJ resist dose increased from 107 wafers per hour 
(wph) in 2018 to 136 wph in 2020.  We achieved a faster 
run rate (higher throughput) for the system by significant 
improvements in the transmission of the optical column 
and improved wafer management, reducing the so-called 
scanner overhead. 

66

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020In 2020, we also completed a pilot project at our factory in 
Veldhoven aimed at reducing the energy used for the 
hydrogen abatement system. Our systems need hydrogen 
for protecting the optics in the scanner and the EUV 
source. We tested more efficient vacuum pumps that 
remove hydrogen from our systems, so our customers can 
install them as well.   

We also found ways, together with suppliers, to use cooling 
water of a higher temperature to remove the heat in the 
lithography scanner and its source. This will reduce the 
amount of energy needed to cool the system. In 2020, we 
began investigating how this more energy-efficient cooling 
method can be applied with the drive laser and started to 
engage with our customers on it. As this involves 
significant changes to the hardware of our suppliers and 
installation in our customer fabs, this project is part of our 
long-term plan to reduce the wall-plug power needed per 
wafer pass by 60% by 2025 (baseline year 2018). If EUV 
systems can operate in slightly higher temperatures, our 
customers can save energy in cooling their factories. 
Implementing energy-reduction and energy-efficiency 
measures needs to be done carefully to limit the impact on 
the uptime and productivity of our customers’ systems.   

Energy-efficiency challenges
By 2025, we aim to reduce the energy use per wafer pass 
of our future-generation NXE systems by 60% compared 
to the previous model, the NXE:3400B (baseline 2018). 

To achieve this, we need to overcome several strategic 
technical challenges. These include: ways to create EUV 
plasma in the most efficient way; developing materials and 
coatings dealing with higher EUV intensities; and improving 
the heat management of optical components, including the 
heat management of the wafer itself, which heats up 
through the exposure light during the production process.    

These technical challenges are particularly tough to solve, 
given that there is no precedent anywhere in the world. At 
ASML, we need to find these solutions ourselves and this 
type of experimentation presents all sorts of challenges. 
Solving these challenges requires ongoing innovation and 
relies heavily on the increased collaboration within our 
ecosystem of customers, suppliers and knowledge 
institutions. 

EUV and energy use
EUV is characterized by single exposure. This means 
several exposures can be replaced by one single exposure 
(patterning of a chip). With EUV, the number of non-litho 
processing steps can be reduced by up to three to five 
times; this reduces the production cycle time significantly. 
The fab also benefits from reduced energy use for the 
deposition, etching and cleaning steps. Therefore, when 
our customers use EUV systems to create faster and more 
energy-efficient chips, the total energy consumption of the 
fab might remain about the same as before, but with a 
larger portion of the energy being used by (EUV) 
lithography creating faster and more energy-efficient chips. 

Our next-generation EUV systems, High-NA (0.55NA), will 
enable further shrink and partly eliminate complicated 
exposure schemes involving several 0.33NA exposures by 
a single 0.55NA exposure. With High-NA, the number of 
non-litho processing steps can therefore also be reduced. 
This will effectively limit the energy consumption per wafer 
further.

Inside a fab: take a closer look 

A semiconductor fabrication plant, commonly known 
as a fab, is a factory where devices such as integrated 
circuit (IC) chips are manufactured. These are the chips 
we find in everyday electrical and electronic devices. 
The making of a semiconductor device involves a 
multiple-step lithography sequence to create a pattern 
in the photoresist, as well as chemical processing, 
during which electronic circuits are gradually created 
on a silicon wafer. These steps include etching, ion 
implantation, deposition and photoresist coating. 

ICs are made of layers, from about 0.005 to 0.1 mm 
thick, that are built on the semiconductor substrate one 
layer at a time, with perhaps 50 or more layers in a final 
chip. After adding a layer, so-called deposition, the layer 
is etched, using lines and geometric shapes in the exact 
locations where the material is deposited.

The entire manufacturing process, from start to 
packaged chips ready for shipment, takes six to eight 
weeks. All fabrication takes place inside the cleanrooms 
of these fabs. In more advanced semiconductor devices, 
such as modern 7 nm nodes, fabrication can take 
between 11-13 weeks on average.

The heart of a fab is the cleanroom, an area where 
the environment is controlled to eliminate dust on a 
nanoscale. All fabrication steps take place here. It also 
houses the lithography system and other machinery 
required for IC production. Under the desk floor is the so-
called sub fab, which contains auxiliary equipment such 
as the drive laser. The utility fab – where the pumping 
and abatement systems for vacuum and cooling are 
located – is usually found one floor below this. 

67

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Preliminary results show that the total energy consumption of a patterning strategy with EUV is not necessarily higher than 
that of the most complex multi-patterning DUV strategies. 

The tables below provide an overview of our system performance achievements in terms of output and energy usage to 
achieve this output. 

Platform
System

Year of energy measurement
Energy consumption (in MW)

Throughput (wph)
Energy efficiency per wafer pass (in kWh)
Wafers per year

Platform
System

DUV 
Immersion
NXT:2000i

2020
0.13 MW

275

0.51 kWh
2,409,000

NXT:2050i

2020
0.13 MW

295
0.45 kWh
2,584,200

XT:860M

2017
0.07 MW

240
0.28 kWh
2,102,400

DUV 
Dry
XT:1460

2020
0.06 MW

209

0.27 kWh
1,830,840

NXT:1470

2020
0.11 MW

277

0.38 kWh
2,435,280

EUV
30 mJ/cm2 dose

YieldStar

NXT:1980Di

2015
0.13 MW

275
0.51 kWh
2,409,000

EUV
20 mJ/cm2 
dose

NXE:3350B NXE:3400B NXE:3400C

YS350E

YS375F

Year of energy measurement

2015

2018

2020

2017

2019

Energy consumption (in MW)

1.15 MW

1.40 MW

1.31 MW

0.01 MW

0.01 MW

Throughput (wph)
Energy efficiency per wafer pass (in kWh)

59
19.49 kWh

107
13.08 kWh

136
9.64 kWh

Wafers per year

516,840

937,320

1,191,360

n/a
n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Note: 'dose energy in mJ' refers to the power density per second of expose per cm2. The  number of 'wafers per day' calculated assumes 100% 
uptime and 100% utilization.  

68

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Carbon footprint of our operations
We are committed to minimizing our energy consumption, the environmental impact of our operations and our related 
carbon footprint. We are doing this by enhancing the energy efficiency of our buildings and, where possible, shifting to 
renewable energy. We also aim to reduce emissions in our value chain.

We manage the environmental impact of our activities through a strong governance structure, chaired by our Chief 
Operating Officer, and our ISO14001 certified management system. This is further supported by ASML’s sustainability 
strategy, and our Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) policy. 

We review our environmental risks each year through our Enterprise Risk Management and business continuity processes. 
Read more in: Howe we manage risk. We also assess the risks related to climate change, using the guidelines of the Task 
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). Read more in: Climate change risk and opportunities. Our TCFD 
disclosure document is available on www.asml.com. 

Our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions

Scope 1

Direct CO2 emissions 
from our operations

Scope 2

Scope 3

Indirect emissions from energy 
use across our operations

All other indirect emissions 
in the value chain from make 
and use of our products

Status 2020:
15 kilotonne

Target 2025:

Zero

Status 2020:
0 kilotonne

Target 2025:

Zero

Status 2020:
8,400 kilotonne

Target 2025:

Reduce intensity

Scope 1 emissions
Compared to our peers in the semiconductor industry, our 
energy consumption and related carbon footprint is 
relatively low. As a manufacturer of lithography equipment, 
our main direct CO2 emissions come from the fossil fuels 
we use in the testing phase after the assembly of our 
immersion lithography systems. This means our 
lithography systems do not run full field in our operations.

Scope 2 emissions
Electricity accounts for nearly 80% of the energy we use at 
ASML. Most of our electricity consumption relates to the 
manufacturing of chip-making equipment – from assembly 
to testing lithography and other systems – and maintaining 
consistent climate conditions, such as constant 
temperature, humidity and air quality.

Achieving energy efficiency
We view 2020 as a landmark year, achieving our goals set 
out in our multi-year energy master plan for the period 
2016-2020, and raised the bar for the next energy master 
plan for 2021-2025. Despite the increase in number of 
facility cleanrooms in recent years, we realized a 10% 
energy saving compared to the 2015 energy-consumption 
baseline. This translates to an achievement of 114 TJ 
savings by year-end 2020, which is above our target of 111 
TJ savings. We also reached our goal to use 100% 
renewable electricity (scope 2). In doing so, we confirmed 

our commitment to minimizing the impact of our activities 
on the environment by reducing our environmental footprint 
and extending our commitment to renewable energy.   

Over the past 10 years, we have executed nearly 100 
energy saving projects worth cumulatively over 260 TJ 
savings, representing 28% of our energy footprint since 
2010. Over the same period, our natural gas consumption 
has dropped in absolute term from 382 TJ to 293 TJ as a 
result of energy savings measures – and this despite the 
growth and constructions of new facilities (cleanrooms and 
offices).

Projects we have run over the past few years to achieve 
further energy savings are, for example, more energy-
efficient technical installations and improvements in the 
production process. These included measures such as the 
recovery of exhaust heat, and efforts to reduce the energy 
consumption of our cleanrooms, where maintaining the 
right conditions is energy intensive. The projects were 
completed and implemented in our operations in 2020, 
with energy savings taking effect.  

Following on from the closure of the energy master plan 
2016-2020, we developed a Climate & Renewable Energy 
Sustainability program 2021-2025. Our target is to achieve 
carbon neutrality in our operations for both scope 1 and 
scope 2. While developing this plan, we reassessed in 

69

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 20202019 the scope of our energy and emissions reporting by 
assessing materiality per real estate location, and the 
environmental impact of activities at these locations.

From this assessment, we concluded we needed to 
expand the scope of reporting in terms of active locations: 
from four main manufacturing sites in the 2016-2020 
reporting years, to all industrial sites and offices with more 
than 250 FTEs. This will result in an increase in our 
reporting from 20 locations in 2020 to 57 locations in 2021. 
This will increase our scope of reporting to over 95% of our 
worldwide CO2 emissions. One of the ambitions in the field 
of emissions and energy is to achieve direct energy savings 
of 100 TJ by 2025.

Renewable energy strategy
In 2020, we achieved our goal of using 100% renewable 
electricity through a combination of buying green 
electricity and financing renewable electricity-generating 
projects. Our ambition is to increase the share of direct 
green energy purchases (so-called bundled renewable 
electricity) from renewable electricity produced close to our 
premises in the Netherlands, and reduce the share of 
certificates. For the US and Asia, our ambition is to 
purchase renewable energy attribute certificates 
(respectively RECs and I-RECs) and monitor the evolution 
of the renewable in those countries.   

All three hydro-energy plants in Norway that we co-
financed through our GO2 project over the past few years 
were finalized and in operation in 2020. They generate 
26,000 MWh of energy per year, which is fed into the Dutch 
grid.

In 2021, we plan to install 4,700m2 solar panels on our 
campus in Veldhoven, which are expected to provide the 
equivalent of 3 TJ/yr capacity production.

Generating green electricity in Norway 

Through the GO2 project, ASML has co-financed the 
construction of three small hydropower plants in the 
rugged countryside north and south of Bergen, Norway. 
The Sandvik, Valdra and Nottveit installations are run-
of-river power plants, which capture energy from fast-
moving rivers and have a low local ecological impact. 

The last of the three power plants, the Nottveit plant, 
became operational in 2020. Together, the plants have a 
production capacity of 26,000 MWh of green electricity 
annually, which is fed into the NorNed cable between 
Norway and the Netherlands. 

Optimizing our real-estate portfolio
As we grow as a company, we strive to optimize our real-
estate portfolio. The marked increase in working from 
home following Dutch containment measures also 
prompted us to take a closer look at the need for office 
space and determine whether we may need less space 
than anticipated. Optimizing the use of every square meter 
in our portfolio contributes to reducing our environmental 
footprint: each square meter saved is a square meter we 
don’t need to heat, cool, ventilate or light up.  

When building new offices and manufacturing sites, we 
take the opportunity to make our buildings as 
environmentally sound as possible. With an eye on future 
growth, for example, our new campus in Veldhoven is 
designed with a strong sustainability focus. Its design and 
use of materials will be assessed on sustainability 
performance using BREEAM guidelines: we aim to achieve 
a BREEAM score of ‘excellent’. From 2020 onwards, we 
plan to adhere to BREEAM guidelines for all our new 
buildings. 

Reviewing our value-chain carbon 
footprint  
We recognize that environmental impact goes beyond our 
operations. In general, most of the environmental impact of 
energy consumption in our industry comes from the use of 
products, and the greenhouse gas emissions in the 
downstream and upstream value chain.   

We use the guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – 
the organization that provides widely used international 
standards for emissions reporting – for the calculation of 
these scope 3 emissions. In 2019, we conducted our first 
inventory of scope 3 emissions. In 2020, we focused on 
maturing the data used and parameter assumptions 
applied.

Results shows that the indirect emissions (scope 3) from 
upstream and downstream value chains account for 
around 98% of the total emissions footprint (scope 1, 2 
and 3). Of this, indirect emissions in the value chain, the 
category ‘downstream' – use of sold products at our 
customers’ sites – accounts for 60%, and the category 
‘upstream' – emissions related to the goods and services 
we buy – accounts for 30%. The remaining 10% of our 
scope 3 emissions relates to, among other things, activities 
linked to transportation, business travel, and commuting.  

In 2020, we defined our scope 3 target for 2025. In this 
process, we gave our best estimate for projecting 
upstream and downstream emissions, guided by our 
financial growth expectations. For more information, see 
section Financial performance. 

Taking into account the change in product mix (an increase 
in units of EUV systems), and the fact that our output in 
terms of unit product manufactured is expected to 
increase, the overall emissions in the entire value chain is 
expected to rise. By executing our sustainability strategy 
successfully, we can reduce the intensity of our scope 3 
carbon footprint. The intensity is measured by the total 
scope 3 emissions (in kton) normalized to the total 
revenues (in € million).  

Recognizing that we depend on our suppliers, and that 
most suppliers have not yet established greenhouse gas 
inventory mechanisms, we also encourage our value chain 
partners to work with us to jointly reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions. 

In 2020, we introduced rail freight for shipments to Asia to 
reduce CO2 emissions and costs. As a result of global 
travel restrictions, the number of business travel decreased 
significantly in 2020.

70

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020)
t
k

n
i
(

i

i

n
o
s
s
m
e
G
H
G

Scope 3 emissions trend

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

3,900

400
2,200

2019

5,300

700
2,400

2020

7,600

1,000

3,300

2025 projection

Upstream (purchased goods & services)

Own operations related

Downstream (use of sold products)

Intensity rate

1.00

0.75

0.50

I

t

n
e
n
s
i
t
y

r
a
e

t

Rail transport, lower emissions 

Our plan to introduce product transportation by rail 
freight accelerated, resulting in the delivery of a ‘move 
set’ (the packaging and tools needed to relocate a 
machine) from Veldhoven to China by rail for the first 
time. 

Rail freight also debuted in Japan. Our supply chain team 
ruled out ocean freight due to the lengthy six- to seven-
week travel time, but realized that a hybrid option – 
including rail – was a significantly better alternative. The 
goods traveled from the Netherlands to China by train, 
from China to Japan by ship, and finally to the supplier’s 
location by truck. The total transport time was three and 
a half weeks. 

Our environmental management system  
We are committed to having an environmental 
management system (EMS) in place that helps us monitor 
our energy and emissions, improve performance, and 
enhance efficiency. Our EMS is integrated into our 
combined environmental, health and safety (EHS) 
management system. All our facilities operate on the basis 
of this EHS management system. Our EHS management 
system is ISO:14001 certified, and structured in 
accordance with ISO:45001 requirements. On November 
2020 we received ISO:14001 re-certification for the next 
three years. This certification gives our stakeholders 
confidence in our commitment to achieving our 
environmental goals.

We measure progress in our emissions reductions by 
monitoring our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, representing 
three key performance indicators. Our participation in the 
annual assessment by the Carbon Disclosure Project, 
(CDP) a non-profit global disclosure program, also helps 
steer our environmental initiatives. Our score in the most 
recent CDP Climate Change 2020 assessment is C, which 
is the same level as the sector average. 

In 2020, we received a fine for a missing environmental 
permit for our facility in Beijing. We are in the process of 
resolving the issue and obtaining the correct permit. 
Nevertheless, no environmental incident occurred.

Water management
Semiconductor manufacturing processes use a lot of 
water. It’s a scarce resource and availability is a global 
challenge. Although water is an essential resource in the 
semiconductor manufacturing process of our customers, 
water use in our own operations is limited. ASML’s 
products are designed to use water according to a ‘closed-
loop’ (recycling) system. The aim of using water in our 
manufacturing process is to keep the system cool against 
the heat released during the exposure process.   

Water consumption at ASML is more than 20 times less 
than most companies in the semiconductor industry. 
Nevertheless, we promote the responsible use of water 
throughout our company. Our water consumption in 2020 
increased slightly to 860,000 cubic meters from 838,000 
cubic meters in 2019, attributed to the expansion of the 
manufacturing facility in Veldhoven and an increase in 
product output. We use water from the municipal water 
supply. 

While disruptions in access to water may represent a 
significant risk for some of our customers, water-related 
risk for ASML is limited. We have seven manufacturing 
sites, of which the four main facilities are Veldhoven (NL), 
San Diego (US), Wilton (US), Linkou (TW). Our main 
facilities are not located in water high or extreme stress 
areas as classified by the World Resources Institute (WRI). 
Our San Diego site, however, is in a region where access to 
water can pose a risk. The other facilities are located in 
Beijing (CN), Pyeongtaek (KO) and San Jose (US). Activities 
in these locations relate to the assembly of modules for our 
lithography systems.  

71

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
Climate and energy KPIs
The table below shows the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the related 2025 targets. In 2019, we adopted a new 
sustainability strategy - as a result no comparative results for 2018 are available for new performance indicators. See Non-
financial statements - Non-financial indicators for our performance indicators (PIs) and related results.    

KPI

System energy efficiency NXE:3x00 1
System

Throughput

Measured energy efficiency (kWh / wafer pass) 2

Renewable electricity (of total electricity purchased)

Renewable energy attributes (in kton)

Fossil fuels consumed (in TJ) by location
Veldhoven

Wilton

Linkou
San Diego

Total

CO2 footprint (in kt) - Gross 3,4
Scope 1 - Direct emissions from fossil fuels in our operations
Scope 2 - Indirect emissions from energy consumption
Scope 3 - Indirect emissions from total value chain
Total footprint (in kt) - Gross

CO2 footprint (in kt) - Net 3,4
Scope 1 - Direct emissions from fossil fuels in our operations
Scope 2 - Indirect emissions from energy consumption
Scope 3 - Indirect emissions from total value chain

Total footprint (in kt) - Net

2018

2019

2020

Target 2025

NXE:3400B

n/a

NXE: 3400C

107

13.1

86.3%

0

—

—

—
—

—

2018

17.5
133.0

150.5

2018

17.5
15.4

32.9

—

—

96.6%

137

159

111

—
46

316

2019

16.9
141.4
6,500.0
6,658.3

2019

16.9
5.3
6,500.0

6,522.2

136

9.6

-60% from 
2018 baseline

100.0%

100.0%

140

141

112

—
40

293

2020

Target 2025

15.4
139.8
8,400.0
8,555.2

2020
15.4

0
8,400.0

8,415.4

Target 2025

Zero
Zero
Reduce

1.  The 2018 measurement of the NXE:3400B is the baseline for the KPI target. No new systems have been introduced in 2019.  
2.  System-energy efficiency is measured according to the SEMI S23 standard, and scaled to 100% availability of our systems.   

3.  Market-based conversion factors are used to calculate the scope 1 and scope 2 CO
 emissions in kton. The consolidation approach of emissions: financial control (as outlined 
2

in the ‘GHG Protocol Corporate Standard’). 

4.  The guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – the organization that provides widely used international standards for emissions reporting – is used for the 

calculation of the scope 3 emissions.

Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals
Our ambitions, commitments and programs as described in this chapter contribute to the following SDGs. For more 
information on the performance, read Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators. 

SDG target
SDG target 13.1 - Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-
related hazards and natural disasters in all countries 

How we measure our performance
•  Energy efficiency of our products measured per 

wafer pass

•  Renewable electricity strategy
•  Scope 1 and 2 emissions
•  Optimize real estate to enhance energy efficiency

72

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020CFO financial 
review

73

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Financial performance

Leading the semiconductor industry by innovation, we have the right tools
in place to execute our long-term financial strategy and expect to achieve
continued sustainable growth for the years ahead. 

€14.0bn
Net sales
€11.8bn Asia
  €1.7bn US
  €0.5bn EMEA

48.6%
Gross margin

€2.3bn
Capital return
€1.2bn Share buyback
€1.1bn Dividend paid

€8.49
Earnings per share

mature nodes, due to further broadening of the application 
space fueled by the global digital transition. Memory grew 
by €0.5 billion, or 20%, relative to our 30% growth 
expectations. While the growth related to the recovery of 
the Memory market was substantial as customers saw 
improving demand in data centers and consumer 
electronics, it was lower than expected as customers' 
allocation shifted more towards Logic throughout the year. 
We expect this recovery in Memory to continue into 2021 
as lithography tool utilization is already high, while 
customers indicate inventory levels continue to come down 
with expected further tightening of supply throughout the 
year.

Net service and field option sales grew by €0.8 billion, 
or 30%, relative to our 20% growth expectations, driven by 
an increase in the sales of productivity and focus upgrade 
packages, in combination with a growing installed base. 
Our services and upgrades business will continue to scale 
as our installed base grows, with increasing contribution 
from EUV service revenue as these systems run more 
wafers in volume manufacturing. We expect significant 
demand for upgrades, as customers utilize upgrades to 
increase capacity and improve imaging and overlay 
performance required on future nodes.

Roger Dassen, Chief Financial Officer

This was a year where the world was consumed with 
uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have 
experienced limited impact on our manufacturing 
capability, although there have been additional challenges 
with absenteeism, transportation and support logistics that 
we have had to manage. Some of the quarantine 
requirements have had an impact on our efficiency, while 
travel restrictions posed challenges at times for our service 
organization. Additionally, some of our suppliers 
experienced temporary closures resulting from 
governmental lockdowns in the first half of the year. 
Despite all of these challenges, we successfully worked 
with our customers and suppliers to find creative solutions 
to support our operations. 

Customer demand remained strong throughout the year, 
seen through a strong order intake and record sales. Many 
investments of our customers are strategic and support 
their technology roadmaps. However, we did experience 
some impact in parts of the year. In the first half of the year, 
some customers asked us to expedite the delivery of EUV 
systems by shipping the systems before the normal 
Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT). This resulted in revenue 
recognition being delayed from shipment until after a 
successful Site Acceptance Test (SAT) at the customer site, 
each of which was completed before the end of Q3. 
Additionally, there have been some delays in fab readiness 
at customers, which delays timing of our shipments. 

We successfully navigated these challenges, resulting in 
net sales growing by €2.2 billion in 2020 to €14.0 billion, 
higher than we expected at the beginning of the year, as a 
result of increased sales in the Logic market, Memory 
market, as well as our installed base management 
business. Logic grew by €0.8 billion, or 13%, compared to 
flat initial expectations This was due to customers 
continuing to see strong demand for both advanced and 
mature nodes in support of the build-up of the digital 
infrastructure, which includes secular growth drivers, such 
as 5G, AI and high-performance compute. We expect 
Logic demand to remain healthy for both leading edge and 

74

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020In EUV, although our systems are still climbing the maturity 
curve, we continue to see increased customer confidence 
in the technology, which is translating into expanding layer 
counts in Logic and initial deployment of EUV in Memory. 
This led to EUV system revenue of €4.5 billion in 2020, an 
increase of €1.7 billion compared to 2019. We successfully 
increased our manufacturing output in 2020 to 35 systems, 
however due to fab readiness of our customers, we 
shipped 32 of these systems, recognizing revenue for 31 
systems. The remaining 3 manufactured systems will ship 
in early 2021.

In our DUV business, we shipped the first NXT:2050i and 
NXT:1470 in 2020. The NXT:2050i is based on a new 
version of the NXT platform, where the reticle stage, the 
wafer stage, the projection lens and exposure laser all 
contain performance enhancements. With these 
innovations, the systems deliver increased customer value 
via improved performance in overlay and productivity, and 
are therefore critical in supporting their next node 
introductions. The NXT:1470 is the first dry NXT system 
building on the NXT immersion platform, enabling 
significant improvements in matched machine overlay and 
productivity. This will help our customers deal with the 
increasing cost of complexity when introducing new nodes. 
The higher output per fab area from an NXT system also 
maximizes fab capacity and therefore improves customer 
profitability. 

Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased from 
44.7% in 2019 to 48.6% in 2020, mainly attributable to 
expansion in our EUV profitability and growth in our service 
and upgrade sales. We continue to drive profitability of our 
EUV systems and service business, and as a result have 
started to achieve over 40% system gross margin and 
positive gross margin on our service business in 2020. We 
will continue to drive margin improvement in both systems 
and service via cost reduction and delivering more value 
leading to higher selling prices. We expect EUV systems to 
reach corporate gross margins in the course of 2021, while 
we expect EUV service margins to improve towards 
corporate margins over the coming years.

We continue to invest in the future of ASML, with a 
significant increase in 2020 capital expenditures to 
€1.0 billion. The increase is in line with our roadmap to 
increase the value of EUV in high-volume manufacturing, 
the development of High-NA, investments in capital 
expenditures at our partner Carl Zeiss SMT, as well as 
programs supporting our holistic lithography solutions in 
DUV and Applications.

We incurred an increase in our effective tax rate to 13.7%, 
which is more in line with our expected long-term effective 
tax rate. Our effective tax rate was lower in 2019 due to 
one-time restructuring benefits and US Tax Reform 
regulations. 

Liquidity and free cash flow were focus areas in 2020, 
similar to 2019, however in 2020 we faced additional risk 
and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which 
forced us to implement various cash preservation 
measures early in 2020 to mitigate this risk and uncertainty. 
Apart from COVID-19 risk mitigation, we started to see the 
benefits of our working capital improvement initiatives in 
Q4 2020, allowing us to grow our free cash flow by €1.2 
billion in 2020 in connection with our €1.0 billion increase in 
net income. We achieved this growth while continuing to 
invest significantly in capital expenditures and R&D in 
support of our roadmap and planned capacity ramp, as 
well as being able to return excess cash to our 
shareholders through growing dividends and share 
buybacks, totaling €2.3 billion this year. We expect strong 
free cash flow, increasing investments in the future and 
significant cash returned to shareholders for next year. 

Overall, it was another strong year for ASML, driven by 
continued strength in Logic, the start of a recovery in 
Memory, growth in our installed base management, the 
positive momentum in EUV, and sustained strength in our 
DUV business. The expanding end-market applications 
that fuel demand for both advanced and mature nodes 
provide a sound basis for continued growth, and we 
continue to be excited about the future.

75

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020ASML operations update on key performance indicators
The following table presents the KPIs used by our Board of Management and senior management to measure 
performance. For our five-year financial summary, read Other appendices - Appendix - Selected financial data.

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions, unless otherwise indicated)

2019

%1

2020

%1

Sales
Total net sales

Increase in total net sales (%)

Net system sales

Net service and field option sales
Sales of lithography systems (in units) 2
Immersion systems recognized (in units) 

EUV systems recognized (in units)

Profitability
Gross profit

Income from operations

Net income

Liquidity
Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Net cash provided by operating activities
Free cash flow 3

11,820.0

8.0

8,996.2

2,823.8

229

82

26

13,978.5

18.3

10,316.6

3,661.9

258

68

31

5,279.8

2,790.8

2,592.3

44.7

23.6

21.9

6,797.2

4,051.5

3,553.7

48.6

29.0

25.4

3,532.3

1,185.8

3,276.4
2,390.5

6,049.4

1,302.2

4,627.6
3,626.8

1.  As a percentage of total net sales. 
2.  Lithography systems do not include metrology and inspection systems.
3.  Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure and is defined as net cash provided by operating activities (2020: €4,627.6 million and 2019: €3,276.4 million) minus purchase 
of property, plant and equipment (2020: €962.0 million and 2019: €766.6 million) and purchase of intangible assets (2020: €38.8 million and 2019: €119.3 million). We 
believe that free cash flow is an important liquidity metric for our investors, reflecting cash that is available for acquisitions, to repay debt and to return money to our 
shareholders by means of dividends and share buybacks. Purchase of property, plant and equipment and purchase of intangible assets are deducted from net cash 
provided by operating activities because these payments are necessary to support the maintenance and investments in our assets to maintain the current asset base. 

Operating results of 2020 compared to 2019

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Net system sales
Net service and field option sales

Total net sales

Cost of system sales
Cost of service and field option sales

Total cost of sales

2020

%1 % Change

2019

8,996.2
2,823.8

%1

76.1
23.9

10,316.6
3,661.9

73.8
26.2

11,820.0 100.0

13,978.5 100.0

(4,676.2)
(1,864.0)

(39.6)
(15.8)

(5,169.3)
(2,012.0)

(37.0)
(14.4)

(6,540.2)

(55.3)

(7,181.3)

(51.4)

Gross profit

5,279.8

44.7

6,797.2

48.6

Research and development costs
Selling, general and administrative costs

Income from operations

Interest and other, net

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense

Income after income taxes

Profit from equity method investments

Net income

1.  As a percentage of total net sales. 

(1,968.5)
(520.5)

(16.7)
(4.4)

(2,200.8)
(544.9)

(15.7)
(3.9)

2,790.8

23.6

4,051.5

29.0

(25.0)

2,765.8

(191.7)

2,574.1

(0.2)

23.4

(1.6)

21.8

(34.9)

4,016.6

(551.5)

3,465.1

(0.2)

28.7

(3.9)

24.8

18.2

0.2

88.6

0.6

2,592.3

21.9

3,553.7

25.4

For a comparison of ASML’s operating results for the year ended December 31, 2019 with the year ended December 31, 
2018, please see Item 5.A of ASML’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019.

76

14.7
29.7

18.3

10.5
7.9

9.8

28.7

11.8
4.7

45.2

39.6

45.2

187.7

34.6

386.8

37.1

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Total net sales and gross profit
We achieved another record year in 2020, with Total net sales increasing by €2,158.5 million, 18.3%, broken down as an 
increase in Net system sales of 14.7%, and an increase in Net service and field options sales of 29.7% compared to 2019.

Revenue growth from each of the Logic and Memory markets, and our installed base

2020

2019

2018

€7,393

€6,565

€2,924

€3,662

€13,978
€13,978
€13,978

€2,431

€2,824

€11,820
€11,820
€11,820

€3,714

€4,545

€2,685

€10,944
€10,944
€10,944

Logic

Memory

Service and field options

We saw growth in both Logic and Memory markets, which is a reflection of our customers' drive to innovate and continue 
to invest in future technology nodes. Logic demand for the most advanced lithography systems remains healthy, and 
Memory demand picked up in 2020 after a decline in 2019. Customers have indicated they are seeing signs of recovery 
driven by healthy demand in data centers and consumer electronics. Growing insertion of EUV into DRAM manufacturing 
translated into recovery of the Memory market towards the second half of 2020.

Increase in net sales driven by growth in EUV and installed base management

€1,664

€26

€(791)

€11,820

€838

€13,978

€333

€13

€76

2019

EUV

ArFi

ArF dry

KrF

I-line

Metrology
&
Inspection

Service &
field
options

2020

The increase in Net sales is driven by EUV and Service and field options. We recognized revenue for 31 EUV systems in 
2020 compared to 26 EUV systems in 2019. In addition to the higher number of units, the average selling prices in EUV 
increased as a result of the transition to the high productivity NXE:3400C model.   

In addition to the growth in EUV, Service and field options sales were also a key driver for our overall growth in net sales. 
The increase is driven by an increase in the sales of productivity and focus upgrade packages, supported by a growing 
installed base. EUV contributed in a more meaningful way to net service and field option sales as our installed base 
continues to grow and our customers continue to run more EUV systems in their high volume production. 

Our system sales across our DUV technologies increased from 203 units in 2019 to 227 units in 2020, however given the 
mix of technologies, DUV Net sales decreased by €0.4 billion in 2020. We successfully introduced our NXT:2050i and 
NXT:1470 in 2020, and DUV will continue to drive value for our customers and be used in production in most layers of their 
chips. 

Gross profit
Gross profit increased as a result of both an increase in 
sales and profitability. Gross profit as a percentage of net 
sales increased from 44.7% in 2019 to 48.6% in 2020, 
mainly attributable to improvement in our EUV profitability 
and growth in our service and upgrade sales. We continue 
to drive profitability of our EUV systems and service 
business through cost reduction and by delivering more 
value for our customers.

€5,280

44.7%

2019

€6,797

48.6%

2020

Gross profit

Gross profit %

77

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Research and development costs
R&D costs were €2,200.8 million in 2020 as compared to 
€1,968.5 million in 2019. The increase is in line with our 
roadmap to bring EUV to high-volume manufacturing, as 
well as our continued investments into the future through 
the development of High-NA. R&D costs for both 2020 and 
2019 were primarily focused on programs supporting our 
holistic lithography solutions in EUV, DUV and Applications. 
In 2020, R&D activities mainly related to: 

•  EUV - Continued investments to increase the value of 

EUV in high-volume manufacturing, the development of 
the NXE:3600D, and further improving availability and 
productivity of our installed base systems. In addition, 
our roadmap includes High-NA, our next generation 
0.55NA systems to support our customers with 2 nm 
logic and beyond. 

•  DUV - The development of our latest-generation 

immersion system NXT:2050i, as well as our latest 
generation ArF dry system NXT:1470. In addition, we are 
completing industrialization of new modules and further 
improving our roadmaps on alignment/overlay and 
productivity.

•  Applications - HMI expansion, including multi-beam 

introduction, and further development of YieldStar and 
process window control solutions.

Selling, general and administrative costs
SG&A costs increased by 4.7% from 2019 to 2020 due to 
an increase in the number of employees and investments 
in digitalization to support our growth. However, our focus 
on efficiency has led to a reduction of SG&A as a 
percentage of net sales from 4.4% to 3.9%. 

Income taxes
The effective tax rate increased to 13.7% of income before 
income taxes in 2020, compared to 6.8% in 2019, in line 
with our generally expected annualized rate. The lower rate 
for 2019 was a result of discrete tax benefits relating to 
restructuring of our HMI group companies and US Tax 
Reform regulations. 

Net income
Net income in 2020 amounted to €3,553.7 million, 
or 25.4% of total net sales, representing €8.49 basic net 
income per ordinary share, compared with net income in 
2019 of €2,592.3 million, or 21.9% of total net sales, 
representing €6.16 basic net income per ordinary share. 

€1,969

16.7%

€2,201

15.7%

2019

2020

R&D costs

% of net sales

€521

4.4%

2019

€545

3.9%

2020

SG&A Costs

% of net sales

€552

13.7%

2020

€192

6.8%

2019

Income tax expense

ETR %

€6.16

421

2019

€8.49

418

2020

EPS

# of share (millions)

78

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Cash flow analysis
This year has been exceptional for companies worldwide, including ASML. We faced increased risk and uncertainty, 
especially in the first half of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, despite having a healthy balance sheet, 
as well as flexibility in our cost structure, we felt it prudent to preserve cash to protect our own operations, but also in 
order to be able to support our suppliers as best we can in these extraordinary circumstances. These measures included 
the pause of our share buyback program in Q1, later resumed in Q4, as well as issuing €750 million of senior notes due in 
2029 in May 2020 as part of our cash preservation measures. This offering was in addition to our previous issuance of 
€750 million of senior notes due in 2030 in February 2020.

Free cash flow in 2020 increased by €1.2 billion, driven by an increase in Net income of €1.0 billion and improvements in 
our working capital. Historically our EUV contracts did not include down payments, and actually provided extended 
payment terms for customers, given the maturity curve of our EUV systems. Now we are moving into a direction where we 
ask for down payments of EUV tools, reflecting the long lead times and early supply chain commitments that ASML has to 
enter into. We have started to see the benefits of this in 2020, and expect further improvement in 2021.

We continue to heavily invest in our next generation technologies in order to secure future growth opportunities which 
requires significant cash investment in net working capital, capital expenditures and R&D. However, our capital allocation 
policy remains unchanged. Cash that will not be required to support the future growth of our business, will be returned to 
our shareholders through growing dividends and share buybacks.

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Effect of changes in exchange rates on cash

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
Short-term investments

Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments

Purchases of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets

Free cash flow

2019

3,121.1

3,276.4

(1,157.5)
(1,712.3)
4.6

411.2

3,532.3
1,185.8

4,718.1

(885.9)

2,390.5

2020

3,532.3

4,627.6

(1,352.2)
(753.0)
(5.3)

2,517.1

6,049.4
1,302.2

7,351.6

(1,000.8)

3,626.8

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities in 2020 totaled €4.6 billion, an increase of €1.4 billion compared to 2019, which 
is primarily due to an increase in Net income of €1.0 billion and improvements in working capital. These improvements can 
primarily be seen through an increase in down payments from customers and a reduction of outstanding Accounts 
receivable despite higher sales. This is partially offset by the increase in our Inventories to meet the upcoming customer 
demand and increase in Finance receivables to provide customers systems with a free-use period before payment, either 
for evaluation purposes or to support the capacity ramp-up of EUV as part of the early-insertion life cycle of the 
technology. Cash provided from operating activities includes the sale of Accounts receivable through factoring 
arrangements in 2020 totaling €2.2 billion, compared to €1.3 billion in 2019. 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
During 2020 we used €1.4 billion of Net cash for investing activities, mainly for purchasing €1.0 billion of Property, plant 
and equipment and Intangible assets. In addition we acquired Berliner Glas, during the fourth quarter for a purchase price 
of €257.1 million, having a net impact on our investing activities of €222.8 million after netting the cash received and 
contingent consideration. The remaining activity is due to the timing of maturities and reinvestment of short-term 
investments. 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities amounted to €0.8 billion in 2020. We continued to return a substantial amount of cash 
to our shareholders as seen through the annual growth of our dividend, paid semi-annually totaling €1.1 billion in 2020, as 
well as share buybacks made during the year of €1.2 billion. This cash used in financing activities is partially offset by the 
completion of two bond offerings during 2020 for a total of €1.5 billion. 

79

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Financing policy

We continue to hold on to our long-held prudent financing 
policy, which is based on three foundational elements:  

•  Liquidity: Maintain financial stability with a target to keep 
our cash & cash equivalents, together with short-term 
investments, above a minimum range of €2.0 to €2.5 
billion 

•  Capital structure: Maintain a capital structure that 
targets a solid investment grade credit rating 

•  Cash return: Provide a sustainable dividend per share 
that will grow over time, paid semi-annually, while 
returning excess cash to shareholders through share 
buybacks or capital repayment 

Liquidity
Our principal sources of liquidity consist of cash and cash 
equivalents, short-term investments and available credit 
facilities. In addition, we may from time to time raise 
additional funding in debt and equity markets. We seek to 
ensure that our principal sources of liquidity will be 
sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements at all times. 

Our liquidity needs are affected by many factors, some of 
which are based on the normal ongoing operations of the 
business, and others by the uncertainties of the global 
economy, the bulky character of our business and the 
specific characteristics of the semiconductor industry. 
Although our cash requirements fluctuate based on the 
timing and extent of these factors, we believe that cash 
generated from operations, together with our other sources 
of liquidity are sufficient to satisfy our expected 
requirements, including our expected capital expenditures, 
research and development expenses and debt servicing.  

We invest our cash and cash equivalents and short-term 
investments in short-term deposits with financial 
institutions, governments and government related bodies 
that have investment grade credit ratings and in money 
market and other investment funds that invest in high-rated 
short and medium-term debt securities. Our investments 
are mainly denominated in euros and to some extent in US 
dollars and Taiwanese dollars. 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Deposits with financial institutions, governments and government related bodies
Investments in money market funds
Bank accounts

Cash and cash equivalents

Deposits with financial institutions, governments and government related bodies

Short-term investments

2019

434.8
2,139.7
957.8

3,532.3

1,185.8

1,185.8

2020

1,545.3
3,841.9
662.2

6,049.4

1,302.2

1,302.2

We maintain an available committed credit facility, with a group of banks, of €700.0 million, under which no amounts were 
outstanding at the end of 2020 and 2019. This facility has a maturity date of July 2025 with an uncommitted 1-year 
extension option. We further maintain a local uncommitted credit facility with a bank in China ensuring local liquidity and 
operational requirements are met at all times, also given existing regulatory restrictions regarding flexible intercompany 
funding. 

Capital structure
Our objectives when managing our capital structure are to safeguard our ability to satisfy our capital providers by 
maintaining a capital structure that ensures liquidity and supports a solid investment grade credit rating. The capital 
structure includes both debt and the components of equity, in accordance with both US GAAP and EU-IFRS. The capital 
structure is mainly altered by, among other things, adjusting the amount of dividends paid to shareholders, the amount of 
share buybacks or capital repayment, and any changes in the level of debt. Our capital structure is formally reviewed with 
the Supervisory Board each year in connection with our updated long term financial plan and relevant scenarios. The 
outcome of this year’s review confirmed to maintain our historical financing policy in relation to our capital structure. 

Our current credit rating from Moody’s is A3 (stable) and from Fitch is A- (stable), which is consistent with the credit ratings 
as of December 31, 2019.

80

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020We have Eurobonds with an outstanding principal of €4.5 billion, having the following maturities:

Outstanding Eurobond Maturity Amounts

i

g
n
d
n
a
t
s
t
u
o
t
n
u
o
m
A

)
n
o

i
l
l
i

m
€

(

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

750

500

1,000

750

750

750

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

Cash return policy
ASML aims to distribute a dividend that will be growing 
over time, paid semi-annually. On an annual basis, the 
Board of Management, upon prior approval from the 
Supervisory Board, submits a proposal to the AGM with 
respect to the amount of dividend to be declared with 
respect to the prior year, taking into account any interim 
dividend distributions. The dividend proposal in any given 
year will be subject to availability of distributable profits, 
retained earnings and cash, and may be affected by, 
among other things, our view of potential future liquidity 
requirements including for investments in production 
capacity, working capital requirements, the funding of our 
R&D programs and acquisition opportunities that may arise 
from time to time. In addition to dividend payments, we 
intend to return cash to our shareholders on a regular basis 
through share buybacks or capital repayment, subject to 
our actual and anticipated level of liquidity requirements 
and other relevant factors.

ASML intends to declare a total dividend in respect of 
2020 of €2.75 per ordinary share. Recognizing the interim 
dividend of €1.20 per ordinary share paid in November 
2020, this leads to a final dividend proposal to the General 
Meeting of €1.55 per ordinary share. This is a 15% increase 
compared to the 2019 total dividend of €2.40 per ordinary 
share.

On January 22, 2020 we announced a new three year 
share buyback program, to be executed within the 2020-
2022 time frame pursuant to which ASML expects to 
purchase shares up to  €6 billion, which includes a total of 
up to 0.4 million shares to cover employee share plans. 
ASML intends to cancel the remainder of the shares 
repurchased.

This program was temporarily paused in the first quarter of 
2020 in order to address the uncertainty related to 
COVID-19, and subsequently resumed in the fourth quarter 
of 2020. In 2020 we repurchased 3,908,429 shares (2019: 
1,948,808 shares) for a total consideration of €1,207.5 
million (2019: €410.0 million).

Dividend per share history
(Dividend for a year is paid in the subsequent year, except interim)

Cumulative capital returns
(Capital return is cumulative share buyback + dividend)

d
n
e
d
i
v
i
d
d
e
z
i
l
a
u
n
n
A

3

2.5

2

)

€

(

1.5

1

0.5

0

2.40

2.10

1.55

1.20

n
o

i
l
l
i

B
€

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

1.05

1.20

1.40

0.46

0.53

0.61

0.70

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Up to
2011

Dividend paid

Dividend proposed

Share buyback

Dividend paid

81

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
Tax policy

Our tax policy is an integral part of our 
sustainability strategy, which in turn is part of 
our business strategy. Tax is included in the 
materiality assessment for sustainability 
purposes and is an element of our Corporate 
Citizenship (corporate social responsibility). The 
taxes we pay are an important part of ASML’s 
contribution to the economies we operate in. 
Tax is of continued interest to our stakeholders, 
so we strive for transparency in the way we 
report and pay our taxes in accordance with the 
letter and the spirit of tax laws and regulations.

Our policy is based on a well-defined set of principles and 
internationally accepted standards. We support and adhere 
to the principles on tax transparency and responsible tax 
management as set out in the OECD Action Plan on Base 
Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and the EU Anti-Tax 
Avoidance Directives (ATAD I and II). 

Tax governance
Our globally organized tax department is responsible for 
tax management. It falls under the supervision of our Board 
of Management via the CFO, who is ultimately responsible 
for the tax strategy. Our integrated global tax department is 
spread over three hubs in the three regions in which ASML 
operates and aligns on cross-border tax matters. ASML’s 
global tax department is well connected to ASML’s 
operations worldwide. This helps to ensure compliance 
with applicable local tax laws and regulations. Tax filing 
obligations are monitored via a central tax compliance 
dashboard. Controls are implemented and executed via 
our SOx and Internal Control Frameworks. 

The Audit Committee of the Supervisory Board (SB) 
reviews our tax strategy and annually confers with our tax 
professionals to discuss tax policies and the impact of tax 
laws and regulations on ASML.  

Our tax principles 

Training programs are in place in order to ensure that 
global tax department members stay aligned and up to 
date with latest developments in the global tax landscape. 
Additionally, tax department members regularly provide tax 
awareness sessions for stakeholders from business and 
other finance departments.

Our tax strategy
ASML aims to report on and pay taxes in accordance with 
all relevant tax laws and regulations. We commit to not only 
comply with the letter of these laws and regulations, but 
also with their intent.  

We aim to be clear about all aspects of our tax position and 
to share these in a transparent manner, fostering a 
relationship of honesty, transparency and trust with the tax 
authorities. The latter is reflected in the number of bilateral 
advance pricing agreements (BAPA) we have with the tax 
authorities in our significant jurisdictions.  

ASML’s technology is driving our profitability. Around 
90% of our income is taxable in the Netherlands as most of 
our value creation through research, design and 
manufacturing activities is based there. The income from 
other activities, such as regional equipment sales and after-
sales support, is subject to taxation in the countries where 
these activities take place – the main ones being China, 
South Korea, Taiwan and the US.

To drive innovation, Dutch corporate income tax law 
provides for the so-called Innovation Box facility. Based on 
this facility, qualified income associated with R&D is 
subject to an effective tax rate of 7% (increased to 9% as 
of 2021), as compared to the Dutch statutory rate of 25%. 
For more information see note 21 in the Consolidated 
financial statements. 

We base our tax principles on our Code of Conduct. It guides us in how we report and pay tax in the countries we operate in. 

•  We act in accordance with the letter and the spirit of tax laws and regulations. 

•  We report taxable income in a jurisdiction commensurate with the added value of the business activities in that jurisdiction.

•  ASML’s profit allocation methods are based on internationally accepted standards as published by the OECD, as well as relevant 

rules and regulations in the local jurisdictions we operate in.

•  We pursue an open and constructive dialogue with the tax authorities in the jurisdictions we operate in, based on mutual respect, 
transparency and trust, disclosing all relevant facts and circumstances. We do not use tax structures intended for tax avoidance, 
nor will we engage in the artificial transfer of profits to low tax jurisdictions. 

•  We do not use tax havens (as defined by the European Commission’s ‘blacklist’) for tax-avoidance purposes. 

•  We make tax disclosures in accordance with reporting requirements, US GAAP and IFRS. 

82

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Disclosures are provided in our financial statements and 
cover tax payments in our main markets. We provide 
country-by-country tax reporting in a transparent and 
accurate manner to the tax authorities. A high level 
overview of income taxes paid during 2020 is set out below 
(in millions).

€395.7

€190.1

€64.4

Asia

United States

Europe

Risk profile
ASML is active in over 60 offices located in 16 countries. 
The tax regulations in these countries are subject to 
change, among others due to recent developments in the 
international tax arena (e.g. BEPS 2.0). The tax regulations 
are often complex and subject to interpretation. Failure to 
comply with these tax regulations may lead to additional 
tax assessments, including penalties. 

ASML’s tax strategy is aimed at maintaining a low tax-risk 
appetite, for which it has set up a comprehensive tax risk-
management framework. As such, via the organizational 
structure of the global tax department, clear segregation of 
roles and responsibilities as well as a strict internal review 
and approval processes for tax filings, mitigates risks and 
facilitates alignment with external parties. 

Tax Risk Management framework
We aim to file all the required tax-relevant returns with the 
appropriate tax authorities in a correct, timely and 
complete manner. To ensure this happens, tax-compliance 
& reporting processes are monitored through ASML’s 
comprehensive corporate (SOx and Internal Control) and 
tax control framework. The control frameworks are 
regularly reviewed, tested and challenged by the ASML 
Risk & Business Assurance department. Additionally, in 
various areas automation is used for efficient and effective 
monitoring of tax compliance obligations, validation of tax 
relevant data and execution of tax compliance & reporting 
processes. In these ways, we continue to focus on further 
improvement and automation going forward. 

We discuss potential tax risks and our tax positions with 
the Audit Committee on a regular basis. Additionally, in the 
Netherlands, we participate in a cooperative compliance 
program with the Dutch tax authorities. 

Internal control on tax reporting is included in the overall 
internal control statement, which is part of the 
management report on internal control over financial 
reporting.

83

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Long-term growth 
opportunities

Trend information
We expect 2021 to be another growth year supported by 
healthy Logic demand and growth in the Memory market. 
The expected growth is primarily driven by increasing EUV 
sales, as well as growth in our installed base business. The 
positive industry momentum around innovation and 
expanding new markets further strengthen our confidence 
in the 2021 outlook and our 2025 growth scenarios.

Outlook 2025
In November 2018, we presented our long-term growth 
opportunity up to 2025 in which we modeled revenue 
scenarios within the context of different business 
sensitivities. We recognize our growth opportunity is 
primarily sensitive to market growth, with a projected 
annual revenue for 2025 between €15 billion in a low-
market scenario and €24 billion in a high-market scenario. 

Our next Investor Day is currently planned to take place on 
June 23, 2021 in London, where we will update our 2025 
expectations for the market developments since 2018.  

Our revenue potential is primarily based on organic growth. 
We continuously review our product roadmap and have, 
from time to time, made focused acquisitions or  equity 
investments to enhance the industrial synergy of our 
product offering. Based on such reviews and the 
assessment of clear potential product and value synergies, 
we may also evaluate and pursue focused merger and 
acquisition activities in the future. Within this growth 
ambition, we expect to continue to return significant 
amounts of cash to our shareholders through a 
combination of growing annualized dividends and share 
buybacks.

In Logic, we see the major innovation drivers that fueled 
increased demand for leading edge nodes in 2020, 
continuing to drive demand in 2021. This is evident in 
several customer announcements regarding ramp-up plans 
for 7 and 5 nm nodes.

In Memory, customers have indicated systems are 
operating at higher utilization levels. As customers are 
making the technology transition to support projected 
growth, additional capacity additions are expected to be 
required. Subsequently, this is expected to trigger 
equipment demand. As a result, it seems likely that we will 
see stronger lithography equipment demand from the 
Memory market in 2021.

Customers adopted EUV, and with increasing customer 
confidence in EUV, this is translating into more layers in 
their next nodes, for Logic production as well as the 
adoption in Memory. We continue to see demand building 
up for next years' shipments and expect a healthy order 
flow to continue. Due to this demand increase, we expect 
EUV revenue to increase around 30% in 2021.

We expect further growth in our Installed Base 
Management business as the demand for services will 
continue to expand as our installed base grows. 
Additionally, we anticipate an increased contribution to 
service sales from EUV as more and more systems start 
running wafers in volume manufacturing, as well as expect 
significant demand for upgrades, particularly in EUV, as 
customers utilize upgrades as a quick way to increase 
capacity.

Our expectations and guidance for the first quarter of 2021 
can be summarized as follows: 

•  Total net sales of between €3.9 billion and €4.1 billion
•  Gross margin of between 50% and 51%
•  R&D costs of €620 million
•  SG&A costs of €165 million
•  Effective annualized tax rate of between 14% and 15%

The trends discussed above are subject to risks and 
uncertainties. See Special note regarding forward-looking 
statements.

84

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020How we 
manage risk

85

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020How we manage risk

Dynamics in the global semiconductor industry present both opportunities and risks. ASML manages risk through 
an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework that integrates risk management into our daily business 
activities and strategic planning.

Enterprise Risk Management
We deploy our ERM framework through a well-defined governance structure and a robust ERM process. The Risk and 
Business Assurance function drives the ERM process and associated activities across ASML and its affiliates. It takes a 
systematic approach to identify, manage and monitor risks in pursuit of our business objectives by setting standards and 
enabling management to make ASML's governance, risk management, internal control and compliance more efficient and 
effective. The function also helps to identify opportunities that allow us to achieve our objectives and enable continuous 
sustainable growth.  

ERM is a continuous process. Its related activities are periodically repeated to identify and address risks in a timely 
fashion, and its results remain relevant for decision-making purposes. Our Vice President of Risk and Business Assurance 
is responsible for leading the development and maintenance of the ERM framework and makes sure the ERM process is 
carried out. ASML has adopted the ISO 31000:2018 standard as the foundation of its enterprise risk management. In 
addition, the Vice President of Risk and Business Assurance, reporting to ASML's CFO, is responsible for leading the 
security, and internal control function and for the development and maintenance of the compliance process.  

Risk management governance structure

Supervisory Board

Audit Committee

Request to investigate 
specific risk topics

•  Bi-annual risk review
•  Risk topics feedback

•  Assertion on control effectiveness
•  Quarterly progress reporting

Board of Management

Corporate Risk Committee
Risk oversight

Disclosure Committee 
Internal Control Committee
Assess internal control over financial reporting

Risk appetite  •  

Risk management policy  •
CRC sub-committees (governance)  •

•  Risk assessment results
•  Risk response progress
•  Incidents

•  Control effectiveness

Risk owners

Supervisory Board and Audit Committee 
The Supervisory Board provides independent oversight on management’s response to mitigating critical risk areas based 
on regular risk reviews. The Supervisory Board’s Audit Committee provides independent oversight on the ERM process 
and the timely follow-up on priority actions based on quarterly progress updates. 

Board of Management
The Board of Management is responsible for managing the internal and external risks related to our business activities and 
for making sure we comply with applicable legislation and regulations. The Board of Management has delegated its risk 
oversight to ASML’s Corporate Risk Committee.   

Corporate Risk Committee
The Corporate Risk Committee is a central risk oversight body, which reviews, manages and controls risks in the ASML 
Risk Universe, including information security. It also approves the risk appetite, risk-management policies and risk-
mitigation strategies. The Corporate Risk Committee is chaired by the CFO and comprises senior management 
representatives from all sectors at ASML,  including the CEO, CSO and COO.  

Disclosure Committee 
The Disclosure Committee assists the Board of Management in overseeing ASML’s disclosure activities and compliance 
with applicable disclosure requirements arising under Dutch and US law and applicable stock exchange rules, and other 
regulatory requirements.

86

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Internal Control Committee  
The Internal Control Committee, which includes two members of the Disclosure Committee, advises the Disclosure 
Committee and the CEO and CFO in their assessment of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosures, 
under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Chair of the Internal Control Committee updates the Audit Committee, the CEO and 
CFO on the progress of this assessment. The Chair also includes this update in the report to the Audit Committee.

Risk owners 
Risk owners monitor the development of risks in the ASML risk universe and drive risk response across the ASML 
organization according to requirements that are defined by the Corporate Risk Committee. 

ASML risk universe
The ASML risk universe is a consolidated overview of the risks that may have a material adverse effect in achieving our 
business objectives. It consists of 38 risk categories grouped into six risk types. This allows us to have a consistent view 
across ASML when assessing risks. 

We take into account a broad range of internal and external information sources such as macroeconomic and industry 
trends, relevant guidelines and legislation, and stakeholders’ needs and expectations in all areas. The risk universe is 
reviewed, updated and approved on a yearly basis, or more frequently in case of significant internal and/or relevant 
external developments.

ASML Risk Universe

Strategy and products

•  Industry cycle risk
•  Political risk
•  Climate change risk

•  Product portfolio risk
•  Business model risk
•  Merger & acquisition risk

•  Competition risk
•  Innovation risk
•  Product stewardship risk

•  Roadmap execution
•  Intellectual property rights

Finance and 
reporting

•  Business planning risk
•  Foreign exchange rate risk
•  Liquidity risk
•  Interest rate risk
•  Capital availability risk
•  Counterparty credit risk
•  Shareholder activism risk
•  Disclosure / external reporting risk

Partners

People

Operations

•  Customer dependency risk
•  Cost of ownership risk
•  Product / service quality risk 
•  Supplier strategy & 
    performance risk
•  Supply chain disruption risk

•  Knowledge management risk
•  Organizational effectiveness risk
•  Human resource risk
•  Labor condition risk

•  Product industrialization risk
•  Process effectiveness & 
    efficiency risk
•  Safeguarding of assets risk
•  Environment, health & safety risk
•  Continuity of own operation risk
•  Information security risk
•  Information technology risk

Legal and compliance

•  Legal liability risk

•  Violation of laws & regulations risk

•  Internal control / compliance risk

Enterprise Risk Management process
Our ERM process provides a holistic approach combining both top-down (company-level) and bottom-up (organization- 
and process-level) perspectives. This helps us to ensure that risk identification, evaluation, and management are 
performed at the right level.   

The results from periodic risk-assessments and potential impact of external trends are captured in the ASML risk 
landscape. As we operate in a dynamic environment, risk exposures are subject to change. The ASML risk landscape is 
reviewed, updated and discussed by the Corporate Risk Committee each quarter.

The execution of the risk assessments is done according to the risk management plan and any additional engagement 
approved by the Corporate Risk Committee. We define strategies to address relevant risks and take these into account 
when we define the corporate priorities. ASML defines risk responses with the aim to mitigate the risks up to the level 
defined by the risk appetite.  

87

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
Risk management process

Risk assessment

Risk response

Top-down risk assessment
Corporate Risk Committee / Risk owners / Emerging risks

Coordination and follow up 
Risk owners 

i

R
s
k
u
n
v
e
r
s
e

i

Risk identification

Risk appetite

Risk analysis

Risk evaluation

Risk 
landscape

Risk treatment

g
n
i
t
r
o
p
e
R

Bottom-up risk assessment
Country / sector management 

Execution 
Action owners 

Risk appetite 
Our risk appetite depends on the nature of the risk. ASML’s risk appetite – the level of risk ASML is willing to accept to 
achieve its objectives – may vary based on the specific risk and is divided in five levels: Averse, Prudent, Moderate, High 
and Extensive. Our approach is geared towards mitigating the risks to the level defined in our risk appetite. 

Risk type

Averse

Prudent

Moderate

High

Extensive

Strategy and product

Partners

People

Operations

Finance and reporting

Legal and compliance

88

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Risk developments
The table below presents examples of external developments that have affected the exposure of a series of risk categories 
in 2020, including examples of our responses. The list of risks and risk responses below is not exhaustive. 

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has spread globally, leading to quarantines, travel and workplace restrictions, 
business shutdowns and restrictions, supply chain interruptions, labor shortages, changes of 
legislation and overall economic and financial market instability.   

The pandemic has a significant impact on the global economy. Going forward, there is 
uncertainty on how the pandemic will develop, and its impact on global GDP development, 
(end) markets, and our manufacturing capability and supply chain. The longer the pandemic 
lasts, the greater the risks.  

Risk category

Industry cycle

• 
•  Continuity of own operation
•  Supply chain disruption
•  Environment, Health and Safety
•  Human resource
•  Process effectiveness and 

efficiency

•  Roadmap execution
Information security
• 

Examples of such risks are:
•  Our employees may face health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 
•  The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the level of remote working within our 

organization, which impacts productivity, may delay our roadmap, increase the risks of 
cybersecurity incidents and may impact our control environment. 

•  We are dependent on our suppliers, so disruptions to their operations as a result of the 
COVID-19 pandemic impact us and our ability to produce, deliver and service tools. 
•  Market demand for semiconductors and therefore our tools and services can change.
•  An important part of our business involves installing and servicing tools at customer 

premises around the globe. Current travel restrictions impact that activity. 

The full impact of this pandemic on ASML will depend on future developments. This includes 
its continued severity, and the actions taken to contain the pandemic or address its impact 
which are outside of our control. 
So far, the COVID-19 pandemic had limited impact on our results of operations.

Risk response

•  Set health and safety of our employees as our first priority and implement preventive measures globally
•  Strong financial capabilities to react to a downturn
•  Activation of business continuity management plan 
•  Active engagement with our critical suppliers and increased inventory 
• 
Implementation of virtual remote support solution on customer sites
•  Measures implemented to facilitate (secure) remote working and to support the well-being of our employees

Increasing complexity of regulatory requirements

Risk category

Rules and regulations are becoming more complex, in particular those relating to trade, 
national security, tax, exchange controls, reporting, anti-corruption laws, climate change, data 
protection, product safety. 
We are committed to full compliance with relevant laws and regulations. 

•  Violations of laws and regulations
•  Product stewardship
•  Environment health and safety

Risk response

•  Code of Conduct and Business Principles
•  Corporate policies such as Anti-bribery & corruption, Anti-fraud, Antitrust, Insider trading, Tax and Export control
•  Speak Up policy and system
• 
•  Establishment of Privacy Office and implementation of personal data protection program including, among others, the following 

Implementation of global compliance program 

elements: governance, systems & procedures, disciplinary actions, audits.

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Geopolitical tensions

Export restrictions are rising and global trade is shifting from globalization to regionalization, 
particularly between China and US. This may lead to a decoupled ecosystem. Trade and 
export barriers have impacted our ability to sell and maintain systems to certain customers 
and impact our business by limiting our ability to sell our products and services in certain 
jurisdictions or to certain customers.  

Geopolitical tensions also result in movement restrictions of the employees across countries. 
Protectionism and bureaucracy are increasing, as well as restrictions impacting international 
knowledge workers from certain countries, (e.g. restricted technology access, visa/travel 
restrictions). 

We aim to serve and support all our customers around the world to the best of our ability, 
while being compliant with laws and regulations set by the jurisdictions where we operate.

Risk category

•  Political
•  Continuity of own operations
•  Human resource
•  Business model

Risk response

•  Monitor geopolitical developments
•  Apply for export licenses as required
•  Comply with (existing and new) regulations
•  Collaborate with peers in global advocacy

IP technology leadership pressure

There is an increased pressure on know-how and IP protection for ASML and its open 
innovation partners. ASML’s existence is based on people and knowledge. Unauthorized 
disclosure of information of ASML, its customers or suppliers may benefit competitors, 
negatively affect ASML’s ability to file patents or affect cooperation with customers and 
suppliers.  

Risk category

Information security
Intellectual property rights

• 
• 
•  Competition

We are experiencing an increasing number of cyberattacks on our information technology 
systems as well as the information technology systems of our suppliers, customers and other 
service providers. 

We are committed to protect our information assets and those of our partners. 

Risk response

•  Establishment of an information security function and information security policy to implement controls to ensure authorized use of 

information

•  Significant increase of our information security investments (people, systems) and security roadmap to increase security of our 

processes and systems 

•  Cyber Defense Center 
•  Security incident response procedure in place and tested at least annually 
•  Awareness and training programs 
• 
•  Patents and relevant technical publications monitoring

IP rights management 

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
Risk factors

In conducting our business, we face many risks that 
may interfere with our business objectives. It is 
important to understand the nature of these risks. We 
assess our risks by using the ASML risk universe, 
consisting of six risk types (Strategy and Products, 
Finance and reporting, Partners, People, Operations, 
Legal and compliance). The risk categories related to 
the Risk factors below. Any of these risks and events or 
circumstances described therein may have a material 
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, 
results of operations and reputation. These risks are 
not the only ones that we face. Some risks may not yet 
be known to us, and certain risks we do not currently 
believe to be material could become material in the 
future. Many of the risks described below may be 
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, global 
measures taken in response, and any worsening of the 
global business and economic conditions resulting 
from the pandemic.

Strategy and products
Our future success depends on our ability to respond 
timely to commercial and technological developments 
in the semiconductor industry 
Risk category: Business Model, Innovation

Our success in developing new technologies, products, 
and in enhancing our existing products, depends on a 
variety of factors. These include the success of our and our 
suppliers’ R&D programs and the timely and successful 
completion of product development and design relative to 
competitors. Our business will suffer if the technologies we 
pursue to assist our customers in producing smaller and 
more energy-efficient chips are not as effective as those 
developed by competitors, or if our customers do not 
adopt technologies that we develop or adopt new 
technological architectures that are less focused on 
lithography products. The success of our EUV technology, 
which we believe is critical for keeping pace with Moore’s 
Law, remains dependent on continuing technical advances 
by us and our suppliers. We invest considerable financial 
and other resources to develop and introduce new 
technologies, products and product enhancements. If we 
are unsuccessful in developing (or if our customers do not 
adopt) new technologies, products and product 
enhancements such as High-NA and multi-beam, or if 
competitors successfully introduce alternative technologies 
or processes, our competitive position and business may 
suffer, and we may be unable to recoup some or all of the 
investments that we have made.  

We may incur costs related to inventory obsolescence, as 
a result of technological changes. Such costs may increase 
as the complexity of technology increases.  

Due to the highly complex nature and costs of our 
systems, including newer technologies, our customers may 
purchase existing technology systems rather than new 
leading-edge systems, or may delay their investment in 
new technology systems to the extent that such 
investment is not economical or required given their 
product cycles. Global economic conditions affect our 

customers’ investment decisions, leading to uncertainties 
on the timing around the introduction of and demand for 
new leading-edge systems. Some of our customers have 
experienced and may continue to experience delays in 
implementing their product roadmaps. This increases the 
risk of slowing down the overall transition period (or 
cadence) for the introduction of new nodes, and therefore 
new systems. 

We are also dependent on our suppliers to maintain their 
development roadmaps to enable us to introduce new 
technologies on a timely basis. If they are unable to keep 
pace, whether due to technological factors, lack of financial 
resources, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or 
otherwise, this could prevent us from meeting our 
development roadmaps.

The success of new product introductions is uncertain 
and depends on our ability to successfully execute our 
R&D programs 
Risk category: Roadmap execution, Innovation 

Our lithography systems and applications have become 
increasingly complex, and accordingly, the costs and time 
period to develop new products and technologies have 
increased. We expect such costs and time periods to 
continue to increase. In particular, developing new 
technology, such as High-NA and multi-beam, requires 
significant R&D investments by us and our suppliers to 
meet our and our customers’ technology demands. Our 
suppliers may not have, or may not be willing to invest the 
resources necessary to continue the (co-)development of 
the new technologies to the extent that such investments 
are necessary. This may result in ASML contributing funds 
to such R&D programs or limiting the R&D investments that 
we can undertake. Furthermore, if our R&D programs are 
not successful in developing the desired new technology 
on time or at all, we may be unsuccessful in introducing 
new products and unable to recoup our R&D investments.

We face intense competition 
Risk category: Competition

The lithography equipment industry is highly competitive. 
Our competitiveness depends upon our ability to develop 
new and enhanced lithography equipment, related 
applications and services that are competitively priced and 
introduced on a timely basis, as well as our ability to 
protect and defend our intellectual property rights. We 
compete primarily with Canon and Nikon in respect of DUV 
systems. Both Canon and Nikon have substantial financial 
resources and broad patent portfolios. Each continues to 
offer products that compete directly with our DUV systems, 
which may impact our sales or business. In addition, 
adverse market conditions, industry overcapacity or a 
decrease in the value of the Japanese yen in relation to the 
euro, could further intensify price-based competition, 
resulting in lower prices, and lower sales and margins. 

We may also face competition from new competitors with 
substantial financial resources, as well as competitors 
driven by the ambition of self-sufficiency in the geopolitical 
context. Furthermore, we face competition from alternative 

91

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020technological solutions or semiconductor manufacturing 
processes, particularly if we are unsuccessful in developing 
new EUV technology, products and product enhancements 
in a timely and cost competitive manner. 

We also compete with providers of applications that 
support or enhance complex patterning solutions, e.g. 
Applied Materials Inc. and KLA-Tencor Corporation. These 
applications effectively compete with our Applications 
offering, which is a significant part of our business. The 
competition we face in our applications business may be 
higher than for our systems, as there are more competitors 
and potential competitors in this market. 

The semiconductor industry can be cyclical and we 
may be adversely affected by any downturn 
Risk category: Industry cycle risk

As a supplier to the global semiconductor industry, we are 
subject to the industry’s business cycles, of which the 
timing, duration and volatility are difficult to predict. The 
semiconductor industry has historically been cyclical. 
Newer entrants in the industry, including Chinese entrants, 
could increase the risk of cyclicality in the future. Certain 
key end-market customers – Memory and Logic – exhibit 
different levels of cyclicality and different business cycles. 
Sales of our lithography systems, services and other 
holistic lithography products depend in large part upon the 
level of capital expenditures by semiconductor 
manufacturers. These in turn are influenced by industry 
cycles and a range of competitive and market factors, 
including semiconductor industry conditions and 
prospects. The timing and magnitude of capital 
expenditures of our customers also impact the available 
production capacity of the industry to produce chips, 
which can lead to imbalances in the supply and demand of 
chips. Reductions or delays in capital expenditures by our 
customers, including as a result of the COVID-19 
pandemic, or incorrect assumptions by us about our 
customers’ capital expenditures, could adversely impact 
our business.

Our ability to maintain profitability in an industry downturn 
will depend substantially on whether we are able to lower 
our costs and break-even level, which is the level of sales 
that we must reach in a year to have positive net income. If 
sales decrease significantly as a result of an industry 
downturn and we are unable to adjust our costs over the 
same period, our net income may decline significantly or 
we may suffer losses. Furthermore, as the value per system 
increases and we have grown, and continue to grow, in 
terms of employees, facilities and inventories, it may be 
more difficult for us to reduce our costs to respond to an 
industry downturn. 

We derive most of our revenues from the sale of a 
relatively small number of products 
Risk category: Business model, Product portfolio

We derive most of our revenues from the sale of a relatively 
small number of lithography systems: (258 units in 2020 
and 229 units in 2019). As a result, the timing of shipments, 
including any delays, and recognition of system sales for a 
particular reporting period from a small number of systems 
may have a material adverse effect on our business, 
financial condition and results of operations in that period. 
This risk is increasing due to the higher average sales price 
of EUV systems as compared to DUV systems.  

In addition, we aim to derive more revenue from servicing 
and upgrading our installed base. However, we may not be 
able to increase revenues to the extent we planned as, for 
example, customers may perform more of these services 
themselves or find other third party suppliers for that 
service. 

Failure to adequately protect the intellectual property 
rights, trade secrets or other confidential information 
could harm our business 
Risk category: Intellectual property rights 

We rely on intellectual property rights such as patents, 
copyrights and trade secrets to protect our proprietary 
technology and applications. However, we face the risk 
that such measures could prove to be inadequate and we 
could suffer material harm because, among other things: 

•  Intellectual property laws may not sufficiently support 
our proprietary rights or may change in the future in a 
manner adverse to us; 

•  Patent rights may not be granted or interpreted as we 

expect; 

•  Patents will expire which may result in key technology 

becoming widely available that may harm our 
competitive position; 

•  The steps we take to prevent misappropriation or 
infringement of our proprietary rights may not be 
successful; and 

•  Third parties may be able to develop or obtain patents 

for similar competing technology. 

In addition, legal proceedings may be necessary to enforce 
our intellectual property rights, to determine the validity and 
scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to defend 
against claims of infringement. Any such proceedings may 
result in substantial costs and diversion of management 
resources, and, if decided unfavorably to us, could result in 
significant costs or have a significant impact on our 
business. 

We are increasingly subject to attempted misappropriation 
attacks, including theft of our trade secrets, proprietary 
customer data, intellectual property or other confidential 
information by third parties or our own employees. For 
example, in the past we have been subject to the 
misappropriation of our software by certain employees. 

Defending against intellectual property claims brought 
by others could harm our business 
Risk category: Intellectual property rights 

In the course of our business, we are subject to claims by 
third parties alleging that our products or processes 
infringe upon their intellectual property rights. If successful, 
such claims could limit or prohibit us from developing our 
technology, manufacturing and selling our products. 

In addition, our customers or suppliers may be subject to 
claims of infringement from third parties, alleging that our 
products used by such customers in the manufacturing of 
semiconductor products and / or the processes relating to 
the use of our products infringe on one or more patents 
issued to such third parties. If such claims are successful, 
we could be required to indemnify our customers or 
suppliers for some or all of any losses incurred or damages 
assessed against them as a result of such infringement. 

92

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020We also may incur substantial licensing or settlement costs 
to settle disputes or to potentially strengthen or expand our 
intellectual property rights or limit our exposure to 
intellectual property claims of third parties.  

We were subject to a number of patent infringement claims 
by Nikon between 2017 and 2019. While we settled the 
litigation with Nikon in 2019, we continue to face the risk 
that we may be subject to claims alleging the infringement 
of others’ patents or intellectual property rights or involved 
in patent litigation to defend our intellectual property rights. 

Patent litigation is complex and may extend for a 
protracted period of time, giving rise to the potential for 
both substantial costs and diverting the attention of key 
management and technical personnel. Potential adverse 
outcomes from patent litigation may include payment of 
significant monetary damages, injunctive relief prohibiting 
our manufacturing, exporting or selling of products, and / 
or settlement involving significant costs to be paid by us.

We are exposed to economic and political 
developments in our international operations 
Risk category: Political

Global trade issues and changes in and uncertainties with 
respect to multilateral and bilateral treaties and trade 
policies, including the ability to obtain required licenses and 
approvals and the effects of trade sanctions, export 
controls, tariffs and similar regulations and international 
trade disputes, impact our ability to produce and deliver 
our systems and services internationally. 

Certain of our manufacturing facilities as well as customers 
are located in Taiwan. Customers in Taiwan represented 
33.8% of our 2020 total net sales and 45.3% of our 2019 
total net sales. Taiwan has a unique international political 
status. The People’s Republic of China asserts sovereignty 
over Taiwan and does not recognize the legitimacy of the 
Taiwanese government. Changes in relations between 
Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, Taiwanese 
government policies, and other factors affecting Taiwan’s 
political, economic or social environment could have a 
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition 
and results of operations. Furthermore, certain of our 
facilities as well as customers are located in South Korea. 
Customers in South Korea represented 29.7% of our 2020 
total net sales and 18.6% of our 2019 total net sales. There 
are tensions with the Democratic People’s Republic of 
Korea (North Korea), which have existed since the division 
of the Korean Peninsula following World War II. A 
worsening of relations between those countries or the 
outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula could have a 
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition 
or results of operations.

We have a presence or do business in a number of 
jurisdictions, including the People’s Republic of China and 
Russia. In particular, our business in People’s Republic of 
China has increased in recent years and is expected to 
increase further. Such increased presence increases the 
risks we face, including risks relating to compliance with 
multilateral and bilateral treaties, delays in receipt of 
appropriate permits, compliance with anti-corruption and 
anti-bribery laws and regulations, our ability to effectively 
manage and control our growing business, attracting and 
retaining sufficiently qualified personnel, the protection of 
our intellectual property and information technology 

systems, and restrictions on repatriation of cash abroad. 
For example, we have experienced, and are continuing to 
experience, delays in processing work permits for foreign 
nationals, which could potentially delay development and 
support provided to customers. 

The US administration has enacted trade measures, 
including import tariffs and restrictions on conducting 
business with certain Chinese entities, restricting our ability 
to provide products and services to such entities without a 
license. The list of Chinese entities impacted by trade 
restrictions, as well as the export regulation requirements 
are subject to change. Our business involves the sale of 
systems and services to customers in a number of 
countries, including China, where our business has grown 
in recent years, and includes sensitive technologies that 
may be the subject of increased export regulations, 
policies or practices. These and further developments in 
multilateral and bilateral treaties, national regulation, and 
trade, national security and investment policies and 
practices have affected and may further affect our 
business, and the businesses of our suppliers and 
customers. Such developments can impact our ability to 
obtain necessary permits, including permits for use of US 
technology and for employees producing and developing 
such technology. Such developments could also lead to 
long-term changes in global trade, competition and 
technology supply chains, which could adversely affect our 
business and growth prospects. 

We may be unable to make desirable acquisitions or to 
integrate successfully any businesses we acquire 
Risk category: Merger & acquisition

From time to time we acquire, and may in the future 
acquire, businesses or technologies to complement, 
enhance or expand our current business or products or 
that might otherwise offer us growth opportunities. For 
example, we recently completed the acquisition of Berliner 
Glas, a privately held manufacturer of ceramic and optical 
modules to support the future roadmap for our EUV and 
DUV products. Any such acquisitions could lead to failure 
to achieve our financial or strategic objectives, to perform 
as we plan or disrupt our ongoing business and adversely 
impact our results of operations. Furthermore, our ability to 
complete such transactions may be hindered by a number 
of factors, including potential difficulties in obtaining 
government approvals.

Any acquisition that we make could pose risks related to 
the integration of the new business or technology with our 
business and organization. We cannot be certain that we 
will be able to achieve the benefits we expect from a 
particular acquisition investment. Such transactions may 
also strain our managerial and operational resources, as 
the challenge of managing new operations may divert our 
management from day-to-day operations of our existing 
business. Furthermore, we may be unable to retain key 
personnel of acquired businesses or may have difficulty 
integrating employees, business systems, and technology. 
The controls, processes and procedures of acquired 
businesses may also not adequately ensure compliance 
with laws and regulations, and we may fail to identify 
compliance issues or liabilities. 

In connection with acquisitions, anti-trust and national 
security regulators have in the past and may in the future 
impose conditions on us, including requirements to divest 

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020assets or other conditions that could make it difficult for us 
to integrate the businesses that we acquire. Furthermore, 
as the industry is becoming more consolidated, anti-trust 
and national-security clearances may become harder to 
obtain, which could inhibit future desired acquisitions. 

As a result of acquisitions, we have recorded, and may 
continue to record, a significant amount of goodwill and 
other intangible assets. Current accounting guidelines 
require, at least annually and potentially more frequently, 
assessment of whether there are indicators that the value 
of goodwill or other intangible assets has been impaired. 

We may not be able to achieve our Environmental, 
Social, Governance (ESG) objectives or adapt and 
respond timely to emerging ESG expectations and 
regulations 
Risk Category: Climate Change, Product Stewardship

Companies across all industries are facing increasing 
scrutiny relating to their ESG policies. Investors and other 
stakeholders are increasingly focused on ESG practices 
and, in recent years, have placed increasing importance on 
the implications and social cost of their investments. In 
particular, within the semiconductor industry, there is focus 
on contribution to society and minimizing environmental 
and social impacts of products throughout all life cycle 
stages. Failure to achieve our ESG objectives and meet the 
emerging ESG expectations of our stakeholders could 
negatively affect our brand, reputation and license to 
operate, and may also increase our vulnerability to ESG-
related risks, such as risks associated with climate change 
in the medium- to long-term. Furthermore, our ability to 
achieve our product-related environmental objectives (such 
as energy efficiency) may be affected by the complexity of 
our technology and products, and the technological and 
other capabilities of ourselves and our suppliers.

A global transition to a lower carbon economy and / or 
climate change may result in the imposition of increased 
environmental regulations that could lead to technology 
restrictions, modification of product designs, an increase in 
energy prices and the introduction of energy or carbon 
taxes, pollution requirements, required remediation 
equipment, or other requirements. A variety of regulatory 
developments have been introduced that focus on 
restricting or managing the emission of carbon dioxide, 
methane and other greenhouse gases. This could result in 
a need to purchase at higher costs new equipment or raw 
materials with lower carbon footprints. 

Finance and reporting
We are exposed to treasury risks, including liquidity 
risk, interest rate risk, credit risk and foreign exchange 
risk 
Risk category: Liquidity, Interest rate, Counterparty credit, Foreign 
exchange

We are a global company and are exposed to a variety of 
financial risks, including liquidity risk, interest rate risk, 
credit risk and foreign exchange risk. 

Liquidity risk: Negative developments in our business or 
global capital markets could affect our ability to meet our 
financial obligations or to raise or re‐finance debt in the 
capital or loan markets.

Interest rate risk: We are exposed to interest rate risks.  
Our Eurobonds bear interest at fixed rates. Our cash and 
investments as well as our revolving credit facility bear 
interest at a floating rate. Failure to effectively hedge this 
risk could impact our financial condition and results of 
operation. In addition, we could experience an increase in 
borrowing costs due to a ratings downgrade (or 
expectation of a downgrade), developments in capital and 
lending markets or developments in our businesses.

Counterparty credit risk: We are exposed to 
counterparty credit risks, in particular with respect to 
financial counterparties with whom we hold our cash 
and investments as well as our customers. As a result 
of our limited number of customers, credit risk on our 
receivables is concentrated. Our three largest customers 
(based on total net sales) accounted for €2,757.0 million, 
or 80.1%, of accounts receivable and finance receivables 
at December 31, 2020, compared with €2,191.8 million, 
or 77.2%, at December 31, 2019. Accordingly, business 
failure or insolvency of one of our main customers could 
result in significant credit losses.  

Currency risk: We are exposed to currency risks. Our 
Financial Statements are expressed in euros. Accordingly, 
our results of operations are exposed to fluctuations in 
exchange rates between the euro and other currencies. 
Changes in currency exchange rates can result in losses in 
our Financial Statements. We are particularly exposed to 
fluctuations in the exchange rates between the US dollar 
and the euro, and to a lesser extent to the Japanese yen, 
the South Korean won, the Taiwanese dollar and Chinese 
yuan, in relation to the euro. We incur costs of sales 
predominantly in euros with portions also denominated in 
US and Taiwanese dollars. A small portion of our operating 
results are driven by movements in currencies other than 
the euro, US dollar, Japanese yen, South Korean won, 
Taiwanese dollar or Chinese yuan. 

In general, our customers run their businesses in US 
dollars and therefore a weakening of the US dollar against 
the euro might impact the ability or desire of our customers 
to purchase our products at quoted prices. 

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Partners
Our success is highly dependent on the performance 
of a limited number of critical suppliers of single-
source key components 
Risk category: Supply chain disruption, Supplier strategy and 
performance

We rely on outside vendors for components and 
subassemblies used in our systems, including the design 
thereof. These components and subassemblies are 
obtained from a single supplier or a limited number of 
suppliers. As our business has grown, our dependence on 
single suppliers or a limited number of suppliers has 
grown, as the highly specialized nature of many of our 
components, particularly for EUV systems, means it is not 
economical to source from more than one supplier. Our 
sourcing strategy therefore (in many cases) prescribes 
'single sourcing, dual competence'. Our reliance on a 
limited group of suppliers involves several risks, including a 
potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required 
components or subassemblies, in a timely manner or at all, 
additional costs resulting from switching to alternate 
suppliers and reduced control over pricing and quality. 
Delays in supply of these components and subassemblies, 
which could occur for a variety of reasons, such as 
disruptions experienced by our suppliers, including work 
stoppages, fire, cyberattacks, energy shortages, pandemic 
outbreaks such as COVID-19, flooding or other natural 
disasters, can lead to delays in delivery of our products 
which would impact our business. For example, certain of 
our suppliers experienced disruptions in their operations as 
a result of COVID-19. A prolonged inability to obtain 
adequate deliveries of components or subassemblies, or 
any other circumstance that requires us to seek alternative 
sources of supply, could significantly hinder our ability to 
deliver our products in a timely manner, which could 
damage relationships with our customers and materially 
impact our business.

The number of lithography systems we are able to produce 
may be limited by the production capacity of one of our 
key suppliers, Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, which is our sole 
supplier of lenses, mirrors, illuminators, collectors and 
other critical optical components (which we refer to as 
optics). If Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH is unable to maintain and 
increase production levels, we could be unable to fulfill 
orders, which could have a material impact on our 
business and damage relationships with our customers. If 
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH were to terminate its supply 
relationship with us or if Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH is unable to 
maintain production of optics over a prolonged period, we 
would effectively cease to be able to conduct our business. 

In addition, some of our key suppliers, including Carl Zeiss 
SMT GmbH, have a limited number of manufacturing 
facilities, the disruption of which may significantly and 
adversely affect our production capacity. 

Lead times in obtaining components have increased as our 
products have become more complex, and a failure by us 
to adequately predict demand for our systems or any 
delays in the shipment of components can result in 
insufficient supply of components, which can lead to 
delays in delivery of our systems and can limit our 
capabilities to react quickly to changing market conditions. 
Conversely, a failure to predict demand could lead to 
excess and obsolete inventory.

We are also dependent on suppliers to develop new 
models and products and to meet our development 
roadmaps. To the extent our suppliers do not meet our 
requirements or timetable in product development, our 
business could suffer.

A high percentage of net sales is derived from a few 
customers
Risk category: Customer dependency

Historically, we have sold a substantial number of 
lithography systems to a limited number of customers. 
Customer concentration can increase because of 
continuing consolidation in the semiconductor 
manufacturing industry. In addition, although the 
applications part of our holistic lithography solutions 
constitutes an increasing portion of our revenue, a 
significant portion of those customers are the same 
customers as those of our systems. Consequently, while 
the identity of our largest customers may vary from year to 
year, sales may remain concentrated among relatively few 
customers in any particular year. The recognized total net 
sales to our largest customer from each year accounted 
for €4,394.8 million, or 31.4% of total net sales in 2020, 
compared with €4,688.6 million, or 39.7% of total net sales 
in 2019 and €2,476.8 million, or 22.6% of total net sales in 
2018. The loss of any significant customer or any 
significant reduction or delay in orders by a significant 
customer may have a material adverse effect on our 
business, financial condition and results of operations.

People
Our business and future success depend on our ability 
to manage the growth of our organization and attract 
and retain a sufficient number of adequately educated 
and skilled employees 
Risk category: Human resource, Knowledge management, 
Organizational effectiveness 

Our business and future success significantly depends 
upon our employees, including a large number of highly 
qualified professionals, as well as our ability to attract and 
retain employees. Competition for such personnel is 
intense and has increased in recent years, and we may not 
be able to continue to attract and retain such personnel. 
Our R&D programs require a significant number of qualified 
employees. If we are unable to attract sufficient numbers of 
qualified employees, this could affect our ability to conduct 
our R&D on a timely basis. In addition, if we lose key 
employees or officers to retirement, illness or otherwise, 
particularly a number of our highly qualified professionals 
and / or senior management, we may not have sufficient 
time to find a suitable replacement. Moreover, as a result of 
the uniqueness and complexity of our technology, qualified 
engineers capable of working on our systems are scarce 
and generally not available (e.g. from other industries or 
companies). As a result, we must educate and train our 
employees to work on our systems. Therefore, a loss of a 
number of key professionals and / or senior management 
can be disruptive, costly and time consuming. Our R&D 
activities with respect to new technology systems, such as 
High-NA and for further development of EUV technology, 
and our service activities have increased our need for 
qualified personnel. 

Furthermore, the increasing complexity of our products 
results in a longer learning curve for new and existing 

95

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020We are dependent on the continued operation of a 
limited number of manufacturing facilities 
Risk category: Continuity of own operation 

All of our manufacturing activities, including subassembly, 
final assembly and system testing, take place in cleanroom 
facilities in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, in Berlin, Germany, 
in Wilton, Connecticut, US and in San Diego and San Jose, 
California, US, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in Beijing, 
China, in Linkou and Tainan, Taiwan. These facilities may 
be subject to disruption for a variety of reasons, including 
work stoppages, fire, energy shortages, pandemic 
outbreaks such as COVID-19, flooding or other disasters, 
natural and otherwise. We cannot ensure that alternative 
production capacity would be available if a major 
disruption were to occur. 

As our organization grows, we are not able to fully insure 
our risk exposure. In addition, not all disasters are 
insurable. As we are unable to duly insure against potential 
losses, we are subject to the financial impact of uninsured 
losses, which can have an adverse impact on our financial 
condition and results of operation. 

The nature of our operations exposes us to health, 
safety, and environment risks 
Risk category: Environment, health and safety 

Hazardous substances are used in the production and 
operation of our products and systems, which subjects us 
to a variety of governmental regulations relating to 
environmental protection, and employee and product 
health and safety, including the transport, use, storage, 
discharge, handling, emission, generation, and disposal of 
toxic or other hazardous substances. In addition, operating 
our systems (which use lasers and other potentially 
hazardous systems) can be dangerous and can result in 
injury. The failure to comply with current or future 
regulations could result in substantial fines being imposed 
on us, suspension of production, alteration of our 
manufacturing and assembly and test processes, damage 
to our reputation, and/or restrictions on our operations or 
sale or other adverse consequences. Additionally, our 
products have become increasingly complex. The 
increasing complexity requires us to invest in continued 
risk assessments and development of appropriate 
preventative and protective measures for health and safety 
for both our employees (in connection with the production 
and installation of our systems and field options and 
performance of our services) and our customers’ 
employees (in connection with the operation of our 
systems). Our health and safety practices may not be 
effective in mitigating all health and safety risks, including 
such risks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Failing 
to comply with applicable regulations or the failure of our 
implemented practices for customer and employee health 
and safety could subject us to significant liabilities.

employees and suppliers leading to an inability to decrease 
cycle times and may result in the occurrence of significant 
additional costs. Our suppliers face similar risks in 
attracting qualified employees, including attracting 
employees in connection with R&D programs that will 
support our R&D programs and technology developments. 
To the extent that our suppliers are unable to attract 
qualified employees, this could impact our R&D programs 
or deliveries of components to us. 

In recent years, our organization has grown significantly. As 
a result of this growth in a short period of time, we may be 
unable to effectively manage, monitor and control our 
employees, facilities, operations and other resources.

Operations
We may face challenges in managing the 
industrialization of our products and bringing them to 
high-volume production 
Risk category: Product industrialization 

Bringing our products to high-volume production at a 
value-based price and in a cost-effective manner, depends 
on our ability to manage the industrialization of our 
products and our ability to manage costs. Customer 
acceptance of our products depends on performance of 
our products in the field. As our products become more 
complex, we face an increasing risk that products that we 
develop may not meet development milestones or 
specifications and that our products may not perform 
according to specifications, including quality standards. If 
our products do not perform according to specifications 
and performance criteria or if quality or performance issues 
arise, this may result in additional costs, reduced demand 
for our products, and our customers being unable to meet 
planned wafer capacity. 

Transitioning our newly developed products to full-scale 
production requires the expansion of our infrastructure, 
including enhancing our manufacturing capabilities, 
increasing supply of components and training qualified 
personnel, and may also require our suppliers to expand 
their infrastructure capabilities. If we or our suppliers are 
unable to expand infrastructure as necessary, we may be 
unable to introduce new technologies, products or product 
enhancements or reach high-volume production of newly 
developed products on a timely basis or at all. 

New technologies might not have the same margins as 
existing technologies and we might not be able to adjust 
value-based pricing and or cost in an effective manner. In 
addition, the introduction of new technologies, products or 
product enhancements also impacts ASML’s liquidity, as 
new products may have higher cycle times to produce 
resulting in increased working capital needs. This impact 
on liquidity increases as our products become more 
complex and expensive. 

The capability, capacity and costs associated with 
providing the required customer support function to cover 
the increasing number of shipments and servicing a 
growing number of EUV systems that are operational in the 
field could affect the timing of shipments, and the efficient 
execution of maintenance, servicing and upgrades, which 
is key to the systems continuing to achieve the required 
productivity.  

96

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Cybersecurity and other security incidents, or other 
disruptions in our information technology systems, 
could materially adversely affect our business 
operations 
Risk category: Information security, Information technology 

We rely on the accuracy, availability and security of our 
information technology systems. Despite the measures 
that we have implemented, including those related to 
cybersecurity, our systems could be breached or damaged 
by computer viruses and systems attacks, natural or man-
made incidents, disasters or unauthorized physical or 
electronic access. 

We are experiencing an increasing number of cyberattacks 
on our information technology systems as well as the 
information technology systems of our suppliers, 
customers and other service providers, whose systems we 
do not control. These attacks include malicious software 
(malware), attempts to gain unauthorized access to data, 
and other electronic security breaches of our information 
technology systems. They also include the information 
technology systems of our suppliers, customers and other 
service providers that have led and could lead, for us, our 
customers, suppliers or other business partners - including 
R&D partners - to disruptions in critical systems, 
unauthorized release, misappropriation, corruption or loss 
of data or confidential information (including confidential 
information relating to our customers, employees and 
suppliers). 

In addition, any system failure, accident or security breach 
could result in business disruption, theft of our intellectual 
property, trade secrets (including our proprietary 
technology), unauthorized access to, or disclosure of, 
customer, personnel, supplier or other confidential 
information, corruption of our data or of our systems, 
reputational damage or litigation. Furthermore, computer 
viruses or other malware may harm our systems and 
software and could be inadvertently transmitted to our 
customers' systems and operations, which could result in 
loss of customers or litigation. We may also be required to 
incur significant costs to protect against or repair the 
damage caused by these disruptions or security breaches 
in the future, including, for example, rebuilding internal 
systems, implementing additional threat protection 
measures, providing modifications to our products and 
services, defending against litigation, responding to 
regulatory inquiries or actions, paying damages, or taking 
other remedial steps with respect to third parties. 

These cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving. We, 
therefore, remain potentially vulnerable to additional known 
or yet unknown threats, as in some instances, we, our 
customers, and our suppliers may be unaware of an 
incident or its magnitude and effects. We also face the risk 
that we expose our customers to cybersecurity attacks 
through the systems we deliver to our customers, including 
in the form of malware or other types of attacks as 
described above, which could harm our customers. 
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the 
level of remote working within our organization, which 
increases the risks of cybersecurity incidents.   

In addition, from time to time, we implement updates to our 
information technology systems and software, which can 
disrupt or shutdown our information technology systems. 
We may not be able to successfully launch and integrate 

these new systems as planned without disruption to our 
operations. For example, we are currently implementing a 
new ERP system and infrastructure (ONE program). As a 
result of this system implementation or otherwise, have 
and could continue to experience disruptions in our 
operations.

Legal and compliance
We are subject to increasingly complex regulatory and 
compliance obligations
Risk category: Violation of laws and regulations 

In recent years, our business has grown significantly in 
terms of sales, operations, employees and our business 
infrastructure. As a result, the complexity of complying with 
rules and regulations has increased. Furthermore, as we 
have expanded our business in countries where we did not 
previously operate, we have become increasingly subject 
to compliance with additional rules and regulations in such 
jurisdictions, including anti-corruption, anti-bribery and 
human rights standards, which can be complex. We are 
also subject to investigations, audits and reviews by 
authorities in such jurisdictions regarding compliance with 
rules and regulations, including tax laws. 

Furthermore, the existing rules and regulations that we are 
subject to, including regulations relating to trade, national 
security, tax, exchange controls, reporting, anti-corruption 
laws, data protection, are becoming more complex and the 
trade and national security environment has resulted in 
increasing restrictions. We also face the risk that trade and 
security regulations could limit our ability to sell our 
products and services in certain jurisdictions.  

Such changes in the regulation that applies to our business 
can increase compliance costs and the risk of non-
compliance. Noncompliance can result in fines and 
penalties and regulation could impact our ability to sell our 
products and services. 

Changes in taxation could affect our future profitability 
Risk category: Violation of laws and regulations 

We are subject to income taxes in the Netherlands and 
numerous other jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate has 
fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future.

Changes in tax legislation in the countries where we 
operate can affect our effective tax rate. For example, in 
past years the OECD has implemented measures against 
so-called Base Erosion and Profit Shifting or BEPS and is 
currently working on additional proposals to avoid tax 
evasion and enhance tax transparency. Based on the 
BEPS reports the EU has proposed directives to counter 
base erosion and profit shifting which in turn have resulted 
in legislative proposals in EU member states. Similar 
legislative initiatives inspired by the BEPS reports have 
been taken in Asian jurisdictions in which we operate. 
These initiatives have resulted in increased compliance 
requirements for ASML. 

In September 2020, the previously proposed reduction in 
the general Dutch corporate income tax rate was reversed. 
Furthermore, an increase from 7% to 9% as of 2021 to the 
favorable Dutch corporate income tax rate for innovation 
was adopted. We continuously monitor and assess the 
impact of developments in tax legislation on ASML.  

97

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Changes to tax legislation of jurisdictions we operate in, 
may adversely impact our tax position and consequently 
our net income. Our worldwide effective tax rate is heavily 
impacted by R&D incentives included in tax laws and 
regulations in the countries we operate in. An example is 
the so-called innovation box tax legislation in the 
Netherlands (mentioned above). In case jurisdictions alter 
their tax policies in this respect, this may have an adverse 
effect on our worldwide effective tax rate. In addition, 
jurisdictions levy corporate income tax at different rates. 
The mix of our sales over the various jurisdictions in which 
we operate may vary from year to year, resulting in a 
different mix of corporate income tax rates applicable to 
our profits, which can affect our worldwide effective tax 
rate and adversely impact our net income.

Other risk factors
The COVID-19 pandemic may impact our operations
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented 
to address this pandemic globally continue to impact our 
business and our suppliers and customers. The pandemic 
has already had a significant impact on the global 
economy, which can potentially impact our end markets. 
There is significant uncertainty about how the current 
COVID-19 pandemic will impact global GDP development, 
end markets, our manufacturing capability and supply 
chain, and the longer this pandemic lasts the greater are 
the risks. The full impact of this pandemic on ASML will 
depend on future developments, including continued 
severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actions to 
contain the outbreak or address its impact which are 
outside of our control.

Restrictions on shareholder rights may dilute voting 
power
Our Articles of Association provide that we are subject to 
the provisions of Dutch law applicable to large 
corporations, called 'structuurregime'. These provisions 
have the effect of concentrating control over certain 
corporate decisions and transactions in the hands of our 
Supervisory Board. As a result, holders of ordinary shares 

may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the 
face of actions by members of our Supervisory Board than 
if we were incorporated in the US or another jurisdiction. 

Our authorized share capital also includes a class of 
cumulative preference shares and we have granted 
Stichting Preferente Aandelen ASML, a Dutch foundation, 
an option to acquire, at their nominal value of €0.09 per 
share, such cumulative preference shares. Exercise of the 
Preference Share Option would effectively dilute the voting 
power of our outstanding ordinary shares by one-half, 
which may discourage or significantly impede a third party 
from acquiring a majority of our voting shares.

See Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - 
Board of Management and Supervisory Board, and 
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the 
Consolidated Financial Statements - Note 22 Shareholders’ 
equity. 

We may not declare cash dividends and conduct share 
buyback programs at all or in any particular amounts in 
any given year 
We aim to pay a semi-annual dividend that is growing (on 
an annualized basis) over time, and we conduct share 
buyback programs from time to time. The dividend 
proposal and amount of share buybacks in any given year 
will be subject to the availability of distributable profits, 
retained earnings and cash, and may be affected by, 
among other factors, the Board of Management’s views on 
our potential future liquidity requirements, including for 
investments in production capacity and working capital 
requirements, the funding of our R&D programs and for 
acquisition opportunities that may arise from time to time, 
and by future changes in applicable income tax and 
corporate laws. We may also suspend buyback programs 
from time to time, which would reduce the amount of cash 
we are able to return to shareholders. Accordingly, the 
Board of Management may decide to propose not to pay a 
dividend or pay a lower dividend and may suspend, adjust 
the amount of or discontinue share buyback programs or 
we may otherwise fail to complete buyback programs.

98

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Responsible business

Our ethics governance consists of four levels:

1. Our Ethics Board, chaired by our CEO and reporting 
to the Board of Management, is responsible for 
policymaking and the supervision of ASML’s compliance 
with legal and ethical requirements. The Ethics Board 
meets regularly to give guidance on relevant issues. 

2. Our Ethics Committee investigates significant 
notifications about potential breaches of ASML's Code 
of Conduct worldwide. 

3. Our Ethics Office is responsible for overseeing 
and implementing our Ethics program. All reports of 
a possible breach of ASML's Code of Conduct are 
screened by one of the Ethics Officers and all significant 
reports are discussed with the Ethics Committee. 

4. Our ethics organization includes employees who, in 
addition to their regular roles at ASML, act as Ethics 
Liaisons in all the countries we operate in. They serve as 
trusted representatives, and act as the first local point 
of contact for employees with questions and concerns 
related to ethics.

As a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), 
we have adopted the RBA Code of Conduct, which is a 
common set of social, environmental and ethical industry 
standards. Our Code is in line with the RBA Code of 
Conduct. To reinforce our commitment to the supplier 
network, we expect our key suppliers (representing around 
80% of our total spend) and their suppliers to comply with 
the RBA Code of Conduct and to develop their own 
strategies, policies and processes to follow it. This 
requirement is included in our long-term product-related 
suppliers’ contracts. For more information, see What we 
achieved in 2020 - Our supply chain.  

We are a global leader in the semiconductor 
industry. As the innovator that makes vital 
systems for the chip industry, we have a 
responsibility to lead by example. Our purpose 
is clear, ‘to unlock the potential of people and 
society by pushing technology to new limits’, 
and we want our values to reflect in everything 
we do to pursue our purpose. Anywhere we 
operate, we believe that conducting our 
business with honesty and acting with the 
highest standards of integrity is essential to our 
value creation for our stakeholder groups, and 
the long-term success of our company. 

We are committed to conducting our business in 
compliance with applicable laws and regulations in all the 
countries we operate in. We promote and uphold ethical 
behavior, fostering a culture where speaking up is 
encouraged and appreciated.

Guided by feedback from employees on ASML’s first-ever 
Global Ethics Survey in 2019, we took the opportunity in 
2020 to improve our ethics organization. Among other 
activities, we set out to grow and professionalize our 
network of Ethics Liaisons, highlight the role of the Ethics 
Office, revise the Code of Conduct to align more clearly 
with ASML’s values, and raise awareness around how the 
company responds to questions related to ethics. 

Business ethics and Code of 
Conduct
We live our values – Challenge, Collaborate and Care – a 
shared belief system at ASML that defines who we are. 
These values are reflected in our Code of Conduct. It sets 
clear expectations and guiding principles on the way we 
conduct our business and serves to foster a culture of 
integrity, ethics and respect. Together with a set of practical 
guidelines, it helps our employees make smart decisions 
that will benefit all stakeholders and puts integrity at the 
center of what we do.

ASML relies heavily on the skills, commitment and behavior 
of its employees for its continued success as a company, 
and for its positive contribution to society. That’s why we 
expect all employees to fully live up to the company’s 
values and to act with integrity and respect at all times. We 
ask all our employees to acknowledge our Code, and we 
expect our business partners to respect our Code.

99

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our Code of Conduct principles

Our commitment

We respect people

We operate with 
integrity

We commit to 
safety and social 
responsibility

ASML is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment, respecting human 
rights in line with international laws and regulations and industry standards such as the RBA Code of 
Conduct. Diversity of cultures, education and talent makes us a stronger, more creative and innovative 
company. By working together and using these values to guide us, we create an environment based 
on mutual respect – one that leads to better results than any of us can achieve alone.

A strong culture of integrity and compliance underpins ASML’s business success. We define ‘integrity’ 
as acting with honesty, sincerity, care and reliability. Compliance not only means complying with laws 
and regulations, but also with our high ethical standards. Our reputation for integrity is a valuable 
asset. It is essential for us to demonstrate personal and business integrity at all times.

Technology reaches all parts of society. By helping to make chips more affordable and more 
powerful, ASML has an important role to play – not only by reputation and results but in relation to 
the environment too. This is why ASML is committed to conducting business responsibly, enabling 
sustainable growth while fulfilling legal and moral obligations. We aim to achieve our business 
objectives in a caring and responsible manner as outlined in the key principles.

We protect our assets ASML’s most valuable assets are its people and knowledge, both of which are highly valued and 
protected. Our ‘assets’ include intellectual property (IP), which refers to intangible assets such as 
technical know-how, products data, business data, and personal data, as well as physical assets such 
as products, tooling, funds and computers for conducting ASML business. Our company expects 
anyone entrusted with ASML assets to keep them safe from loss, damage, misuse or theft.

We encourage you 
to communicate and 
Speak Up

To fulfill our commitment to upholding the high standards of integrity described in this Code, 
communication is key. We strive for a working environment that encourages open dialogue among 
employees, as well as between employees and third parties, where employees feel comfortable 
and respected, and that they can trust each other to do the right thing. If you observe or suspect a 
violation, we encourage you to speak up.

Our Code of Conduct is available on our website (www.asml.com), our intranet and in our Employee app.

Promoting ethical behavior
We provide a dedicated Ethics Program, which offers the 
necessary support, advice, training and communication to 
enable employees and others to understand and follow our 
Code. It does this by building awareness through various 
communication channels to foster a culture of integrity. It 
also helps create an open and honest culture where the 
instinct to do the right thing, and to comply with the law 
and ASML policies, is embedded across the organization.  

Fostering a culture of integrity starts with management 
setting the right example. To support managers to be 
leaders who act with integrity, we’ve developed a practical 
handbook with guidelines, tips about dealing with specific 
situations, and tools they can use in daily operations.

In every location where we operate, we have Ethics 
Liaisons. They serve as trusted representatives and act as 
the first local point of contact for employees with questions 
and concerns related to ethics. They support management 
in managing ethical risks, and employees can go to them 
to speak up in good faith.  

In 2020, we developed a new ethics training curriculum, 
which introduces and raises awareness about the Code 
and related topics in an interactive and inspiring way. The 
curriculum includes five modules for all employees, and a 
separate module for managers that needs to be completed 
over a period of two years. The modules cover our Code 
and other compliance-related topics, and raise awareness 
around the importance of ethical behavior and our Speak 
Up policy. It also provides information and guidance on 
dealing with topics such as personal relationships at work, 
conflicts of interest, navigating cultural differences, and 

ethical aspects around ancillary activities or other positions 
outside of ASML. 

The Ethics Program includes our annual Ethics Awareness 
Week, where we address a specific theme around ethics. 
In 2020, due to the volume of new information we wanted 
to share with employees, we expanded the week-long 
event, running a series of activities over the whole of 
November. At this time, we launched the new Code and 
the updated training curriculum.

The refreshed online training goes to all new employees 
within the first three months of starting at ASML. The first 
module covers the Code, and this will be followed by other 
modules addressing different topics, as well as those 
connected to the Code, over the next two years.

We also expanded our network of Ethics Liaisons globally 
in 2020 (up to 55 from 42 in 2019), ensuring even more 
global coverage. We also increased the number of areas 
Ethics Liaisons come from, so encouraging people from all 
over the business to become involved and increasing 
diversity in this area. 

Our liaisons were especially important during the 
COVID-19 pandemic when travel was not possible. We 
relied on them to keep channels of communication open 
and to help us better understand the types of issues our 
employees were facing across the globe. This, and growing 
our capability in terms of Ethics Investigators – the people 
looking into the most serious kinds of ethics complaints – 
are just two of the ways we have been professionalizing the 
Ethics Office. 

100

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Encouraging people to speak up 
We encourage everyone, including external business 
partners, such as suppliers, contractors and other workers, 
to express, in good faith, any concerns they might have 
regarding possible violations of our Code, our company’s 
policies, or the law. 

Anti-bribery and anti-corruption
The role of our Legal Compliance function is to make sure 
we conduct business in compliance with all relevant 
national and international laws and regulations, as well as 
professional standards, accepted business practices and 
our own internal standards. 

Our Speak Up policy, which includes our Whistleblower 
policy and our Ethics Investigation procedure, outlines the 
steps employees are encouraged to take if they experience 
or suspect a breach of our business ethics. These policies 
and procedure reassure employees that they can report a 
breach without fear of repercussions. For employees or 
external stakeholders who prefer to remain anonymous, we 
have a Speak Up system available to report breaches 
anonymously. This is run by an independent, external 
service company.  

We look into all Speak Up messages. The role of the Ethics 
Office is to assess each Speak Up message, and bring it to 
the attention of the relevant employee, team or committee, 
so that remediation actions can be taken by the 
appropriate body.

We group Speak Up messages in three categories: 
questions, concerns and complaints. With regard to 
concerns and complaints, this could include a shortfall in a 
procedure or a policy that is possibly not being applied as 
it should be or has been misinterpreted. We discuss the 
issue with the policy owner or those working in the 
particular area as to how it could be better handled or 
improved. A complaint is the most serious type of case the 
Ethics Office deals with. To be categorized as a complaint, 
there must be an alleged breach or a violation of the Code, 
which cannot be resolved by line managers or HR. 

If we reach the stage where an allegation remains beyond 
this point, it is referred to our Ethics Committee, which 
investigates significant cases of potential breaches of 
ASML's Code worldwide. We have established an 
Investigation Procedure policy, which describes the steps 
to be followed in the event of an investigation into an ethics 
complaint. This ensures ethics complaints are dealt with 
fairly, independently, and in an impartial and unbiased 
manner as set out in ASML’s Speak Up policy. The 
investigation procedure has three phases – an initial review 
phase, a fact-finding and assessment phase, and a 
decision phase. The aim is to bring closure within two 
months, and, once a decision is made, we are committed 
to implementing an appropriate remedy. 

We registered 229 Speak Up messages from employees in 
2020. As in previous years, many of these related to issues 
resulting from cultural differences, leading to discrimination, 
and challenges with the style and language of 
communication between employees. Other messages 
concerned issues such as alleged bullying and conflicts of 
interest, including, for example, if employees are allowed to 
accept gifts from customers. We have looked into and 
addressed all Speak Up messages. 

As in previous years, we did not incur any fines for 
breaches of ethical regulations. 

Our Legal Compliance function oversees adherence to a 
wide variety of regulatory compliance-related areas and 
advises management about the regulatory framework, 
including changes in legislation and regulations. Examples 
of such regulatory compliance areas are our securities and 
insider trading, competition law (antitrust), and anti-bribery 
and anti-corruption. When needed, Legal Compliance 
takes charge of any regulatory investigations. 

We are committed to personal and business integrity and 
avoiding improper influence on others or ourselves. In 
2020, we have updated our Anti-bribery and anti-
corruption policy. Our Anti-bribery and anti-corruption 
policy details our commitment and the measures we take 
to prevent bribery and corruption at ASML. It also ensures 
compliance with applicable laws prohibiting domestic and 
foreign bribery and corruption as well as the ASML Code of 
Conduct. For more information or download of the policy, 
please visit www.asml.com.

There were no breaches of our Anti-bribery and anti-
corruption policy in the reporting year.

Competition Law Compliance policy
We are committed to the principles of fair competition and 
fairness in dealing with our business partners, including 
suppliers, co-developers, customers and other industry 
peers. As such, ASML does not condone any form of 
conduct that is considered illegal under applicable 
competition laws or is contrary to our Code of Conduct. 

Our Competition Law Compliance policy demonstrates our 
ongoing commitment to ensuring compliance with 
applicable competition laws and our Code of Conduct. For 
more information or download of the policy, please visit 
www.asml.com.

Privacy protection
We are committed to respecting and protecting the privacy 
rights of employees, customers, suppliers and everyone 
we do business with. Personal data is managed in a 
professional, lawful and ethical way, in line with our Code 
of Conduct and in compliance with applicable laws and 
regulations.

We have technical and organizational measures in place to 
prevent the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, 
alteration, unauthorized disclosure of, or access to 
personal data. Our Privacy policy sets the minimum 
requirements from the perspective of ASML as a global 
organization. The policy is binding for all ASML employees 
and applies to the processing of personal data of our staff, 
job applicants and business partners such as customers, 
suppliers, visitors and other individuals.

101

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020A dedicated privacy and personal data protection program 
ensures we adhere to the ASML Privacy policy. Our privacy 
program includes, among others, the following elements:

•  Governance: At the senior management level, the 

Corporate Risk Committee is responsible for oversight 
of the topic of privacy, while the Privacy Office manages 
the privacy framework and provides assistance and 
guidance. Each employee is responsible for reading 
and understanding the content and implications of the 
Privacy policy.

•  Systems and procedures: The Privacy Controls 

framework consist of 130 privacy activities including 
privacy impact assessments and data protection 
impact assessments. The Privacy Controls framework is 
included in our ERM process.

•  Disciplinary actions: We investigate all  incidents, 

concerns and registered reports of potential breaches 
that are registered in our Privacy portal as outlined in our 
personal data breach procedure. We take appropriate 
control measures and disciplinary actions to prevent 
reoccurrence.

•  Audit: Privacy is included in our internal audit program. 
Our privacy notices for both business partners and 
recruitment are derived from our Privacy policy. They 
explain why personal data is collected and how ASML 
uses it.

In 2020, we updated our Global Privacy Notices for 
workers, job applicant, business partners and visitors. The 
new privacy notices reflect the latest processing of 
personal data within ASML, and meet both the 
requirements of GDPR (Europe) and CCPA (US).

Respecting human rights
We conduct business on the basis of fairness, good faith, 
and integrity and we expect the same from all those we 
work with. To this end, we also believe that we have the 
responsibility to respect human rights and contribute to 
positive impact.

We are committed to respecting universal human rights 
and honoring the value of ethics as expressed in our Code 
of Conduct. We support the principles laid down in the 
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, United 
Nations Guiding Principles (UNGP) on Business and 
Human Rights and those in the International Labor 
Organization’s (ILO) Tripartite Declaration of Principles 
concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy. We 
have established a Human Rights policy, which is publicly 
available on www.asml.com.

Our Human Rights policy complements our ASML Code of 
Conduct and the RBA Code of Conduct we adhere to. It 
expresses our commitment to human rights and 
responsible labor practice in our operations and our supply 
chain. The Human Rights policy applies to ASML and its 
subsidiaries anywhere in the world. The overall 
responsibility for identifying and managing human rights 
issues in our direct operations falls under the remit of our 
Executive Vice President HR. Responsibility for human 
rights in our supply chain falls under the remit of our 
Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer.

Defining salient human rights issues
Salient human rights issues are those human rights that are 
at risk of the most severe negative impact through a 

company's activities or business relationships. We 
assessed possible impacts on people’s human rights 
across our value chain. We focused our efforts on seeking 
stakeholder input on the one hand and performing due 
diligence in relation to our initial salient issues on the other 
hand. Our commitments to address and engage actively in 
our salient human rights issues are highlighted in our Code 
of Conduct, Human Rights policy and RBA Code of 
Conduct for suppliers. We identify and manage human 
rights issues in various ways, for example stakeholder 
engagement, internal human rights assessment in our 
operations, and suppliers' due diligence and sustainability 
risk management. Read more in: Responsible supply 
chain). 

We received no grievance on breaches on human rights in 
2020. 

Our operations
In 2019, we conducted a risk assessment to identify the 
inherent risks related to human rights within our own 
operations. The results of our analysis showed that the 
inherent risk of human rights vulnerabilities in ASML's own 
operations are working hours and overtime, health and 
safety, and workplace harassment. The vulnerable rights-
holder groups identified within ASML are contractors, 
ethnic minorities and migrant workers. In addition, we also 
conduct internal EHS audits regularly. Read more in: 
Ensuring employee safety.

Working hours and overtime
The standard weekly working hours in the locations where 
we operate are on average 40 hours. Our company 
standards are based on the International Labor Standards 
of the International Labor Organization (the Forty-Hour 
Week Convention) and the RBA norms. A workweek must 
not exceed the maximum set by local law and a workweek 
should not be more than 60 hours per week, including 
overtime, except in an emergency or unusual situation. We 
pay constant attention to protecting our employees from 
working overtime during peak periods. As overtime 
remains an important attention point for management, we 
keep monitoring the use of overtime and take appropriate 
measures to manage the situation.

Health and safety
It is our obligation to provide safe and healthy working 
conditions for all our employees and others working on our 
premises. In our products and processes, we think about 
how to make ASML a safe place to work. We put 
significant effort into creating awareness and to have a 
proactive safety culture within ASML. Read more in: 
Ensuring employee safety.

Workplace harassment
We are a global company with operations in more than 60 
locations in 16 countries. We have a culturally diverse 
workforce, employing 120 nationalities. This leads to a 
higher inherent risk around the issue of workplace 
harassment in human rights. Read more in: Encouraging 
people to speak up, Promoting diversity and inclusion. 
Through our Ethics Program, we raise awareness around 
the importance of ethical behavior and our Speak Up 
policy. It also provides information and guidance on dealing 
with topics such as personal relationships at work, conflict 
of interest, dealing with cultural differences, and ethical 
aspects around ancillary activities or other positions 
outside of ASML. 

102

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our supply chain
We assess risks related to human rights in our supply chain 
through a risk-based approach. In our due diligence 
process, we use the RBA Risk Assessment Platform to 
identify inherent risks in labor (including human rights), 
ethics, health & safety and  environmental standards 
across our full supply base. In the event of a medium or 
high risk relating to labor being identified, we engage with 
the supplier and conduct a more detailed analysis. For 
strategic suppliers covering around 80% of our product-
related spend, we expect them to complete the annual 
RBA SAQ. This SAQ covers more than 400 risk elements 
related to labor (including human rights), ethics, 

environmental and safety factors, control elements and 
management systems, including their performance. It helps 
us to determine a supplier’s risk profile on sustainability. 
When we identify compliance gaps, we engage with the 
supplier to determine corrective action plan(s). 

The salient issues we have defined relate to working 
conditions (forced and bonded labor), health and safety, 
and trade union rights. However, operating in the high-tech 
industry the majority of our suppliers operate in countries 
with a strong rule of law and are law abiding. We view this 
inherent risk as low. Read more in: Responsible supply 
chain.

103

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Leadership 
and governance

104

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Corporate governance

We endorse the importance of good corporate 
governance, of which independence, 
accountability and transparency are the most 
significant elements. These are also the 
elements on which a relationship of trust 
between us and our stakeholders can be built.

ASML Holding N.V. is a public limited liability company 
operating under Dutch law. ASML’s shares are listed on 
Euronext Amsterdam and NASDAQ.

We have a two-tier board structure, consisting of a Board 
of Management responsible for managing the company, 
and an independent Supervisory Board which supervises 
and advises the Board of Management. For the fulfillment 
of their duties, the two Boards are accountable to the 
General Meeting, the corporate body representing our 
shareholders. 

Our governance structure is based on ASML’s articles of 
association, Dutch corporate and securities laws and the 
Dutch Corporate Governance Code. Because we are listed 
on NASDAQ, we are also required to comply with the 
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the NASDAQ Listing Rules, and the 
rules and regulations promulgated by the US Securities 
and Exchange Committee.

ASML corporate governance structure

We are subject to the relevant provisions of Dutch law 
applicable to large corporations (structuurregime). These 
provisions have the effect of concentrating control over 
certain corporate decisions and transactions in the hands 
of the Supervisory Board. Procedures for the appointment 
and dismissal of Board of management and Supervisory 
Board members are based on the structuurregime. 

This section of the report addresses our corporate 
governance structure and the way ASML applies the 
principles and best practices of the Dutch Corporate 
Governance Code. It also provides information required by 
the Decree adopting further rules related to the content of 
the management report and the Decree implementing 
Article 10 of the Takeover Directive.

In accordance with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code 
(https://www.mccg.nl/english), other parts of this Annual 
Report address our strategy and culture aimed at long-
term value creation, our values and Code of Conduct, as 
well as the main features of our internal control and risk 
management systems. See the Our strategy, How we 
create value, Our company and How we manage 
risk sections in this annual report. 

Shareholders

Supervisory Board

Board of Management

Business lines

Business functions

Corporate functions

Employee support

Board of Management
ASML’s Board of Management is responsible for managing 
ASML. Its responsibilities include establishing a position on 
the relevance of long-term value creation for ASML and its 
business, defining and deploying ASML’s strategy, 
establishing and maintaining effective risk management 
and control systems, managing the realization of ASML’s 
operational and financial objectives and the corporate 
social responsibility aspects relevant to ASML. In fulfilling 
its management tasks and responsibilities, the Board of 
Management is guided by the interests of ASML and its 
business and takes into consideration the interests of our 
stakeholders. 

The current Board of Management is comprised of six 
members. It has a dual leadership structure, under the 
chairmanship of the President and CEO, and the vice 
chairmanship of the President and Chief Technology 

Officer. The Board of Management has adopted a division 
of tasks, charging individual members with a specific part 
of the managerial tasks, but the Board of Management 
remains collectively responsible for the management of 
ASML. 

The Board of Management is supervised and advised by 
the Supervisory Board. The Board of Management 
provides the Supervisory Board with all the information, in 
writing or otherwise, necessary for the Supervisory Board 
to properly carry out its duties. Besides the information 
provided in the regular meetings, the Board of 
Management provides the Supervisory Board with regular 
updates on developments relating to our business, 
financials, operations, and industry developments in 
general. Certain important decisions of the Board of 
Management require the approval of the Supervisory 
Board, see the Supervisory Board section of this Corporate 
Governance chapter. 

105

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Further information regarding the general responsibilities of 
the Board of Management, the relationship with the 
Supervisory Board and various stakeholders, the decision-
making process within the Board of Management, and the 
logistics surrounding the meetings can be found in the 
Board of Management’s rules of procedure. These are 
published in the Governance section on our website. 

Appointments 
Members of the Board of Management are appointed by 
the Supervisory Board on the recommendation of the 
Selection and Nomination Committee and upon notification 
to the General Meeting. Members of the Board of 
Management are appointed for a term of four years. 
Reappointment for consecutive four-year terms is possible. 

Since 2013, the relationship between a member of the 
Board of Management and a listed company can no longer 
qualify as an employment relationship. All members of the 
Board of Management who were appointed and 

reappointed at the 2018 AGM are engaged by means of a 
management services agreement for the duration of their 
appointment.

The agreements between ASML and the Board of 
Management members contain specific provisions 
regarding severance payments. If ASML terminates the 
agreement for reasons which are not exclusively or mainly 
found in acts or omissions of the Board of Management 
member, a severance payment not exceeding one year’s 
base salary will be paid. Furthermore, current agreements 
stipulate that a member of the Board of Management, 
when giving notice of termination pursuant to a change of 
control, will be entitled to a severance amount. Given that 
such a resignation is specifically linked to a change of 
control, ASML does not consider this provision a deviation 
from the Code.  

The Supervisory Board may suspend and dismiss 
members of the Board of Management, but this can only 
be done after consulting the General Meeting. 

Peter T.F.M. Wennink (1957, Dutch)
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Board of Management 
Term expires 2022

Peter Wennink became President and CEO in 2013, having served as Executive VP, 
CFO and member of the Board of Management since 1999. Peter was previously a 
partner at Deloitte Accountants, focusing on the semiconductor industry. He has an 
extensive background in finance and is a member of the Dutch Institute of 
Registered Accountants. Peter was a member of the Advisory Board of the 
Investment Committee of Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP until December 31, 2020. 
He serves on the board of the FME-CWM, Peter is also a member of the board of 
Captains of Industry Eindhoven Region and is Chair of the Eindhovensche 
Fabrikantenkring and of the Supervisory Board of the Eindhoven University of 
Technology. Furthermore Peter is a member of the Exchange Council of Euronext, 
council member of Topconsortium voor 'Kennis en Innovatie' TKI HTS&M, member 
of the Advisory Committee of the Dutch National Growth Fund and a member of 
the Circle of Influence of Startup Delta.  

Martin A. van den Brink (1957, Dutch)
President, Chief Technology Officer and Vice Chair of Board of Management  
Term expires 2022

Martin van den Brink has been President and CTO of ASML since 2013. He joined 
ASML at its founding in 1984, and for the next 11 years held various positions in 
engineering. In 1995 he became Vice President Technology, and in 1999 was 
appointed Executive Vice President Product & Technology and member of the 
Board of Management. Martin holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from HTS 
Arnhem (HAN University), as well as a degree in Physics (1984) from the University 
of Twente. In 2012 the University of Amsterdam awarded him an honorary 
doctorate in physics.

106

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Roger J.M. Dassen (1965, Dutch)
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 
Term expires 2022

Roger Dassen joined ASML in June 2018 and was appointed Executive Vice President 
and CFO and member of the Board of Management at the AGM the same year. He 
previously served as Global Vice Chair and member of the Executive Board of Deloitte 
Touche Tohmatsu, having been CEO of Deloitte Holding. Roger holds a master’s in 
Economics and Business Administration, a post-master’s in Auditing, and a PhD in 
Business and Economics, all from the University of Maastricht. He is Professor of 
Auditing at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and sits on the Supervisory Board of the 
Dutch National Bank. He is also the Chair of the Supervisory Board of Maastricht 
University Medical Center+.  

Frits J. van Hout (1960, Dutch)
Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer 
Term expires 2021

Frits van Hout was named Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer in 
2018. He joined ASML at its founding in 1984 and, after an eight-year absence, 
returned in 2001 as Vice President Customer Support. He has served in several 
executive positions and in 2009 joined the Board of Management. Frits holds two 
master’s degrees: one in Theoretical Physics from Oxford University, the other in 
Applied Physics from Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich. He is a member 
of the Board of the Stichting Brainport, the Eindhoven Region Economic Development 
Board, and Stichting Continuiteit BE Semiconductor Industries, Deputy Chair of the 
Supervisory Board of Aixtron SE, as well as a member of the Supervisory Board of 
Bambi Belt Holding B.V and Stichting PhotonDelta.

Christophe D. Fouquet (1973, French)
Executive Vice President EUV 
Term expires 2022

Christophe Fouquet was appointed Executive Vice President EUV and member of the 
Board of Management in 2018. Since joining ASML in 2008, he has held several 
positions, including Senior Director Marketing, Vice President Product Management, 
and Executive Vice President Applications, a position he held from 2013 until 2018. 
Prior to joining ASML, he worked for semiconductor equipment peers KLA Tencor and 
Applied Materials. Christophe holds a master’s degree in Physics from the Institut 
Polytechnique de Grenoble.

Frédéric J.M. Schneider-Maunoury (1961, French) 
Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer 
Term expires 2022

Frédéric Schneider-Maunoury has been Executive Vice President and Chief 
Operations Officer since he joined ASML in 2009. He was appointed to the Board of 
Management in 2010. Prior to joining ASML, Frédéric was Vice President Thermal 
Products Manufacturing at power generation and rail transport equipment group 
Alstom, having previously served as General Manager of that company’s Hydro 
Business. Before joining Alstom, Frederic held various positions at the French Ministry 
of Trade and Industry. He is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique (1985) and Ecole 
Nationale Supérieure des Mines (1988) in Paris. 

107

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Supervisory Board
Our Supervisory Board supervises the Board of 
Management and the general course of affairs of ASML 
and its subsidiaries. The Supervisory Board also supports 
the Board of Management with advice. In fulfilling its role 
and responsibilities, the Supervisory Board takes into 
consideration the interests of ASML and its subsidiaries, as 
well as the relevant interests of its stakeholders. In the two-
tier structure, the Supervisory Board is a separate and 
independent body from the Board of Management and 
from ASML. No member of the Supervisory Board 
personally maintains a business relationship with ASML, 
other than as a member of the Supervisory Board.

The Supervisory Board currently consists of nine members, 
with the minimum being three. 

In performing its task, the Supervisory Board focuses on, 
inter alia, ASML’s corporate strategy aimed at long-term 
value creation and the execution thereof, the staffing of and 
succession planning for the Board of management, the 
management of risks inherent to its business activities, the 
financial reporting process, compliance with applicable 
legislation and regulations, ASML’s culture and the 
activities of the Board of Management in that regard,  the 
relationship with shareholders and other stakeholders, and 
corporate social responsibility issues important for ASML.

Important management decisions, such as setting the 
operational and financial objectives, the strategy designed 
to achieve these objectives and the parameters to be 
applied in relation thereto, major investments, budget and 
the issue, repurchase and cancellation of shares, require 
the Supervisory Board’s approval. 

The Supervisory Board is governed by its rules of 
procedure. Items covered in these rules include the 
responsibilities of the Supervisory Board and its 
committees, the composition of the Supervisory Board and 
its committees, logistics surrounding the meetings, the 
meeting attendance of members of the Supervisory Board, 
the rotation schedule for these members and the 
Committee charters. The Supervisory Board’s rules of 
procedure and the committee charters are regularly 
reviewed and, if needed, amended. The Audit Committee 
charter is reviewed annually to check whether the charter 
still complies with the applicable rules and regulations, 
especially those relating to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

For detailed information on the meetings and activities of 
the Supervisory Board in 2020, see Leadership and 
governance - Supervisory Board report - Meetings and 
attendance.

Appointments
The members of the Supervisory Board are appointed by 
the General Meeting based on binding nominations 
proposed by the Supervisory Board. When nominating 
persons for (re)appointment, the Supervisory Board checks 
whether the candidates fit the Supervisory Board's profile. 
The profile is available in the Governance section of our 
website. The General Meeting may reject binding 
nominations of the Supervisory Board by way of a 
resolution adopted with an absolute majority of the votes 
cast, representing at least one-third of ASML’s outstanding 
share capital. If the votes cast in favor of such a resolution 
do not represent at least one-third of the total outstanding 
capital, a new shareholders’ meeting can be convened, at 
which the nomination can be overruled by an absolute 
majority.

The Supervisory Board generally informs the General 
Meeting and the Works Council about upcoming 
retirements by rotation at the Annual General Meeting of 
Shareholders (AGM) in the year preceding the actual 
retirement(s) by rotation. This ensures they have sufficient 
opportunity to recommend candidates for the upcoming 
vacancies. The Supervisory Board has the right to reject 
the proposed recommendations. Furthermore, the Works 
Council has an enhanced right to make recommendations 
for one-third of the members of the Supervisory Board. 
This enhanced recommendation right implies that the 
Supervisory Board may only reject the Works Council’s 
recommendations in limited circumstances: (i) if the 
relevant person is unsuitable or (ii) if the Supervisory Board 
would not be duly composed if the recommended person 
were appointed as Supervisory Board member.

Members of the Supervisory Board serve for a maximum 
term of four years or a shorter period as per the 
Supervisory Board’s rotation schedule. Supervisory Board 
members are eligible for reappointment for another 
maximum term of four years. After that, members may be 
reappointed again for a maximum period of two years. This 
appointment may be extended for a final term of no more 
than two years. The rotation schedule is available in the 
Governance section on our website.

If the General Meeting loses confidence in the Supervisory 
Board, it may, by an absolute majority of the votes 
representing at least one-third of the total outstanding 
capital, withdraw its confidence in the Supervisory Board. 
This resolution shall result in the immediate dismissal of the 
entire Supervisory Board. In such case, the Enterprise 
Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal shall appoint 
one or more members to the Supervisory Board at the 
request of the Board of Management. 

Supervisory Board committees
The Supervisory Board, while retaining overall 
responsibility, has assigned some of its tasks and 
responsibilities to four committees: the Audit Committee, 
the Remuneration Committee, the Selection and 
Nomination Committee and the Technology Committee. 
Further information on the Supervisory Board committees 
can be found in the Supervisory Board report and in the 
charters of the committees as posted on our website.

108

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Gerard J. Kleisterlee (1946, Dutch)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2015; second term expires in 2023 
Chair of the Supervisory Board, Chair of the Selection and Nomination Committee and member of the 
Technology Committee

Gerard Kleisterlee joined the Supervisory Board in 2015, and has been its Chair since 
2016. He was President and CEO of the Board of Management of Royal Philips NV 
from 2001 until 2011, having worked at the company since 1974. From 2011 to 2020, 
he was Chair of the Board of Vodafone Group. He was also Deputy Chair and Senior 
Independent Director of Royal Dutch Shell from 2010 until May 2020.

Antoinette (Annet) P. Aris (1958, Dutch)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2015; third term expires in 2024 
Member of Technology Committee and Selection and Nomination Committee

Annet Aris has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2015. She is Senior 
Affiliate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD business school, France, a position she has 
held since 2003. From 1994 to 2003 she was a partner at McKinsey & Company in 
Germany and from 2014-2019 she was the Non-Executive Director of Thomas Cook 
Group. She also sits on the supervisory boards of Jungheinrich AG, Randstad Holding 
NV and the Rabobank Group.

Clara (Carla) M.S. Smits-Nusteling (1966, Dutch)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2013; second term expires in 2021 
Chair of the Audit Committee

Carla Smits-Nusteling has served on the Supervisory Board since 2013. From 2009 to 
2012, she was CFO and a member of the Board of Management of Royal KPN NV. 
Prior to that, she held several management- finance- and business-related positions at 
KPN and PostNL. Carla is also the Chair of the Board of Tele2, Non-Executive Director 
of the Board of Directors of Nokia and Allegro EU and a member of the Management 
Board of the Dutch foundation Stichting Continuiteit Ahold Delhaize. Since 2015 she 
has been a lay judge at the Enterprise Court of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal. 

Douglas A. Grose (1950, American)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2013, second term expires 2021 
Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board, Chair of the Technology Committee and member of the Selection 
and Nomination Committee

Douglas Grose is Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board, having been appointed a 
member of the Board in April 2013. Douglas was CEO of GlobalFoundries from 2009 
until 2011. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Technology Development, 
Manufacturing and Supply Chain for Advanced Micro Devices. He was also General 
Manager of Technology Development and Manufacturing for the Systems and 
Technology Group at IBM for 25 years. Douglas sits on the Board of Directors of SBA 
Materials, and is President of the New York Center of Research, Economic 
Advancement, Technology, Engineering and Science (NY CREATES). 

Johannes (Hans) M.C. Stork (1954, American)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2014; second term expires in 2022 
Member of the Technology Committee and the Remuneration Committee

Hans Stork joined the Supervisory Board in 2014. He is Senior Vice President and 
CTO of ON Semiconductor Corporation, a position he has held since 2011. Prior to 
that, Hans held a range of senior positions, including Senior Manager at IBM 
Corporation, Director of ULSI Research Lab at Hewlett Packard Company, Senior Vice 
President and CTO of Texas Instruments, Inc and Group Vice President and CTO of 
Applied Materials, Inc. He has also been a member of the Board of Sematech, and 
currently sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of imec.

109

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Mark. M.D. Durcan (1961, American)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2020; first term expires in 2024 
Member of the Technology Committee 

Mark Durcan was appointed as a member the Supervisory Board in 2020, and sits on 
the Technology Committee. From 2012 to 2017 he was CEO of Micron Technology, 
Inc, having joined the company in 1984 and held various management positions 
before being appointed as CEO. Furthermore Mark was director at Freescale 
Semiconductor and MWI Veterinary Supply. Mark is a Non-Executive Director at 
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc and Veoneer, a member of the board of 
AmerisourceBergen Corporation, member of the board of trustees for Rice University 
(Texas) and director at St. Luke's Health System (Idaho). 

Terri L. Kelly (1961, American)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2018; first term expires in 2022 
Member of the Remuneration Committee

Terri Kelly has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2018. Previously she 
was President and Chief Executive Officer at W.L. Gore & Associates from 2005 until 
2018, having worked at Gore since 1983 in various management roles. She also 
served on Gore’s Board of Directors through July 2018. Terri is a Trustee of the 
Nemours Foundation, Vice-Chair of the University of Delaware, and a Trustee of the 
Unidel Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of United Rentals, 
Inc. 

Rolf-Dieter Schwalb (1952, German)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2015; second term expires in 2023 
Chair of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Audit Committee 

Rolf-Dieter Schwalb has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2015. He is 
also Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. He 
was CFO and member of the Board of Management of Royal DSM NV from 2006 to 
2014. Prior to that, he was CFO and member of the Executive Board of Beiersdorf AG. 
He also held a variety of management positions in Finance, IT and Internal Audit at 
Beiersdorf AG and Procter & Gamble Co.

Warren D.A. East (1961, British)
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2020; first term expires in 2024 
Member of the Audit Committee

Warren East became a member of the Supervisory Board in 2020, and also sits on the 
Audit Committee. Warren has been CEO of Rolls-Royce Group Plc since 2015. He 
spent his early career at Texas Instruments Ltd from 1985 to 1994. He then joined 
ARM Holdings, Plc, where he held various management positions and was appointed 
as its CEO from 2001 to 2013. 

110

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Other Board-related matters
The section below addresses a number of topics that apply 
to both the Board of Management and the Supervisory 
Board.

Remuneration and share ownership
The remuneration of the Board of Management is 
determined by the Supervisory Board, on recommendation 
of the Remuneration Committee, in accordance with the 
Remuneration Policy adopted by the General Meeting. The 
current Remuneration Policy was adopted by the General 
Meeting in 2020.

The remuneration of the Supervisory Board is based on the 
Remuneration Policy adopted by the General Meeting. The  
current Remuneration Policy was adopted by the General 
meeting in 2020. The remuneration of the Supervisory 
Board is not dependent on our (financial) results. The 
members of the Supervisory Board do not receive ASML 
shares, or rights to acquire ASML shares, as part of their 
remuneration.

Board of Management and Supervisory Board members 
who acquire or have acquired ASML shares or rights to 
acquire ASML shares must intend to keep these for long-
term investment only. In concluding transactions in ASML 
shares, members of the Board of Management and the 
Supervisory Board must comply with our Insider Trading 
Rules. Any transactions in ASML shares performed by 
members of the Board of Management and the 
Supervisory Board are reported to the Dutch AFM.  No 
member of the Supervisory Board currently has any ASML 
shares or rights to acquire ASML shares.

We will not and have not granted any personal loans, 
guarantees, or the like to members of the Board of 
Management and the Supervisory Board.

Our Articles of Association provide for the indemnification 
of the members of the Board of Management and the 
Supervisory Board against claims that are a direct result of 
their tasks, provided that such claims are not attributable to 
willful misconduct or intentional recklessness of the 
respective member. We have also implemented the 
indemnification of the members of the Board of 
Management and the Supervisory Board by means of 
separate indemnification agreements for each member.

Detailed information on the Board of Management’s and 
the Supervisory Board’s remuneration can be found in 
Leadership and governance - Remuneration report.

Diversity
Until January 1, 2020, Dutch legislation provided for 
statutory provisions to ensure a balanced representation of 
men and women on the management boards and 
supervisory boards of companies governed by this 
legislation. Balanced representation of men and women 
was deemed to exist if at least 30% of the seats were filled 
by men and at least 30% were filled by women. Within the 
meaning of this legislation, our Supervisory Board currently 
qualifies as balanced. No seats are taken by women on the 
Board of Management, which, as a result, would not qualify 
as balanced. Currently, new Dutch legislation is being 
prepared aimed at improving gender diversity in listed 
companies, among others by imposing a quota of at least 
one-third for both women and men on supervisory boards. 
We are closely monitoring developments in this area.

We recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion: a 
diverse and inclusive workforce provides the necessary 
mix of voices and points of view required to continue to 
innovate and drive our business forward. Ensuring 
balanced gender representation has proven to be 
challenging in a technology environment such as the one 
ASML operates in. Historically, there is a lower ratio of 
women compared to men in technology and science-
related studies and the labor market in STEM (science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. We run 
an intensive technology promotion program aimed at 
getting women more interested in a career in science, 
engineering and technology, and at the same time 
increasing our future talent pool, so that more women will 
be available in the future for technical positions and (senior) 
management positions, including the Board of 
Management. Given the specific nature of our industry, this 
is a challenging and long-term process.

In 2020, we started the development of a detailed Diversity 
& Inclusion strategy and action plan for the company, to 
further enhance gender diversity as well as other 
dimensions of diversity.

In 2020, we made progress in gender diversity among all 
employees and senior management. Female employees 
now make up 17% of our workforce worldwide, having 
gradually moved up from 10% in 2010. The percentage of 
women in senior management positions increased from 
9.6% in 2019 to 10.5% in 2020  to include greater gender 
diversity. Yet we still have work to do in this area.  For more 
information on our diversity and inclusion initiatives and 
performance data, see What we achieved in 2020 - Our 
people - Promoting diversity and inclusion and Non-
financial statements - Non-financial indicators - Our 
people.

Conflict of interest
Conflicts of interest procedures are incorporated in both 
the Board of Management’s and the Supervisory Board’s 
rules of procedure. These procedures reflect Dutch law and 
the principles and best practice provisions of the Code 
with respect to conflicts of interest. 

There have been no transactions in 2020, nor are there 
currently any transactions, between ASML or any of 
ASML’s subsidiaries, or any significant shareholder and any 
member of the Board of Management, officer, Supervisory 
Board member or any relative or spouse thereof, other than 
ordinary course compensation arrangements. 

Outside positions
Pursuant to Dutch legislation, a member of the Board of 
Management may not be a Supervisory Board member in 
more than two other large companies or large foundations, 
as defined in Dutch law. A member of the Board of 
Management may never be the Chair of a Supervisory 
Board of a large company. Board of Management 
members require prior approval from the Supervisory 
Board before accepting of another large company or 
foundation. Members of the Board of Management are also 
required to notify the Supervisory Board of other important 
functions held or to be held by them. 

Dutch law stipulates that a supervisory board member may 
not hold more than five Supervisory Board positions in 
large companies or large foundations as defined in Dutch 
law, with chairmanships counting double.

111

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020During the financial year 2020 all members of the Board of 
Management and the Supervisory Board complied with the 
requirements described above.

Shareholders and General Meeting
A General Meeting is held at least once a year and 
generally takes place in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. The 
agenda for the AGM typically includes the following topics:

•  Discussion of the management report and the adoption 
of the financial statements over the past financial year;
•  Discussion of the dividend policy and approval of any 

proposed dividends;

•  Advisory vote on the Remuneration Report over the past 

financial year;

•  The discharge from liability of the members of the 

Board of Management and the Supervisory Board for 
the performance of their responsibilities in the previous 
financial year;

•  The limited authorization for the Board of Management 
to issue (rights to) shares in ASML’s capital, and to 
exclude preemptive rights for such issuances, as well as 
to repurchase shares and to cancel shares
•  Any other topics proposed by the Board of 

Management, the Supervisory Board or shareholders 
in accordance with Dutch law and the articles of 
association. 

Proposals placed on the agenda by the Supervisory Board, 
the Board of Management, or by shareholders, provided 
that they have submitted the proposals in accordance with 
the applicable legal provisions, are discussed and resolved 
upon. Shareholders representing at least 1.0% of ASML’s 
outstanding share capital or representing a share value of 
at least €50 million are entitled to place items on the 
agenda of a General Meeting at the latest 60 days before 
the date of the meeting. 

Extraordinary general meetings may be held when 
considered necessary by the Supervisory Board or Board 
of Management. In addition, an extraordinary general 
meeting must be held if one or more ordinary or cumulative 
preference shareholders, who jointly represent at least 10% 

of the issued share capital, make a written request to that 
effect to the Supervisory Board and the Board of 
Management. The request must specify in detail the 
business to be dealt with.   

Shareholders’ meetings are convened by public 
announcement via the website of ASML no later than 42 
days prior to the meeting, as stipulated by Dutch law. The 
record date is set at the 28th day prior to the day of the 
AGM. Persons who are registered as shareholders on the 
record date are entitled to attend the meeting and to 
exercise other shareholder rights. 

The Board of Management and Supervisory Board provide 
the shareholders with the information relevant to the topics 
on the agenda by means of an explanation to the agenda 
and other documents necessary or helpful for this purpose. 
The agenda indicates which agenda items are voting items, 
and which items are for discussion only. All documents 
related to the General Meeting, including the agenda with 
explanations, are posted on our website. 

ASML shareholders may appoint a proxy who can vote on 
their behalf at the AGM. We also use an internet proxy 
voting system, facilitating shareholder participation without 
having to attend in person. We also provide the option for 
shareholders to issue voting proxies or voting instructions 
to an independent civil law notary prior to the AGM. We do 
not solicit from or nominate proxies for our shareholders.

Hybrid AGM

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, we organized a hybrid 
AGM in 2020, accommodating virtual attendance of the 
AGM by enabling shareholders to follow the proceedings of 
the meeting via webcast and to vote electronically during 
the meeting. This opportunity to participate in the AGM 
virtually was offered in addition to the existing possibilities 
of attending and voting in person or voting in advance 
via written or electronic proxy. As we highly value the 
interaction with our shareholders, we invited shareholders 
to submit questions about the agenda items prior to the 
AGM and, in view of the unprecedented nature of the 2020 
AGM, we also decided that follow-up questions in response 
to the answers received, could be asked via the virtual 
meeting platform. We received a total of 19 questions, 
which were all answered during the AGM. 

Resolutions are adopted by the General Meetings by an 
absolute majority of the votes cast (except where a 
different proportion of votes are required by the Articles of 
Association or Dutch law), and there are generally no 
quorum requirements applicable to such meetings. 

Voting results from the AGM will be made available on our 
website within 15 days of the meeting. The draft minutes of 
the AGM are available on our website or on request no 
later than three months after the meeting. Shareholders 
have the opportunity to provide comments in the 
subsequent three months, after which the minutes are 
adopted by the Chairman and the Secretary of the 
meeting. The adopted minutes are also available on our 
website and on request.

112

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Powers
In addition to the items submitted annually at the AGM, the 
General Meeting also has other powers, with due 
observance of the statutory provisions. These include 
resolving:

•  to amend the articles of association;
•  to issue shares if and insofar as the Board of 

Management has not been designated by the General 
Meeting for this purpose;

•  to adopt the Remuneration Policies for the members of 
the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board. 

(Proposed) amendments of the Articles of Association 
require the approval of the Supervisory Board. A quorum 
requirement applies for the general meeting at which an 
amendment of the Articles of Association is proposed: 
more than half of the issued share capital is required to be 

represented; the proposal requires a voting majority of at 
least three-fourths of the votes cast. If the quorum 
requirement is not met, a subsequent general meeting shall 
be convened, to be held within four weeks of the first 
meeting. At this second meeting, the resolution can be 
adopted with at least three-fourths of the votes cast, 
irrespective of the share capital represented. If a resolution 
to amend the Articles of Association is proposed by the 
Board of Management, the resolution will be adopted with 
an absolute majority of votes cast irrespective of the 
represented share capital at the General Meeting. 

A brief summary of the most significant provisions of our 
Articles of Association is included as Exhibit 99.1 to our 
form 6-K furnished to the SEC on February 8, 2013 (the 
‘Articles of Association’), which is incorporated by 
reference herein. 

Share capital 
ASML's authorized share capital amounts to €126.0 million and is divided into:

Type of shares

 Cumulative preference shares
 Ordinary shares

 Ordinary shares B

Amount of shares
700,000,000
699,999,000
9,000

Nominal value Votes per share
9
€0.09 per share
9
€0.09 per share
1
€0.01 per share

The issued and fully paid up ordinary shares with a nominal value of €0.09 each were as follows:

Year ended December 31
Issued ordinary shares with nominal value of €0.09
Issued ordinary treasury shares with nominal value of €0.09

Total issued ordinary shares with nominal value of €0.09

2018
421,097,729

10,368,038
431,465,767

2019
419,810,706

5,848,998
425,659,704

2020
416,514,034

2,983,454
419,497,488

77,733,738 ordinary shares were held by 288 registered 
holders with a registered address in the US. Since certain 
of our ordinary shares were held by brokers and nominees, 
the number of record holders in the US may not be 
representative of the number of beneficial holders, or of 
where the beneficial holders are resident.

A total of 96,566,077 depository receipts for ordinary 
shares were issued at the launch of the CCIP. This number 
has since decreased with the sell-down by the relevant 
customers following expiry of the lock-up.

Each ordinary share consists of 900 fractional shares. 
Fractional shares entitle the holder thereof to a fractional 
dividend, but do not give entitlement to voting rights. Only 
those persons who hold shares directly in the share register 
in the Netherlands, held by us at our address at 5504 DR 
Veldhoven, de Run 6501, the Netherlands, or in the New 
York share register, held by JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., 
P.O. Box 64506, St. Paul, MN 55164-0506, United States, 
can hold fractional shares. Shareholders who hold ordinary 
shares through the deposit system under the Dutch 
Securities Bank Giro Transactions Act maintained by the 
Dutch central securities depository Euroclear Nederland or 
through the Depository Trust Company cannot hold 
fractional shares.

No ordinary shares B and no cumulative preference shares 
have been issued. 

Special voting rights, limitation voting rights and 
transfers of shares
There are no special voting rights on the issued shares in 
our share capital. 

Certain voting restrictions apply in respect of ordinary 
shares issued in connection with the customer co-
investment program, which ASML entered into in 2012 with 
three key customers – Intel, TSMC and Samsung – to 
accelerate ASML’s development of EUV. Under this 
program, the participating customers funded certain 
development programs and invested in ASML’s ordinary 
shares. Currently, only one participating customer still 
holds (directly or indirectly) ordinary shares. The voting 
restrictions in respect of these ordinary shares are set out 
in the underlying agreement between ASML and the 
relevant customer.

There are currently no limitations, either under Dutch law or 
in ASML’s Articles of Association, on the transfer of 
ordinary shares in the share capital of ASML. Pursuant to 
ASML’s Articles of Association, the Supervisory Board’s 
approval shall be required for every transfer of cumulative 
preference shares. 

113

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Issue and repurchase of (rights to) shares
Our Board of Management has the power to issue ordinary 
shares and cumulative preference shares insofar as it has 
been authorized to do so by the General Meeting. The 
Board of Management requires approval of the Supervisory 
Board for such an issue. The authorization by the General 
Meeting can only be granted for a certain period not 
exceeding five years and may be extended for no longer 
than five years on each occasion. If the General Meeting 
has not authorized the Board of Management to issue 
shares, the General Meeting will be authorized to issue 
shares on the Board of Management’s proposal, provided 
that the Supervisory Board has approved such proposal. 

Holders of ASML’s ordinary shares have a preemptive right, 
in proportion to the aggregate nominal amount of the 
ordinary shares held by them. This preemptive right may be 
restricted or excluded. Holders of ordinary shares do not 
have preemptive right with respect to any ordinary shares 
issued for consideration other than cash or ordinary shares 
issued to employees. If authorized for this purpose by the 
General Meeting, the Board of Management has the power, 
subject to approval of the Supervisory Board, to restrict or 
exclude the preemptive rights of holders of ordinary shares.

2020 authorization to issue shares

At our 2020 AGM, the Board of Management was 
authorized from April 22, 2020 through October 22, 2021, 
subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board, to 
issue shares and / or rights thereto representing up to a 
maximum of 5% of our issued share capital at April 22, 
2020, plus an additional 5% of our issued share capital 
at April 22, 2020 that may be issued in connection with 
mergers, acquisitions and / or (strategic) alliances. Our 
shareholders also authorized the Board of Management 
through October 22, 2021, subject to approval of the 
Supervisory Board, to restrict or exclude preemptive rights 
with respect to holders of ordinary shares up to a maximum 
of 10% of our issued share capital.  

We may repurchase our issued ordinary shares at any time, 
subject to compliance with the requirements of Dutch law 
and our Articles of Association. Any such repurchases are 
subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board and the 
authorization by the General Meeting, which authorization 
may not be for more than 18 months. 

2020 authorization to repurchase shares

At the 2020 AGM, the Board of Management was 
authorized, subject to Supervisory Board approval, to 
repurchase through October 22, 2021, up to a maximum of 
two times 10% of our issued share capital at April 22, 2020, 
at a price between the nominal value of the ordinary shares 
purchased and 110% of the market price of these securities 
on Euronext Amsterdam or NASDAQ.

For details on our share buyback program, see the 
Consolidated Financial Statements - Note 22 Shareholders’ 
equity.

ASML Preference Shares Foundation 
The ASML Preference Shares Foundation (Stichting 
Preferente Aandelen ASML), a foundation organized under 
Dutch law, has been granted an option right to acquire 
preference shares in the share capital of ASML. The 
Foundation may exercise the Preference Share Option in 
situations where, in the opinion of the Foundation’s Board 
of Directors, ASML’s interests, ASML’s business or the 
interests of ASML’s stakeholders are at stake. This may be 
the case if:

•  a public bid for ASML’s shares is announced or made, 
or there is a justified expectation that such a bid will be 
made without any agreement having been reached with 
ASML in relation to such a bid; or 

•  in the opinion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, 
the (attempted) exercise of the voting rights by one 
shareholder or more shareholders, acting in concert, 
is materially in conflict with ASML’s interests, ASML’s 
business or ASML’s stakeholders.

Objectives of the Foundation
The Foundation’s objectives are to look after the interests 
of ASML and the enterprises maintained by and/or 
affiliated in a group with ASML, in such a way that the 
interests of ASML, of those enterprises and of all parties 
concerned are safeguarded in the best possible way, and 
that influences in conflict with these interests, which might 
affect the independence or the identity of ASML and those 
companies, are deterred to the best of the Foundation’s 
ability, and everything related to the above or possibly 
conducive thereto. The Foundation aims to realize its 
objects by acquiring and holding cumulative preference 
shares in the capital of ASML and by exercising the rights 
attached to these shares, particularly the voting rights.

The Preference Share Option
The Preference Share Option gives the Foundation the 
right to acquire such number of cumulative preference 
shares as the Foundation will require, provided that the 
aggregate nominal value of such number of cumulative 
preference shares shall not exceed the aggregate nominal 
value of the ordinary shares issued at the time of exercise 
of the Preference Share Option. The subscription price will 
be equal to their nominal value. Only one-fourth of the 
subscription price would be payable at the time of initial 
issuance of the cumulative preference shares, with the 
other three-fourths of the nominal value only being payable 
when ASML calls up this amount. Exercise of the 
preference share option could effectively dilute the voting 
power of the outstanding ordinary shares by one-half. 

Cancellation of cumulative preference shares
Cancellation and repayment of the issued cumulative 
preference shares by ASML requires authorization by the 
General Meeting, on a proposal to this effect made by the 
Board of Management and approved by the Supervisory 
Board. If the Preference Share Option is exercised and as a 
result cumulative preference shares are issued, ASML will 
initiate the repurchase or cancellation of all cumulative 
preference shares held by the Foundation on the 
Foundation’s request. In that case, ASML is obliged to 
effect the repurchase and respective cancellation as soon 
as possible. A cancellation will result in a repayment of the 
amount paid and exemption from the obligation to pay up 
on the cumulative preference shares. A repurchase of the 
cumulative preference shares can only take place when 
such shares are fully paid up. 

114

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020If the Foundation does not request ASML to repurchase or cancel all cumulative preference shares held by the Foundation 
within 20 months of issuance of these shares, we will be required to convene a General Meeting for the purpose of 
deciding on a repurchase or cancellation of these shares. 

Board of Directors
The Foundation is independent of ASML. The Board of Directors of the Foundation is composed of four independent 
members from the Netherlands’ business and academic communities. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is composed 
of the following members: Mr A.P.M. van der Poel, Mr S. Perrick, Mr A.H. Lundqvist and Mr. J. Streppel.

Other than the arrangements made with the Foundation as described above, ASML has not established any other anti-
takeover devices.

Major shareholders
The Dutch Act on the supervision of financial markets and US securities laws contain requirements regarding the 
disclosure of capital interests and voting rights in listed companies. The following table sets forth the total number of 
ordinary shares owned by each shareholder that reported to the Dutch AFM or the US SEC a beneficial ownership of 
ordinary shares that is at least 3.0% (5.0%, in the case of the SEC) of our ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Also 
included in the table below is the total number of ordinary shares owned by our members of the Board of Management as 
of December 31, 2020. The information set out below with respect to shareholders is based on public filings with the SEC 
and AFM as of January 31, 2021.

Capital Research and Management Company 1

BlackRock Inc. 2
Baillie Gifford & Co 3
Members of ASML’s current Board of Management (6 persons) 4,5

Shares

% of Class6

63,658,826

32,024,422

18,262,995
102,260

15.28%

7.69%

4.38%
0.02%

1.  As reported to the AFM on February 28, 2020, Capital Research & Management Company ("CRMC") reports 572,929,434 voting rights, corresponding to 63,658,826 ordinary 
shares (based on 9 votes per share), but do not report ownership rights related to those shares. Capital World Investors reported on a Schedule 13-G/A filed with the SEC 
on February 14, 2020, that it is the beneficial owner of 34,865,768 shares of our ordinary shares as a result of its affiliation with CRMC. Capital International Investors, which 
consists of  Capital International Investors divisions of CRMC and Capital Bank and Trust Company, as well as the following CRMC  subsidiaries: Capital International Limited, 
Capital International Sarl, Capital International K.K. and Capital  International, Inc, reported on a Schedule 13-G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2020 that it is the 
beneficial owner of 21,988,261 of our ordinary shares. We believe that some or all of these shares are included within the shares reported to be owned by Capital Research 
and Management Company, as set forth above. 

2.  Based solely on the Schedule 13-G/A filed by BlackRock Inc. with the SEC on January 29, 2021; BlackRock reports voting power with respect to 28,755,630 of these shares. 
A public filing with the AFM on November 9, 2020 shows an aggregate indirect capital interest of 5.68% and voting rights of 6.92%, based on the total number of issued 
shares and voting rights at that time. 

3.  A public filing with the AFM on October 1, 2019 shows Baillie Gifford & Co have 147,694,140 voting rights, corresponding to 18,262,995 shares (based on 9 votes per share), 

but no ownership rights related to those shares. 

4.  Does not include unvested shares granted to members of the Board of Management. For further information see Leadership and governance - Remuneration report.
5.  No shares are owned by members of the Supervisory Board. 
6.  As a percentage of the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding (416,514,034) as of December 31, 2020, which excludes 2,983,454 ordinary shares which have 
been issued but are held in treasury by ASML. The share ownership percentages reported to the AFM are expressed as a percentage of the total number of ordinary shares 
issued (including treasury stock) and accordingly, percentages reflected in this table may differ from percentages reported to the AFM. 

115

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Financial Reporting and Audit
ASML publishes, among others, the following annual 
reports regarding the financial year 2020:

•  The statutory Annual Report, prepared in accordance 
with the requirements of Dutch law.  The financial 
statements included therein are prepared in accordance 
with Part 9 of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code and EU-
IFRS;

•  The Annual Report on Form 20-F, prepared in 

accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. 
The financial statements included therein are prepared 
in conformity with US GAAP.

Both reports have the same qualitative base and describe 
the same risk factors that are specific to the semiconductor 
industry, ASML and ASML’s shares. We also provide 
sensitivity analyses by providing:  

•  A narrative explanation of ASML’s financial statements;
•  The context within which financial information should be 

analyzed;

•  Information about the quality, and variability, of our 

earnings and cash flow. 

With respect to the process of creating the Annual Report, 
we have extensive guidelines for the content and layout of 
our report. These guidelines are primarily based on the 
applicable laws and regulations referred to above. With 
respect to the preparation process of these and the other 
financial reports, we apply internal procedures to safeguard 
the completeness and accuracy of such information as 
part of its disclosure controls and procedures. The 
Disclosure Committee assists the Board of Management in 
overseeing ASML’s disclosure activities and ensures 
compliance with applicable disclosure requirements arising 
under Dutch and US law, and other regulatory 
requirements. These internal procedures are frequently 
discussed by the Audit Committee and the Supervisory 
Board. See also How we manage risk - Business risk and 
continuity where ASML’s internal risk management and 
control systems are discussed.

The Supervisory Board has reviewed and approved, and all 
Supervisory Board members signed, ASML’s 2020 financial 
statements as prepared by the Board of Management. 
KPMG has duly examined our financial statements, and 
the Auditor’s Report is included in the Consolidated 
Financial Statements. 

External Audit 
In accordance with Dutch law, our external auditor is 
appointed by the General Meeting, based on a nomination 
for appointment by the Supervisory Board. The 
Supervisory Board bases its nomination on the advice from 
the Audit Committee and the Board of Management, who 
annually provide a report to the Supervisory Board on the 
performance of and relationship with the external auditor, 
as well as its independence. ASML’s current external 
auditor, KPMG, was first appointed by the General Meeting 
in 2015 for the reporting year 2016, and has been 
reappointed on a yearly basis since then. At the 2019 
AGM, KPMG was appointed as the external auditor for the 
reporting year 2020.

The Audit Committee reviews and approves the external 
auditor’s audit plan for the audits planned during the 

financial year. The audit plan also includes, among others, 
the activities of the external auditor with respect to their 
limited procedures on the quarterly results other than the 
annual accounts. Proposed services may be preapproved 
at the beginning of the year by the Audit Committee 
(annual pre-approval) or may be pre-approved during the 
year by the Audit Committee in case of a particular 
engagement (specific pre-approval). The annual pre-
approval is based on a detailed, itemized list of services to 
be provided, which is designed to ensure there is no 
management discretion in determining whether a service 
has been approved, and to ensure the Audit Committee is 
informed of each service it is pre-approving. 

Dutch and US rules require strict separation of audit and 
advisory services for Dutch public-interest entities. Dutch 
law prohibits the acceptance by the external auditor of 
other services when an audit is performed. The Audit 
Committee monitors compliance with Dutch and US rules 
on services provided by the external auditor.

The remuneration of external auditor is approved by the 
Audit Committee on behalf of the Supervisory Board, and 
after consulting the Board of Management. As the Audit 
Committee has the most relevant insight and experience in 
this area, the Supervisory Board has delegated these 
responsibilities to the Audit Committee. For more 
information on principal accountant fees and services see 
Other appendices - Appendix - Principal accountant fees 
and services.

In principle, the external auditor attends all the Audit 
Committee meetings. The external auditor’s findings are 
discussed at these meetings. The Audit Committee reports 
to the Supervisory Board on the topics discussed with the 
external auditor, including the external auditor’s reports 
with regard to the audit of the annual reports as well as the 
content of the annual reports. Furthermore, the external 
auditor also attends the Supervisory Board meeting in 
which the annual external audit report is discussed. The 
external auditor may also attend Supervisory Board 
meetings in which the quarterly financial results are 
discussed. 

The Audit Committee is informed by the external auditor 
without delay in case the external auditor would discover 
irregularities in the content of the audit of the financial 
reports.

The external auditor is present at our AGM to respond to 
questions, if any, from the shareholders about the auditor’s 
report on the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Internal Audit
The role of our Internal Audit function is to assess our 
systems of internal controls by performing independent 
procedures such as risk-based operational audits, IT audits 
and compliance audits. The Internal Audit department 
reports directly to the Audit Committee and the Board of 
Management. The yearly Internal Audit plan is discussed 
with and approved by the Audit Committee, the Board of 
Management and the Supervisory Board. The follow-up on 
the Internal Audit findings and progress made compared to 
the plan are discussed on a quarterly basis with the Audit 
Committee. The external auditor and Internal Audit 
department have meetings on a regular basis.

116

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Corporate Information
ASML Holding N.V. is a holding company that operates through its subsidiaries. We have operating subsidiaries in the 
Netherlands, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, South Korea, Taiwan, 
Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Israel. Our major operating subsidiaries, each of which is ultimately 
wholly owned by ASML Holding N.V., are ASML Netherlands B.V., ASML Hong Kong Ltd. and ASML US LLC. See Exhibit 
index - Exhibit 8.1 - List of main subsidiaries.

US Listing Requirements
As ASML's New York Shares are listed on NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (‘NASDAQ’), NASDAQ corporate governance 
standards in principle apply to us. However, NASDAQ rules provide that foreign private issuers may follow home country 
practice in lieu of the NASDAQ corporate governance standards subject to certain exceptions and except to the extent 
that such exemptions would be contrary to US federal securities laws. Our corporate governance practices are primarily 
based on Dutch requirements. The table below sets forth the practices followed by ASML in lieu of NASDAQ rules. 

Quorum

ASML does not follow NASDAQ’s quorum requirements applicable to meetings of ordinary shareholders. In 
accordance with Dutch law and generally accepted Dutch business practice, ASML’s Articles of Association 
provide that there are no quorum requirements generally applicable to general meetings of shareholders.

Solicitation of proxies ASML does not follow NASDAQ’s requirements regarding the solicitation of proxies and the provision 

Distribution Annual 
Report

Equity compensation 
arrangements 

of proxy statements for general meetings of shareholders. ASML does furnish proxy statements 
and solicit proxies for the General Meeting. Dutch corporate law sets a mandatory (participation 
and voting) record date for Dutch listed companies at the 28th day prior to the date of the General 
Meeting. Shareholders registered at such record date are entitled to attend and exercise their rights 
as shareholders at the General Meeting, regardless of sale of shares after the record date.

ASML does not follow NASDAQ’s requirement regarding distribution to shareholders of copies of an 
annual report containing audited Financial Statements prior to our AGM. The distribution of our Annual 
Reports to shareholders is not required under Dutch corporate law or Dutch securities laws, or by Euronext 
Amsterdam. Furthermore, it is generally accepted business practice for Dutch companies not to distribute 
annual reports. In part, this is because the Dutch system of bearer shares has made it impractical to keep 
a current list of holders of the bearer shares in order to distribute the annual reports. Instead, we make our 
Annual Report available at our corporate head office in the Netherlands (and at the offices of our Dutch 
listing agent as stated in the convening notice for the meeting) no later than 42 days prior to convocation 
of the AGM. In addition, we post a copy of our Annual Reports on our Website prior to the AGM.

ASML does not follow NASDAQ’s requirement to obtain shareholder approval of stock option or purchase 
plans or other equity compensation arrangements available to officers, directors or employees. It is not 
required under Dutch law or generally accepted practice for Dutch companies to obtain shareholder 
approval of equity compensation arrangements available to officers, directors or employees. The 
General Meeting adopts the Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management, approves equity 
compensation arrangements for the Board of Management and approves the remuneration for the 
Supervisory Board. The Remuneration Committee evaluates the achievements of individual members 
of the Board of Management with respect to the short and long-term quantitative performance, the full 
Supervisory Board evaluates the quantitative performance criteria. Equity compensation arrangements for 
employees are adopted by the Board of Management within limits approved by the General Meeting.

Compliance with the Corporate Governance Code 
We closely follow the developments in the area of corporate governance and the applicability of the relevant corporate 
governance rules for ASML. Any substantial changes to ASML’s corporate governance structure or application of the 
Corporate Governance Code will be submitted to the General Meeting for discussion.

We are of the opinion that ASML fully complies with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. 

The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board,  

Veldhoven, February 10, 2021 

117

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Message from the Chair of 
our Supervisory Board

affordability and quality of lithography systems was a 
specific focus area for the Supervisory Board, due to the 
increasing technological complexity of the most advanced 
systems. Combined with increasing focus on re-use and 
the circular economy, we see improved performance on 
long-term value creation, which serves not only customers, 
but all ASML's stakeholders. 

As a Supervisory Board we are convinced that ASML’s 
focus on people and leadership development is critical to 
its success as a fast growing organization. Therefore a lot 
of attention was given to the new Leadership Framework, 
which provides the instruments to help leaders grow their 
skills and competences, and prepare for increasing 
responsibilities. 

Lastly, as if 2020 had not brought enough challenges, the 
year also emerged as one with deteriorating geopolitical 
relationships. The semiconductor industry is one of the 
battlefields in a trade conflict between the world’s 
superpowers. ASML’s position has always been clear: that 
while the company always operates within applicable rules 
and regulations, the world’s electronics ecosystem is best 
served with a global and open market, where all players 
can collaborate and compete on equal terms. 

Such a global, open, high-tech industry delivers the fastest 
innovation with the available resources in the ecosystem. 
The significant R&D intensity of the semiconductor industry 
is a clear incentive to avoid fragmentation. Unilateral trade 
restrictions that were introduced in 2020 however may 
eventually lead to such fragmentation with all its negative 
consequences.

Despite some global geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing 
efforts to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, the Supervisory 
Board is nevertheless optimistic about ASML’s future and 
we believe strongly that ASML has the right vision which is 
to enable groundbreaking technology to solve some of 
humanity’s toughest challenges and the right strategy to 
support the global electronics ecosystem, delivering 
positive outcomes for all its stakeholders.

Gerard Kleisterlee 

Chair of the Supervisory Board 

118

Gerard Kleisterlee, Chair of the Supervisory Board

Dear Stakeholder,

The year 2020 was extremely turbulent due the global 
COVID-19 pandemic, yet ASML managed to move through 
this period in a remarkably successful way. The 
Supervisory Board wishes to commend all ASML 
employees who supported each other in these difficult 
times, and who remained committed to serving customers 
around the world in the face of the most stringent 
peacetime travel and contact restrictions. The Supervisory 
Board members, too, experienced some of the challenges 
faced by ASML employees. As with the hundreds of 
colleagues who joined the company during the pandemic, 
and had to be onboarded virtually, the Supervisory Board 
welcomed two new board members we have yet to meet in 
a physical setting. 

ASML was well prepared when the crisis hit the global 
stage early in 2020. It very quickly implemented a wide 
range of measures to keep its people safe and support its 
communities with protective equipment and 
communication tools. We fully support ASML's unwavering 
commitment to prioritize employee health and safety.  

With employees safe and secure in the work place and at 
home, ASML’s next priority was to support our customers 
with their production plans despite the severe restrictions. 
ASML employees worked miracles and overcame 
obstacles every day, from solving supply chain bottlenecks, 
to the introduction of augmented reality glasses that 
enabled mid-level engineers to provide specialized support 
in customer fabs. The ingenuity and flexibility of ASML 
employees and our partners in the supply chain impressed 
us all. 

Additionally, it was also priority to continue ASML’s 
ambitious technology development program. When looking 
at the roadmap, the Supervisory Board was pleased to see 
progress in improving maturity of the EUV scanner platform 
and the advances in the development of the next-
generation EUV platform: the High-NA systems that will 
first ship a few years from now. Keeping control of 

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Supervisory Board
Report

The Supervisory Board supervises and advises the Board of Management in performing its 
management tasks and setting the direction for ASML, focusing on long-term and sustainable 
value creation. The members of the Supervisory Board are fully independent. 

9
Supervisory Board meetings

33%
Female members

97.8%
Attendance rate

4.8
Years average tenure

The Supervisory Board supervises and advises the Board 
of Management in performing its management tasks and 
setting the direction for ASML. The Supervisory Board 
focuses on long-term and sustainable value creation, with 
the goal to ensure that the Board of Management pursues 
a strategy that secures its leading position as a supplier of 
holistic lithography solutions to the semiconductor industry. 
We uphold an appropriate system of checks and balances, 
provide oversight, evaluate performance and give advice 
where required or requested. Through good governance, 
we help to ensure that ASML acts in the best interests of 
the company and its stakeholders. In this Supervisory 
Board Report, we report on our activities in 2020.  

Our activities in 2020
The agenda of the Supervisory Board is driven by the 
Strategic Priorities for ASML as agreed in the Annual 
Strategy Review between the Supervisory Board and the 
Board of Management and by our Annual Financial 
Calendar. Recurring agenda items are developments in the 
semiconductor market and the customer domain, financial 
and operational performance and ASML's share price 
development and investor perceptions. During 2020, the 
(potential) impact of COVID-19 was also a recurring topic 
of discussion.

Strategy review
During 2020, the Supervisory Board devoted a 
considerable amount of time discussing strategic topics. 
We performed the recurring annual review of ASML's 
overall corporate strategy, the long-term financial plan and 
the long-term plans of the EUV, DUV and Applications 
business lines. Special attention was paid to the 
introduction of 'strengthen customer trust' as a new, 
overarching element of the corporate strategy, which we, 
as a Supervisory Board, fully support. As part of the annual 
strategy review we held dedicated break-out sessions to 
discuss, from various perspectives, the strategic 
challenges related to the current geopolitical situation. 

External speakers were invited to provide their views on 
this topic, allowing the Supervisory Board to take into 
account various perspectives on this topic. 

Besides the annual strategy review, strategic topics were 
addressed throughout the year by means of deep dives, 
allowing focused, in-depth review by the Supervisory 
Board. Topics covered in deep dive sessions during 2020 
include the Mature Products & Services strategy, the 
Installed Base & Services strategy and the Data Policy.

The Supervisory Board also performed an in-depth review 
of the High-NA program, looking at market and customer-
related aspects as well as the technological and 
operational dimension of the program and the risks 
associated with it. An external speaker was invited to 
provide an outside-in view on High-NA, focusing on the 
role of High-NA in driving Moore's Law and allowing the 
development of ever-more powerful chips for new 
applications and devices by our customers at reduced 
cost. The Supervisory Board particularly focused on 
aspects such as affordability and quality of the tools in view 
of increasing complexity.  

Financial review
We reviewed the annual and interim financial statements, 
including non-financial information, the quarterly results 
and accompanying press releases, as well as the 
outcomes of the year-end US GAAP and EU-IFRS audits.

Given ASML's rapid growth, the Supervisory Board 
suggested reviewing the process with the Board of 
Management to discuss and agree on the annual plan, the 
long-term financial plan as well as large R&D and CAPEX 
plans, for which an additional Supervisory Board meeting 
was convened. 

As part of the financial updates, the Supervisory Board, 
assisted by the Audit Committee, reviewed ASML's 
financing and capital return policies. The Supervisory 

119

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Board approved the Board of Management’s proposals for 
the 2020 interim dividend and discussed the 2020 final 
dividend proposal, which will be submitted to the General 
Meeting in April 2021. Furthermore, the Supervisory Board 
approved the 2020-2022 share buyback program and 
discussed the execution of the program with the Board of 
Management on a quarterly basis. Lastly, the issuance of 
two Eurobonds was approved by the Supervisory Board.   

customers. We performed a post-acquisition review of 
HMI, which ASML acquired in 2016. Though, due to 
changed market circumstances, the acquisition business 
plan had not been fully realized, the conclusion was that 
value creation still could be achieved, as HMI, together 
with other parts of ASML, will contribute to the building of a 
comprehensive product roadmap for metrology and 
inspection.

Risk management
As risk management is a key element of the Supervisory 
Board’s responsibilities, we received periodic risk-
management updates during the year. Attention was paid 
to the risk landscape and the developments in that area, 
the risk appetite and the measures put in place by the 
Board of Management to mitigate the critical risks. Special 
attention was paid to the impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic on ASML's risk landscape and the risk 
responses defined by management. Bi-annually, specific 
risk areas were reviewed in deep dive sessions. Topics 
covered in 2020 include IT continuity, IT security, and 
political risks in light of the global trade situation. For 
further information on ASML's risk management, see the 
section 'How we manage risk'.

People and organization
Given the significant growth of ASML in recent years, 
people and organization continued to be an area of focus 
for the Supervisory Board in 2020. On several occasions, 
we were provided with updates in this area. We spent time 
discussing the culture and values initiative, which was set-
up in 2019 and implemented in 2020, with the aim to 
support the execution of ASML's strategy aimed at long-
term value creation for all stakeholders. We also reviewed 
the ASML leadership framework and discussed the results 
of the annual employee engagement survey. Furthermore, 
the Supervisory Board, assisted by the Selection and 
Nomination Committee, extensively discussed and 
provided advice in respect of ASML's talent management 
and people development program as well as succession 
planning for the Board of Management and senior 
management.  

IT and Our New Enterprise (ONE)
As the pace of business and technology transformation 
continue to accelerate, the importance of the IT strategy 
within ASML increases. This led the Supervisory Board to 
perform a review of ASML's IT strategy, focusing on both 
the IT foundational services strategy and the initiatives 
aimed at improving the business with IT.

On two occasions during 2020, the Board of Management 
updated us on the status of the ONE program. ONE is 
ASML’s transformation program dedicated to secure 
configuration integrity over the life cycle of our customer 
offerings while enhancing the business processes and 
maintaining flexibility, with the support of its upgraded 
backbone information system. We paid special attention to 
the expected benefits and risks of the program, and 
discussed with management the challenges related to it, 
such as change management and business process 
transformation.  

We also paid attention to the sustainability strategy, not 
only because sustainability is also a long-term qualitative 
target for the Board of Management, but also because it is 
now also covered in the corporate strategy as part of the 
'strengthen customer trust' element. We are pleased with 
the increasing focus on re-use and circular economy, which 
contributes to ASML's performance on long-term value 
creation, thereby serving customers as well as other 
stakeholders. 

The Supervisory Board also monitored compliance with 
rules and regulations including the Dutch Corporate 
Governance Code and reviewed the legal matters 
overview. 

As a Supervisory Board, we also extensively discussed our 
own composition, profile and functioning, the composition 
and functioning of its committees as well as the 
composition and functioning of the Board of Management. 
We also monitored the performance of the Board of 
Management and decided on the Board of Management's 
remuneration targets and target achievements. More 
information can be found in the reports of the Selection 
and Nomination Committee and the Remuneration 
Committee.  

There was one site visit in 2020: we visited the 
Development and Engineering (D&E) sector at ASML's 
headquarters, and were updated on how this sector is 
organized and what the key priorities are. There was a 
particular focus on the Product Generation Process and 
the D&E operating model, which was amended to serve 
the changing needs of ASML's customers and its business 
lines.  

COVID-19

As a Supervisory Board we closely monitored the 
development of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 
potential impact on our people, business and operations. 
Management kept us informed during the scheduled 
meetings, but we also received separate updates, informing 
us about the main developments in our company, markets 
and supply chain. We support management's approach, 
choosing the health and safety of our people and their 
families and business continuity as priorities, and we are 
pleased to see that the values of Challenge, Collaborate 
and Care served as a strong basis dealing with the 
challenges of this pandemic. Looking back at 2020, while 
we realize that COVID-19 is not behind us, we can say 
management has delivered on its priorities.     

Other topics
We discussed the acquisition of Berliner Glas, through 
which ASML acquired technical capabilities that are 
important to support the future roadmap for our EUV and 
DUV products, providing increased value to ASML's 

Meetings with the Works Council
A Supervisory Board delegation held two formal meetings 
with the Works Council in 2020. We exchanged views on 
ASML's strategy and priorities, including the continued 
implementation of the EUV roadmap, the initiatives on 

120

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020quality and cost reduction, the supply chain, management development and succession and the ONE program. The 
culture and values initiative was also discussed, in particular how the Supervisory Board was involved and what the Board 
sees as the main challenges for implementation. Another topic of discussion was the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on 
ASML in various areas, and the challenges of working from home, while at the same time maintaining the innovative nature 
of ASML. The composition of the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management was discussed, especially the 
increase of the number of Supervisory Board members to nine and the proposals for (re)appointment of Supervisory 
Board members. The Works Council and Supervisory Board also discussed the Remuneration Policies for Board of 
Management and Supervisory Board prior to submission to the General Meeting.

Topics overview 2020
Topics discussed at the Supervisory Board meetings are a combination of recurring topics and other topics that are 
relevant during the year. Our recurring agenda topics are:

•  Business performance
•  Financial performance and financing
•  Review of quarterly financial results, observations external auditor and press release
•  Market situation
•  Customer developments
•  Investor perceptions and share price development
•  Management development
•  Committee reports
•  Supervisory Board-only meeting

Other topics discussed during Supervisory Board meetings of 2020 included:

Q1 •  2019 Annual Results and Annual Report

•  2019 external audit report
•  Capital return: final dividend 2019 and share buyback 

program

•  Remuneration Board of Management and Supervisory 

Board

IT continuity

•  Risk Management
• 
•  HR&O update: culture & values initiative
•  Legal update
•  M&A update
•  HMI post-acquisition review
•  Corporate Governance
•  Composition Supervisory Board
•  AGM agenda

Q3 •  2020 statutory interim report

•  M&A update
•  Strategy review, incl.
•  Semiconductor industry outlook & ASML vision
•  Long term strategy & technology roadmap
•  Global trade situation and strategic implications

Q2 •  Business Line Mature Products & Services

•  HR&O update
•  Risk Management update 
•  Global trade situation and strategic implications
• 
IT strategy
IT security
• 
•  ONE Program
•  AGM update

Q4 • 

Installed Base and Services strategy

•  Data Policy
•  High-NA review 
•  Long-term financial plan
•  Financing policy
•  Annual plan 2021
•  HR&O update: leadership framework
•  ONE Program
•  Board of Management and Supervisory Board 

composition and evaluation

Meetings and attendance
The Supervisory Board meets at least four times per year in accordance with an annual meeting schedule and whenever 
the Chairman, one or more of its members, or the Board of Management requests a meeting.

In 2020, the Supervisory Board held nine meetings. Of these meetings, one was held at the company's headquarters in 
Veldhoven, one was held via telephone conference and seven meetings were held virtually. In addition to these meetings, 
there were several informal meetings and telephone calls among Supervisory Board and/or Board of Management 
members. 

The Supervisory Board meetings and the Supervisory Board committee meetings are held over several days, ensuring 
there is time for review and discussion. At each meeting, the Supervisory Board members discuss among themselves the 
goals and outcome of the meeting, as well as topics such as the functioning and composition of the Supervisory Board 
and the Board of Management. Also discussed during each meeting are the reports from the different Committees of the 
Supervisory Board. 

121

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Virtual meetings

The majority of the Supervisory Board and Supervisory 
Board committees meetings in 2020 were held virtually 
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the challenges 
resulting from meeting virtually, various measures were 
taken: we planned shorter meeting sessions spread over 
more days; we held break-out sessions in smaller groups 
to optimize interaction, and we also made use of video as 
a means for meeting preparation, in addition to providing 
written meeting documents. The Supervisory Board is 
very positive about these virtual meetings and intends to 
continue to use several of these measures going forward, 
including when in-person meetings are possible again.     

The Supervisory Board meetings and the meetings of the 
four Supervisory Board committees were well attended, as 
is shown in the table below.

In addition to the Supervisory Board members, the 
members of the Board of Management are invited to the 
Supervisory Board meetings. All Board of Management 
members were present for the Supervisory Board meetings 
in 2020. Members of senior management are regularly 
invited to provide updates on topics within their area of 
expertise. This gives the Supervisory Board the opportunity 
to get acquainted with a variety of ASML managers, which 
the Supervisory Board considers very useful in connection 
with its talent management and succession planning 
activities. 

Supervisory Board meeting attendance overview

Name

Gerard Kleisterlee (Chair)

Annet Aris

Douglas Grose
Terri Kelly

Rolf-Dieter Schwalb

Carla Smits-Nusteling

Hans Stork

Mark Durcan1
Warren East2
Wolfgang Ziebart3

Supervisory 
Board

Audit 
Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Selection and 
Nomination 
Committee

Technology 
Committee

8/9

9/9

9/9
9/9

9/9

9/9

9/9

6/6
5/6
4/4

8/9

n/a

n/a
n/a

9/9

9/9

n/a

n/a
5/6
4/4

n/a

n/a

n/a
5/5

5/5

n/a

5/5

n/a
n/a
n/a

6/6

6/6

6/6
n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a
n/a
n/a

5/5

5/5

5/5
n/a

n/a

n/a

5/5

3/3
n/a
3/3

1.  Appointed at the AGM on April 22. 2020 also appointed as a member of the Technology Committee at the same date.
2.  Appointed at the AGM on April 22. 2020 also appointed as a member of the Audit Committee at the same date.
3.  Stepped down per the AGM on April 22, 2020.

122

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Composition
The Supervisory Board determines the number of Supervisory Board members required to perform its functions, the 
minimum being three members. The Supervisory Board currently consists of nine members. The Supervisory Board 
attaches great importance to its composition, independence and diversity and strives to meet all the associated guidelines 
and requirements. To ensure an appropriate and balanced composition, the Supervisory Board spends considerable time 
on an ongoing basis discussing its profile, composition and rotation schedule.

Independence
In order to properly perform its tasks, the Supervisory Board considers it to be very important that its members are able to 
act critically and independently of one another, the Board of Management and other stakeholders. The independence of 
the Supervisory Board and its individual members is assessed on an annual basis.  All current members of the Supervisory 
Board are fully independent, as defined by the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, and have completed the annual 
questionnaire addressing the relevant independence requirements.

Diversity
The current composition of ASML’s Supervisory Board is diverse in terms of gender, nationality, knowledge, experience 
and background and has a suitable level of experience in the financial, economic, technological, social and legal aspects 
of international business.

Supervisory Board skills matrix

Gerard 
Kleisterlee 
(Chair)

Annet 
Aris

Douglas 
Grose

Terri Kelly

Rolf-
Dieter 
Schwalb

Carla 
Smits-
Nusteling

Hans 
Stork

Mark 
Durcan

Warren 
East

General skills
Executive board 
member of (listed) 
international company
Finance / governance

Remuneration
Human resources / 
employee relations
IT / digital / cyber

ASML-specific skills
Semiconductor 
ecosystem
Deep understanding 
of semiconductor 
technology
High-tech 
manufacturing / 
integrated supply 
chain management
Business in Asia

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

Changes in composition in 2020
Per the 2020 AGM, the term of appointment of Annet Aris and Wolfgang Ziebart expired. Mr. Ziebart stepped down from 
the Supervisory Board per the 2020 AGM, after 11 years of service. Ms. Aris made herself available for reappointment. In 
addition to nominating persons for filling the vacancies arising due to the retirement by rotation of Ms. Aris and Mr. Ziebart, 
the Supervisory Board decided to nominate another candidate for appointment to the Supervisory Board, thereby 
increasing the number of members to nine. The Supervisory Board wanted to use the opportunity to add an additional 
member with a background and experience in semiconductor technology, and the semiconductor industry in 2020, 
anticipating the upcoming retirement of Mr. Grose in 2021. The Board's rotation schedule was also taken into account in 
nominating an additional member.  The Works Council of ASML Netherlands B.V. decided not to use its enhanced 
recommendation right in respect of this appointment, because of the temporary nature of the increase in the number of 
Supervisory Board members. At the 2020 AGM, Mark Durcan and Warren East were appointed for a term of four years. 
Ms. Aris was reappointed for a term of four years; her reappointment was also based on the Works Council's enhanced 
recommendation right.

Changes in composition in 2021
Per the 2021 AGM, the appointment terms of Carla Smits-Nusteling and Douglas Grose will expire. Both Supervisory 
Board members have informed the Supervisory Board that they are not available for reappointment and will retire per the 
2021 AGM, upon completion of their current term. The Supervisory Board extends its thanks to both Ms. Smits-Nusteling 
and Mr. Grose for their valuable contribution over the past eight years, during which the Supervisory Board has greatly 
benefited from their knowledge and experience.

123

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020As announced on January 20, 2021, the Supervisory Board 
intends to nominate Ms. Birgit Conix for appointment as 
member of the Supervisory Board effective from the 2021 
AGM. In preparation for her appointment, Ms. Conix 
attended a number of Supervisory Board meetings as an 
observer in order to ensure a smooth onboarding. The 
agenda and explanatory notes for the 2021 AGM will 
contain further information about this intended nomination 
for appointment. 

For further information and background on the members of 
the Supervisory Board, including details on nationality, 
gender and age, please see the Supervisory Board 
members’ information in Leadership and governance - 
Corporate governance - Supervisory Board as well as the 
Supervisory Board skills matrix. 

Induction and training
We have a comprehensive induction program in place for 
newly appointed Supervisory Board members, designed to 
ensure that new members gain a good understanding of 
our business and strategy, as well as the key risks we face. 
The induction program includes meetings with other 
Supervisory Board and Board of Management members, a 
technology tutorial and detailed presentations by our 
Business Lines, Sectors and Corporate departments. A site 
visit and factory tour is also part of the induction program. 
On joining the Supervisory Board, Mark Durcan and Warren 
East followed an induction program, which was held fully 
virtually.

The Supervisory Board is provided with regular updates on 
a variety of topics, both in the plenary meetings and in the 
meetings of the committees. During 2020, we also invited 
external speakers on a number of occasions in order to 
obtain outside-in views on topics such as geopolitics and 
the value of new technologies such as High-NA for the 
semiconductor industry.

Evaluation
The Supervisory Board greatly values the structural and 
ongoing evaluation process as a means of ensuring 
continuous improvement in our way of working. Each year, 
the Supervisory Board, assisted by the Selection and 
Nomination Committee, evaluates the composition, 
competence and functioning of the Supervisory Board and 
its committees, the relationship between the Supervisory 
Board and the Board of Management, its committees, its 
individual members, the chairs of both the Supervisory 
Board and the committees, as well as the composition and 
functioning of the Board of Management and its individual 
members, and the education and training needs for the 
Supervisory Board and Board of Management members.

In principle, the evaluation of the Supervisory Board is 
performed once every three years by an external adviser; in 
the other two years, the evaluation of the Supervisory 
Board is performed by means of a self-assessment using a 
written questionnaire, followed by one-on-one meetings 
between the Chair and individual Supervisory Board 
members. 

The 2020 evaluation of the Supervisory Board and its 
committees was performed through a web-based survey, 
which was prepared by the Selection and Nomination 
Committee. The chair of the committee also held meetings 
with the individual Supervisory Board members. The 
evaluation was centered around the following themes: 
composition, stakeholder oversight, oversight of strategy, 
risk management and succession planning, management 
and focus of meetings and priorities for improvement. In 
addition, the evaluation included a case study of how 
effectively the Supervisory Board oversaw the Board of 
Management in addressing the challenges of the 
COVID-19 pandemic.  An upward review by the Board of 
Management was also part of the annual assessment.

The results of the Supervisory Board evaluation were 
discussed in early 2021. The conclusion was that the 
Supervisory Board and its committees continue to function 
well. Suggestions to further improve the functioning of the 
Supervisory Board include optimizing the meeting agenda 
to ensure an appropriate balance between recurring items 
and strategic topics, as well as the balance between 
presentation and discussion during meetings, and 
increasing the engagement with management and the 
organization, also outside meetings. Important focus area 
identified was the successful onboarding and integration of 
new members, also in light of the challenges related to the 
COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Management also conducted a self-
evaluation in 2020, focusing on the role, responsibilities 
and functioning of the Board of Management collectively, 
and on the functioning of the individual Board of 
Management members. This self-evaluation was 
performed in a number of separate sessions dedicated to 
this topic. The self-evaluation was facilitated by the EVP 
HR&O, who held interviews with the individual Board of 
Management members in preparation for the discussion. 
Themes addressed include the Board of Management's 
strategic focus, stakeholder involvement, people & 
organization, board dynamics and board organization. After 
the discussion, a summary was prepared per theme with 
items to be followed up on. Follow-up will take place in 
several special Board of Management sessions planned 
throughout 2021. The overall conclusion of the self-
evaluation was that ASML has a well-functioning Board of 
Management. The self-evaluation was also discussed with 
the Supervisory Board and its Selection and Nomination 
Committee. 

124

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Supervisory Board Committees

The Supervisory Board has four standing committees, whose members are appointed by 
the Supervisory Board from among its members. The full Supervisory Board remains responsible
for all decisions, even if prepared and taken by one of the Supervisory Board’s Committees.

members

3
Assisting in
overseeing the 
integrity and quality 
of our financial reporting 
and the effectiveness 
of risk management 
and controls

members

3
Overseeing the
development and
implementation of the
Remuneration Policies,
in cooperation with 
the Audit Committee and 
Technology Committee

members

5
Providing advice with 
respect to our 
technology plans
required to execute 
the business strategy

members

3
Assisting with the 
preparation of the 
selection criteria
and appointment
procedures for the
Supervisory Board and
Board of Management

The four committees of the Supervisory Board prepare the decision-making of the full Board. In the plenary Supervisory 
Board meetings, the chairs of the committees report on the items discussed in the committee meetings. In addition, the 
meeting documents and minutes of the committee meetings are available to all Supervisory Board members, enabling the 
full Supervisory Board to make the appropriate decisions. 

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee assists the Supervisory Board in overseeing the integrity and quality of our financial reporting and 
the effectiveness of the internal risk management and internal control systems. 

Members
•  Carla Smits-Nusteling (Chair)
•  Rolf-Dieter Schwalb
•  Warren East

The members of the Audit Committee are all 
independent members of the Supervisory Board.

The Supervisory Board has determined that both Ms. Smits-
Nusteling and Mr. Schwalb qualify as an Audit Committee 
financial expert pursuant to Section 407 of the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act and Dutch statutory rules, taking into consideration 
their extensive financial backgrounds and experience.

Main responsibilities

• 

Integrity and quality of ASML's financial statements and related 
non-financial disclosure and submitting proposals to ensure 
such integrity;

•  Accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of 

the financial statements;

•  Effectiveness of our internal risk management and control 

• 

systems, including the compliance with the relevant legislation 
and regulations, and the effect of codes of conduct;
Integrity and effectiveness of our system of disclosure controls 
and procedures and our system of internal controls over 
financial reporting;

•  External Auditor’s qualifications, independence, performance 

and determining its compensation; and

•  Functioning of Internal Audit.

The Audit Committee is provided with all relevant information to be able to adequately and efficiently supervise the 
preparation and disclosure of financial information. This includes information on the status and development of the 
(semiconductor) market to be able to judge the outlook and budget for the next six to 12 months, the application of EU-
IFRS and US GAAP, the choice of accounting policies and the work of the internal and external auditor.

125

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Audit Committee meetings in 2020
The Audit Committee meets at least four times a year and always before the publication of the quarterly, half-year and 
annual financial results. In 2020, the Audit Committee held nine meetings.

Internal control update

Recurring agenda topics (quarterly)
•  Financial update and financing
•  Review of the quarterly financial results and press release
•  Accounting update
• 
•  Observations External Auditor
•  Risk and Internal Audit update
•  Disclosure Committee report
•  Legal matters report
•  Ethics and compliance

Attendance

In addition to the Audit Committee members, the Chairman of 
the Supervisory Board attends the Audit Committee meetings 
whenever possible. The external auditor and the internal auditor 
have a standing invitation for Audit Committee meetings and 
attended all Audit Committee meetings in 2020. The CEO, 
CFO, EVP Finance, Corporate Chief Accountant and the VP 
Risk and Business Assurance are invited to the meetings.

The below overview provides a number of topics discussed during Audit Committee meetings in 2020, in addition to the 
recurring agenda topics.

Q1 •  2019 Annual Report and financial statements  US GAAP 

and IFRS-EU

Q2 •  COVID-19 update, with focus on cost control and cash 

preservation

•  Balance sheet review
•  2019 External audit report
•  Capital return: final dividend 2019 and share buyback 

•  Approval external audit plan 2020
• 
•  Deep-dive: Process Improvement projects for revenue 

Internal management letter follow-up

program

•  Fraud-risk assessment
•  Results of the External Auditor evaluation 2019
•  Results Self-Evaluation Audit Committee
•  Annual plans Risk and Internal Audit
•  COVID-19 update, with focus on cost control and cash 

preservation, and impact on financial results

Q3 •  Deep-dive: Process Improvement projects for revenue 

recognition (II/II)

•  Review internal control framework
•  Finance and IT transformation program

recognition (I/II)

•  Compliance deep-dive
•  Legal entity structure simplification
•  Tax update

Q4 •  Long-term financial plan
•  Annual Plan 2021
•  Financing Policy
•  Deep-dive: revenue recognition accounting focus areas
•  Compliance deep-dive   
•  External audit update
•  Review rules of procedure Audit Committee
•  Rotation Lead Audit Partner
•  Process for the External Auditor evaluation

Financials
In 2020 the Audit Committee focused, among other things, on financial reporting, most particularly the review of ASML's 
2020 Integrated and Interim Reports, including the annual and interim financial statements and non-financial information. 
We also closely monitored the progress and discussed the outcomes of the year-end US GAAP and EU-IFRS audits. The 
quarterly results and the accompanying press releases were reviewed before publication. The Audit Committee also 
reviewed the press release issued on March 27, 2020 in which ASML updated the market on the expected Q1 2020 
results, primarily related to the COVID-19 impact.

On a quarterly basis, the Audit Committee was provided accounting updates by the Corporate Chief Accountant, 
highlighting the main accounting matters relevant for the quarter. Other important elements of the Audit Committee's 
quarterly procedures were the discussion of the observations of the External Auditor in relation to the accounting matters, 
as well as the report by the Disclosure Committee on the accuracy and completeness of the quarterly disclosures. 
Throughout the year, specific accounting topics were addressed in deep dive sessions. Several sessions were dedicated 
to revenue recognition, which has been identified as a critical audit matter. These sessions focused on aspects such as 
focus areas and process improvement projects in respect of revenue recognition. An annual in-depth balance sheet review 
was also performed.

The operational and financial short- and long-term performance of ASML was also discussed extensively, with a focus on 
various performance scenarios and their impact on ASML’s results, cash generation, and financing and capital return 
policies. A special meeting was organized to discuss the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ASML's 
business, results and cash situation.

126

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020An area of attention for the Audit Committee in 2020 was 
liquidity and free cash flow, due to the ongoing ramp-up of 
EUV, and ASML's continued investment into the future, 
which led to growth of net working capital and increased 
R&D and capital expenditure spend.

the results of audits performed as well as the status of the 
follow-up on action plans. The Audit Committee also 
discussed the internal management letter and monitored 
the follow-up by the Board of Management on the 
recommendations made in the internal management letter. 

The Audit Committee reviewed and provided the 
Supervisory Board with advice regarding the long-term 
financial plan, the financing of ASML and ASML’s capital 
return policy. Specifically discussed were the dividend 
policy and the proposed final dividend payment in respect 
of the 2019 and 2020 financial years and the interim 
dividend for the 2020.  The 2020-2022 share buyback 
program was discussed on a quarterly basis, focusing on 
the desirability of issuing quarterly mandates in view of the 
cash position and free cash flow of ASML, also taking into 
account the potential impact of COVID-19. We also 
discussed the issuance of two bond offerings during 2020 
and provided the Supervisory Board with our 
recommendations in this area. 

Risk management and internal control 
Throughout 2020, the Audit Committee closely monitored 
risk management and the risk-management process, 
including the timely follow-up of high-priority actions based 
on quarterly progress updates. The Audit Committee 
oversaw the annual internal control process. Focus was on 
scoping, materiality levels, updates to the internal control 
framework, the tests of design and effectiveness and 
management's assessment of ASML's internal control over 
financial reporting and disclosures. The observations made 
by the Internal Auditor and the External Auditor on the 
design and effectiveness of internal controls were also 
discussed with the Audit Committee. In 2020, an in-depth 
review was performed of ASML's internal control 
framework, with focus on the level of automation of 
controls. 

Compliance and ethics
During 2020 we discussed ASML's compliance program 
and performed detailed reviews of specific compliance 
topics such as treasury compliance and customs 
compliance. An annual fraud update was provided and 
quarterly reports were given on the Ethics program, 
including whistleblower reporting. The Audit Committee 
was also involved in the update of our Code of Conduct 
and business principles, which was implemented in 
November 2020. 

Internal audit
The Audit Committee reviewed the annual internal audit 
plan, including the scope of the audit. The Audit 
Committee was kept updated on the progress of the 
internal audit activities on a quarterly basis and reviewed 

External audit 
The Audit Committee reviewed the 2020 external audit 
plan, including scoping, materiality level and fees. It 
monitored the progress of the external audit activities, 
including review of the observations made in the quarterly 
procedures and the audits performed at year-end. The 
Audit Committee oversaw the follow-up by the Board of 
Management on the control deficiencies reported by the 
External Auditor in their periodic internal control update. 
The Audit Committee confirms that the communication 
over the 2020 financial year contained no significant items 
that need to be mentioned in this report.

The Audit Committee also evaluated the performance of 
the external auditor at the end of 2020, including a review 
of their independence. The results of the evaluation have 
led the Audit Committee to recommend to the Supervisory 
Board to submit to the 2021 AGM a proposal to appoint 
KPMG as the External Auditor for the reporting year 2022.

After completion of the 2020 audit, the current lead audit 
partner will rotate off the ASML assignment. The Audit 
Committee and the CFO have been involved in the 
succession process of the new lead audit partner by 
interviewing candidates and selecting the new lead partner, 
as well as taking notice of the transition plan. As part of the 
transition plan, the new lead audit partner joined the Audit 
Committee meetings as an observer as of November 2020 
to facilitate a smooth transition.

Other topics 
Other topics discussed by the Audit Committee in 2020 
were ASML’s tax policy and planning, the Finance and IT 
transformation program, the project to simplify ASML's 
legal entity structure and the quarterly legal matters 
overviews.

The Audit Committee also performed an annual review and 
update of its Rules of Procedure. 

After most of the Audit Committee meetings, the internal 
and external auditor each have a session with the Audit 
Committee without management present to discuss their 
views on the matters warranting the attention of the Audit 
Committee. This may include their relationship with the 
Audit Committee, the relationship with the Board of 
Management, and any other matters deemed necessary to 
be discussed. The Audit Committee also held regular one-
to-one meetings with the CFO. 

127

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee advises the Supervisory Board, and prepares the Supervisory Board's resolutions with 
respect to the remuneration of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board.

Members
•  Rolf-Dieter Schwalb (Chair);
•  Terri Kelly;
•  Hans Stork

Each member is an independent, non-executive member 
of our Supervisory Board in accordance with the NASDAQ 
Listing Rules. Mr. Schwalb is neither a former member 
of our Board of Management, nor a member of the 
management board of another company. Currently, no 
member of the Remuneration Committee is a member of 
the management board of another Dutch listed company.

Main responsibilities

•  Overseeing the development and implementation of the 
Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management and 
preparing the Supervisory Board Remuneration Policy;

•  Reviewing and proposing to the Supervisory Board corporate 
goals and objectives relevant to the variable part of the Board 
of Management’s remuneration;

•  Carrying out scenario analyses of the possible financial 

outcomes on the variable remuneration of meeting these goals, 
as well as exceeding these goals, before proposing these 
corporate goals and objectives to the Supervisory Board for 
approval;

•  Evaluating the performance of the members of the Board of 
Management in view of those goals and objectives, and – 
based on this evaluation – recommending to the Supervisory 
Board appropriate compensation levels for the members of the 
Board of Management.

Remuneration Committee meetings in 2020
The Remuneration Committee meets at least two times a year and more frequently when deemed necessary. In 2020, the 
Remuneration Committee held five meetings.

Recurring agenda topics
•  Remuneration of the Board of Management
•  Remuneration of the Supervisory Board
•  Update on performance on STI and LTI targets

Attendance

In addition to the Remuneration Committee members, 
the Remuneration Committee generally invites the CEO, 
the EVP HR&O, the Head of Compensation and Benefits 
and in some instances also the CFO to attend (parts of) 
its meetings. The Remuneration Committee’s external 
advisor is also invited to attend the Remuneration 
Committee meetings when deemed necessary.

The below overview provides details on the topics discussed during Remuneration Committee meetings in 2020.

Q1

•  Base salary Board of Management 2020
•  Short-term Incentive Plan: performance 2019, pay-

Q2

out 2019 and targets 2020

•  Long-term Incentive Plan: share vesting 

performance period 2017-2019, and conditional 
grant and targets performance period 2020-2022
•  Remuneration Policies Board of Management and 

Supervisory Board

•  Remuneration Report 2019
•  Self-Evaluation Remuneration Committee

•  Review reference group remuneration Board of 

Management and benchmark approach
•  Benchmark approach Supervisory Board 

remuneration

Q3

•  Results benchmark Board of Management 

remuneration

•  Results benchmark Supervisory Board remuneration
•  Review investor and shareholder interest 

organizations' feedback on Remuneration Report 
2019 

Q4

•  Potential adjustments to Board of Management 

Remuneration Policy

•  Potential adjustments to Supervisory Board 

Remuneration Policy

•  Compliance Board of Management members with 

share ownership guideline
•  Budget for ASML Equity Plans
•  Engagement of external auditor for agreed upon 

procedures on remuneration

128

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Remuneration Board of Management
In Q1 2020, the Remuneration Committee finalized the 
adjustments to be made to the Remuneration Policy for the 
Board of Management in light of the implementation of the 
revised EU Shareholder Rights Directive. The adjusted 
Remuneration Policy was submitted to and adopted by the 
General Meeting on April 22, 2020. 

In line with ASML's practice of benchmarking Board of 
Management remuneration every two years, a benchmark 
was performed in 2020 in order to assess the level of 
competitiveness of the Board of Management's 
remuneration. The Remuneration Committee also reviewed 
the composition of the labor market reference group in 
connection with the benchmark. Based on the outcome of 
this review, the Supervisory Board intends to submit a 
proposal for implementing some adjustments to the 
Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management to the 
2021 AGM.  The proposed adjustments will be set out in 
the convocation documents for the 2021 AGM, which will 
be published in March 2021.  

The Remuneration Committee made recommendations to 
the Supervisory Board concerning the total remuneration 
package of the Board of Management and the variable 
remuneration consisting of a short term incentive in cash 
and a long term incentive in shares.  The Remuneration 
Committee proposed 2020 targets for the Board of 
Management's variable remuneration to the Supervisory 
Board. During the year, the Remuneration Committee 
closely monitored the Board of Management's 
performance. It provided recommendations to the 
Supervisory Board regarding the achievement of the 2020 
targets and related compensation levels for the Board 
of Management members. Special attention was paid to 
the impact of the COVID-19 on ASML's performance and 
the potential consequences for Board of Management 
remuneration.

In proposing, and evaluating the Board of Management's 
performance in relation to the corporate goals and 
objectives for the variable remuneration of the Board of 
Management members, the Remuneration Committee 
closely cooperates with the Audit Committee and the 
Technology Committee. 

The Remuneration Committee has taken note of the views 
of the individual members of the Board of Management 
with regard to the amount and structure of their 
remuneration. 

The Remuneration Committee reviewed the shareholding 
positions of the Board of Management members based 
upon the share ownership guideline of the Remuneration 
Policy.

The Remuneration Committee also reviewed the 
Remuneration Report, which details the remuneration of 
members of the Supervisory Board and the Board of 
Management. As the 2019 Remuneration Report was 
submitted to the 2020 AGM for an advisory vote, in line 
with the new legal requirements resulting from the revised 
EU Shareholder Rights Directive, the committee discussed 
the result of the vote on this item: 93.78% of the votes 
were cast in favor. The committee discussed the feedback 
received from investors and shareholder interest 
organizations on the Report. As a result of the discussion, 
some enhancements were made to the 2020 Remuneration 
Report, which is included in this Annual Report. 

The Remuneration Committee engaged the external 
auditor to perform certain agreed-upon procedures with 
respect to the execution of the Remuneration Policy. 

Remuneration Supervisory Board
In Q1 2020 the Remuneration Committee finalized the 
Remuneration Policy for the Supervisory Board in order to 
comply with the revised EU Shareholder Rights Directive. 
The policy was submitted to and adopted by the General 
Meeting on April 22, 2020.

The Remuneration Committee reviewed the reference 
group for Supervisory Board remuneration and performed 
a benchmark review in 2020. Based on this benchmark 
review, the Supervisory Board intends to submit a proposal 
for implementing some adjustments to the Remuneration 
Policy for the Supervisory Board to the 2021 AGM. The 
proposed adjustments will be set out in the convocation 
documents for the 2021 AGM, which will be published in 
March 2021.  

For further details, see Leadership and governance - 
Remuneration report 

129

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Selection and Nomination Committee  
The Selection and Nomination Committee assists the Supervisory Board in relation to its responsibilities over the 
composition and functioning of the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management and to the monitoring of corporate 
governance developments. 

Members
•  Gerard Kleisterlee (Chair)
•  Annet Aris
•  Doug Grose

Each member is an independent, non-executive member of our 
Supervisory Board in accordance with the NASDAQ Listing Rules.

Main responsibilities

•  the preparation of the selection criteria and appointment 
procedures for members of the Supervisory Board and 
Board of Management, and the supervision of the Board 
of Management's policy in relation to the selection and 
appointment criteria for senior management;

•  the periodical evaluation of the scope and composition of 

the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board, and 
proposing the profile of the Supervisory Board;

•  the periodical evaluation of the functioning of the Board of 

Management and the Supervisory Board, and their individual 
members.

•  the preparation of the Supervisory Board’s decisions for 
appointing and reappointing members of the Board of 
Management and proposing (re)appointments of members of 
the Supervisory Board

•  monitoring and discussing developments in corporate 

governance.

Selection and Nomination Committee meetings
The Selection and Nomination Committee meets at least two times a year and more frequently when deemed necessary. 
In 2020, the Selection and Nomination Committee held five meetings.

Recurring agenda topics
•  Role, composition, functioning Board of Management
•  Role, composition, functioning Supervisory Board
•  Corporate governance

Attendance

Besides the Selection and Nomination Committee members, 
the two Presidents and the EVP HRO are regularly invited 
to attend (parts of) its meetings. An external advisors 
is also invited to attend the Selection and Nomination 
Committee meetings when deemed necessary.

The below overview provides details on the topics discussed during Remuneration Committee meetings in 2020.

1st 
Half 
Year

•  Future composition Board of Management, incl. 

diversity aspects, and succession pipeline

•  Changes in composition Supervisory Board per 

2020 AGM and nominations for (re)appointment of 
Supervisory Board members

•  Composition of the Supervisory Board committees 

• 

per 2020 AGM
Implementation revised Shareholder Rights Directive 
and impact on ASML

2nd 
Half 
Year

•  Future composition Board of Management, incl. 

diversity aspects, and succession pipeline

•  Composition Board of Management per 2021 AGM
•  Changes in composition Supervisory Board per 
2021 AGM and nomination for appointment of a 
Supervisory Board member

•  Composition of the Supervisory Board committees 

per 2021 AGM

•  Evaluation of the Supervisory Board and committees
•  Consultation composition Board of Directors 

Preference Shares Foundation per January 1, 2021

Composition, role and responsibilities Board of Management 
In 2020 the Selection and Nomination Committee spent ample time to discuss the future composition, role and 
responsibilities of the Board of Management, e.g. reviewing the talent bench, discussing career development of top talent 
to prepare for future Board of Management roles. The committee also assessed the functioning of the Board of 
Management and its individual members. For this purpose, the Chair held meetings with each individual Board of 
Management member, the outcome of which was discussed with the Committee.

Frits van Hout will retire as member of ASML's Board of Management upon completion of his current appointment term, 
which will end per the 2021 AGM. Frits van Hout first served with ASML from 1984 to 1992, later rejoining the company in 
2001. He was appointed to the Board of Management in 2009, first serving as Chief Marketing Officer and later as Chief 
Program Officer, where he successfully oversaw the development of the EUV business, bringing it to a level where EUV 

130

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020was widely accepted as the next lithography platform for the semiconductor industry. In 2018, Frits van Hout became 
Chief Strategy Officer, focusing on strategy and strategic supplier relations, which has grown in significance given the rise 
of EUV and High-NA EUV as well as e-beam metrology and optical systems. The Supervisory Board wants to thank Frits 
for his significant contribution to ASML’s growth and development.

ASML will not appoint a successor to Frits van Hout. As a result, the Board of Management will consist of five members 
effective per the 2021 AGM. Frits van Hout's current responsibilities will be taken over by the remaining Board of 
Management members, securing the uninterrupted execution of ASML’s strategy to reach its stated targets for 
stakeholders.

Composition, role and responsibilities Supervisory Board
The Selection and Nomination Committee also extensively discussed the composition of the Supervisory Board. A 
significant amount of time was spent discussing the Supervisory Board's rotation schedule, particularly the appointment 
and reappointment of Supervisory Board members to fill vacancies both in the short and longer term. This resulted in 
recommendations from the Selection and Nomination Committee to nominate two new members for appointment and 
one current member for reappointment by the General Meeting in 2020. The Selection and Nomination Committee also 
discussed the changes to its composition effective per the 2021 AGM and made a recommendation to the Supervisory 
Board to nominate Birgit Conix as new Supervisory Board member.  For further details, see Supervisory Board report - 
composition, independence and diversity. 

At the end of 2020 and early 2021, the Selection and Nomination Committee discussed the functioning of the individual 
members of the Supervisory Board as well as the process and outcome of the Supervisory Board’s self-evaluation. For 
further details on the self-evaluation, see Supervisory Board report - Evaluation.

Corporate Governance 
As part of its responsibility to monitor corporate governance developments, the Selection and Nomination Committee 
discussed, among other things, the revised EU Shareholder Rights Directive as implemented into Dutch law in December 
2019, and the impact on ASML, the legislative and other developments in relation to diversity and the focus items of 
investors and shareholder interest organizations.

Technology Committee
The Technology Committee advises the Supervisory Board with respect to our technology plans required to execute our 
business strategy. 

Members
•  Doug Grose (Chair)
•  Annet Aris
•  Mark Durcan
•  Gerard Kleisterlee
•  Hans Stork

The Technology Committee is supported by external experts and 
as experts from within ASML who act as advisers on the subjects 
reviewed and discussed by this committee. External experts may 
include representatives of customers, suppliers and partners 
to increase the committee’s understanding of the technology 
and research required to develop our leading-edge systems.

Main responsibilities

•  Advising on technology trends, the study of potential alternative 
strategies, the technology strategy, product roadmaps, required 
technical resources and operational performance in R&D;

•  Making recommendations to the Supervisory Board on 

technology-related projects with respect to ASML’s competitive 
position;

•  Discussing the technology targets set to measure short- and 

long-term performance as well as the achievements related to 
these, and advising the Remuneration Committee on this topic.

131

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Technology Committee meetings in 2020
In general, the Technology Committee meets at least two times a year and more frequently when deemed necessary. In 
2020, the Technology Committee held five meetings.

Recurring agenda items
•  Product Roadmap
•  Progress Technology Leadership Index

Attendance
Besides the Technology Committee members, the committee's 
external and internal advisors regularly attended committee 
meetings. The advisers do not have voting rights.

In addition to the recurring agenda items, the Technology Committee also reviewed and discussed other matters in 2020. 
Below table provides an overview of these topics.

Q1

Q3

•  Performance evaluation and new targets related to 

Technology Leadership Index

•  Business Line review: EUV
•  Era beyond High-NA
•  Portfolio Research Department
•  Self-Evaluation Technology Committee

•  Business Line review: Applications
•  Business Line review: DUV
•  Business Line review: EUV

Q2

•  Business Line review: DUV
•  High-NA deep dive, incl. presentation from Zeiss

Q4

•  No meetings

Review of technology programs
In 2020, the Technology Committee's primary focus was the execution and implementation of technology programs in 
EUV, DUV and Applications. The Technology Committee was informed on and discussed the key challenges and 
opportunities from a business and technology development perspective. Furthermore ASML’s product roadmaps and the 
alignment thereof with customers' roadmaps were reviewed and discussed in depth. The Technology Committee provided 
the Supervisory Board with advice in this area. The Technology Committee was also provided with an overview of the 
current portfolio of ASML’s Research department. It discussed the research activities that are being conducted in support 
of the current product roadmaps as well as activities for the era ‘beyond High-NA’. On EUV, special attention was paid to 
further improving the operational performance of the EUV systems and execution of the roadmaps that have been 
defined. In Q2 the Technology Committee specifically focused on the developments and achievements in the field of High-
NA. Special attention was paid to the accomplishments at Zeiss in the field of optics and interferometry. The Technology 
Committee also discussed the value proposition of High-NA. With respect to DUV the focus was primarily on operational 
excellence and improving competitiveness. In this respect the Technology Committee discussed the overall product 
roadmap as well as the developments in the installed base management. On Applications, the developments on e-beam 
metrology, computational lithography and patterning control were reviewed and discussed. In Q3 each Business Line 
provided a complete overview of its roadmap in preparation of the strategy meeting of the full Supervisory Board. The 
Technology Committee also discussed the technology targets and achievements related to our technology programs, and 
provided the Remuneration Committee and the Supervisory Board with advice on this matter.

The Technology Committee’s in-depth technology discussions and the subsequent reporting on the main points of these 
discussions in the full Supervisory Board increases the Supervisory Board’s understanding of our technology 
requirements. It also enables the Supervisory Board to adequately supervise the strategic choices we face, including our 
investment in R&D. 

132

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Financial Statements and Profit Allocation
The financial statements of ASML for the financial year 2020, as prepared by the Board of Management, have been 
audited by KPMG Accountants N.V. All members of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board have signed 
these financial statements.

We recommend to shareholders that they adopt the 2020 financial statements. We also recommend that our shareholders 
adopt the Board of Management's proposal to make a final dividend payment of  €1.55  per ordinary share, which 
together with the interim dividend of EUR 1.20 per ordinary share, leads to a total dividend of €2.75 per ordinary share in 
respect of the 2020 financial year.

Finally, we would like to extend a word of thanks to the Board of Management and all ASML employees for their continued 
commitment and hard work during this challenging year. 

The Supervisory Board, 

Gerard Kleisterlee, Chair 
Douglas Grose, Vice Chair 
Annet Aris 
Mark Durcan
Warren East
Terri Kelly 
Rolf-Dieter Schwalb 
Carla Smits-Nusteling 
Hans Stork

Veldhoven, February 10, 2021

133

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Remuneration report

This report describes how the Remuneration Policies of the Board 
of Management and the Supervisory Board were implemented in 2020.

€21.8m 

Total remuneration of
the Board of Management

139.2%

Achieved of target

146.5%

Achieved of target

40

Internal pay ratio
(CEO versus average per FTE)

Message from the Chair of the Remuneration Committee

Dear stakeholder,

On behalf of the Remuneration Committee I am pleased to present the Remuneration Report, providing a summary of the 
remuneration policies for the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board and an explanation about how they were 
implemented in 2020.

Summary of 2020 performance 
We started 2020 with a positive view on the year for all the different markets. During the first quarter, the COVID-19 
pandemic began to affect our business. We were not able to ship our systems to either Wuhan or California and we had to 
ship EUV systems without Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). This resulted in delays in revenue recognition. 

On the full year we were able to execute our business activities with limited impact on our financials. Delayed revenue at 
the start of the year could be recognized in later quarters and with the use of remote control activities, including 
augmented reality, we were able to support our customers with the installs, upgrades and maintenance actions. We 
continued to return capital to our shareholders by means of growing dividends and execution of our share buyback 
program, which was paused in Q1 following the COVID-19 outbreak, but resumed in Q4, as part of our unchanged capital 
return policy.

Decisions made in 2020
In 2020, we finalized the review of the remuneration policies for the Board of Management and Supervisory Board to 
ensure compliance with the revised EU Shareholders Rights Directive, following its implementation in Dutch law on 
December 1, 2019. We submitted adjusted remuneration policies to the AGM in 2020. These adjusted policies did not 
contain substantive changes to the remuneration structure or elements; main changes related to better explaining how the 
Remuneration Policies encourage behavior that is focused on the long-term interests and sustainability of ASML. In this 
process, the Supervisory Board and the Remuneration Committee, advised by an external remuneration expert, took into 
account the level of support in society and considered the external environment ASML operates in, the relevant statutory 
provisions and provisions of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, competitive market practice as well as the guidance 
issued by organizations representing institutional shareholders and input from ASML’s major shareholders. The Works 
Council issued a positive advice in respect of the Remuneration Policies for the Board of Management and the 
Supervisory Board. Both policies were adopted by the General Meeting on April 22, 2020.

During the year we also monitored to what extent COVID-19 impacted ASML's business and financial performance and 
we discussed the potential impact of the pandemic on remuneration. Given that ASML experienced only limited impact 
from the global economic consequences of COVID-19, we decided to not make (temporary) adjustments to the 
remuneration elements or policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking forward to 2021
During 2020, the Remuneration Committee reviewed the reference groups for Board of Management and Supervisory 
Board remuneration and performed the recurring bi-annual benchmark reviews. Based on the outcome of those reviews, 
we intend to submit proposals for implementing some adjustments to the Remuneration Policies for the Board of 
Management and the Supervisory Board to the 2021 AGM.  The proposed adjustments will be set out in the convocation 
documents for the 2021 AGM, which will be published in March 2021. 

Rolf Dieter Schwalb
Chair of the Remuneration Committee

134

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Board of Management remuneration
In this section of the Remuneration Report we provide an 
overview of the Board of Management Remuneration 
Policy which was adopted by the General Meeting on April 
22, 2020 and applied as of January 1, 2020. It also 
contains the details of the Board of Management 
members' actual remuneration for the financial year 2020. 
The Board of Management Remuneration Policy can be 
found in the governance section of our website.

Remuneration policy
Remuneration as a strategic instrument
The Board of Management Remuneration Policy supports 
the long-term development and strategy of ASML in a 
highly dynamic environment, while aiming to fulfill all 
stakeholders’ requirements and maintaining an acceptable 
risk profile. More than ever, the challenge for us is to drive 
technology, to serve our customers and to satisfy our 
stakeholders. These drivers are embedded in the identity, 
mission and values of ASML and its affiliated enterprises 
and are the backbone of the policy. The Supervisory Board 
ensures that the policy and its implementation are linked to 
ASML's objectives. 

The Remuneration Policy is designed to enable ASML to 
attract, motivate and retain qualified industry professionals 
for the Board of Management in order to define and 
achieve our strategic goals. The policy acknowledges the 
internal and external context as well as our business needs 
and long-term strategy. The policy encourages behavior 
that is focused on long-term value creation and the long-
term interests and sustainability of ASML, while adopting 
the highest standards of good corporate governance. It is 
aimed at motivating for outstanding achievements, using a 
combination of non-financial and financial performance 
measures. Technology leadership and customer value 
creation are the key drivers of sustainable returns to our 
shareholders.  

Remuneration principles
The remuneration philosophy that ASML applies for all its 
employees includes the principle that ASML wants to pay 
what is fair in the relevant labor market. The Supervisory 
Board applies the same principle for the Board of 

Management of ASML and in doing so takes the pay and 
employment conditions for the ASML employees into 
account when formulating the remuneration policy.

The Board of Management Remuneration Policy is built on 
the following principles:  

•  Transparent – The policy and its execution are clear and 

practical;  

•  Aligned – The Remuneration Policy is aligned with 

the Short-term Incentive and/or Long-Term Incentive 
policy for ASML senior management and other ASML 
employees;  

•  Long-term – The incentives focus on long-term value 

creation;  

•  Compliant – ASML adopts the highest standards of 

good corporate governance; and  

•  Simple – The policy and its execution are as simple as 

possible and easily understandable to all stakeholders.  

Reference group and market positioning
Similar to the remuneration philosophy for all ASML 
employees, we offer the Board of Management a 
remuneration package that is competitive compared to a 
relevant labor market. This market is defined by creating a 
reference group of companies comparable to ASML in 
terms of size and complexity, data transparency and 
geographical area. The median market level serves as 
reference point for determining the level of pay for the 
Board of Management for as long as ASML is positioned 
around the median of the reference group in terms of 
company size (measured by enterprise value, revenue and 
number of employees) and thus complexity.  

In principle, a benchmark is conducted every two years. To 
ensure an appropriate composition of the relevant labor 
market, the Supervisory Board reviews the composition of 
the reference group at the time a benchmark is conducted. 
Substantial changes applied to the composition of the 
reference group will be proposed to the shareholders. In 
the year without a market assessment, the Supervisory 
Board considers the appropriateness of any change of 
base salary in light of the market environment as well as 
the salary adjustments for other ASML employees. 

Current reference group composition
AkzoNobel
Alstom
Continental

Covestro

DSM

Essilor

Evonik

Givaudan

Infineon Technologies
Legrand

Leonardo-Finmeccanica
Linde
Nokia

Philips

SAP

Schindler

Shire

Smith & Nephew

Solvay
Yara International

Total direct compensation
The remuneration levels are determined using the total direct compensation. Total direct compensation consists of a fixed 
base salary and variable remuneration in the form of a short-term incentive (STI) and a long-term incentive (LTI). Other 
remuneration elements are pension and expense reimbursements.  

135

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Variable compensation
The performance parameters are set by the Supervisory Board and consist of financial and qualitative measures in such a 
way that an optimal balance is achieved between the various corporate objectives, both in the short term and the long 
term. By doing so, it is ensured that the variable compensation contributes to the strategy, long-term interests and 
sustainability of ASML. The Supervisory Board may adjust the performance measures and their relative weighting of the 
variable income based on the rules and principles as outlined in the Remuneration Policy, if required by changed strategic 
priorities in any given year. The Supervisory Board may use its the discretionary power to adjust the incentive pay-out 
upward or downward  (‘ultimum remedium’).  

The following table represents the variable pay as percentage of base salary for the Presidents and the other Board of 
Management members in the case of on-target performance.

2020 variable compensation (on-target) 
Short-term incentive
Long-term incentive
Total variable compensation as % of base salary

Presidents  Other board members
80%
100%

80%
110%

190%

180%

Summary of Remuneration Policy Board of Management
The elements of the Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management and their link to the strategy of ASML are 
summarized as: 

Base salary

Description and link to company strategy:
Fixed cash compensation 

Attract, motivate and retain qualified industry professionals for the Board of 
Management in order to define and achieve strategic goals

Policy summary:
• Derived from total direct compensation
• Determined by the Supervisory Board

Short-term 
incentive (STI)

Description and link to company strategy:
Short-term performance-related cash incentive 

Ensure a balanced focus on both the (financial) performance of ASML in the short term, as well on the sustained 
company future in terms of technological advancement and customer satisfaction, fueling long-term success

Policy summary:
• On-target level: 80% of base salary

• Performance measures (in principle set and evaluated annually)

•  Qualitative: Technology Leadership Index
•  Qualitative: Market Position
•  Financial measures, equally weighted, in principle selected from a pre-defined list:

 https://www.asml.com/rempolicy-bom

• Pay-out levels

•  Maximum
•  Target
•  Threshold
•  Below threshold
Linear pay-out between threshold and target, and between target and maximum

• Aligned with STI applicable to ASML employees (except employees 
in Netherlands subject to CLA with own profit sharing plan)

Weight
20%
20%
60%

% of target
150%
100%
50%
0%

Long-term 
incentive (LTI)

Description and link to company strategy:
Long-term performance-related share-based incentive 

Contribute to the strategy, long-term interests and sustainability of ASML using performance measures which 
balance the direct interest of ASML’s investors, the long-term financial success of ASML, the long-term 
continuation of technological advancement and the environmental and social dimensions of sustainability

136

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
Policy summary:
• On-target levels as % of base salary

•  Presidents
•  Other members Board of Management

• Performance measures (set annually, evaluated over 3-year period)

•  ROAIC
•  Total shareholder return (TSR) vs Index
•  Technology Leadership Index
•  Sustainability

• Pay-out levels TSR vs Index (TSR ASML–TSR PHLX Index (X.SOX))

•  Greater than or equal to 20%
•  0 to 20%
•  -20 to 0%
•  Less than or equal to -20%

• Pay-out levels ROAIC, Technology Leadership Index, Sustainability

•  Maximum
•  Target
•  Threshold
•  Below threshold
Linear pay-out between threshold and target, and between target and maximum

• Aligned with LTI of ASML employees eligible to receive performance 
shares - by using identical performance measures

110%
100%
Weight
40%
30%
20%
10%
% of target
200%
100-200%
50-100%
0%
% of target
200%
100%
50%
0%

Share ownership 
guidelines

Description and link to company strategy:
Requirement for a minimum share ownership by members of the Board of Management 

Ensure alignment between the interests of the Board of Management 
members and ASML’s long-term value creation

Policy summary:
• Presidents 3x annual base salary, other Board members 2x annual base salary
• 3-year period to comply for new members

• Supervisory Board has discretion to allow a temporary deviation in extraordinary circumstances

• Any shortfall will be remediated through the next vesting of shares

Other 
remuneration

Description and link to company strategy:
Contribute to the competitiveness of the overall remuneration package and creates alignment with market practice

Policy summary:
• Pension arrangement based on the ‘excedent’ (supplementary) arrangement for 
ASML employees in the Netherlands - a defined contribution plan

• Expense reimbursements, such as company car costs, travel expenses, representation allowances, housing 
costs (gross amount before taxes), social security costs, and health and disability insurance costs

137

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Remuneration Board of Management in 2020
The remuneration of the Board of Management for the financial year 2020 is based upon and complies with the 
Remuneration Policy as further explained below. As such, the remuneration of the Board of Management in 2020 
contributed to the objectives of the Remuneration Policy and, as a result, to ASML's strategy aimed at long-term value 
creation. Scenario analyses of the possible outcomes of the variable remuneration components and their effect on the 
remuneration of the Board of Management are conducted.  

Base Salary
At the beginning of 2020 the Supervisory Board decided to increase the base salaries of the members of the Board of 
Management by 2%, taking into account the market environment as well as the salary adjustments for other ASML 
employees. 

Short-Term Incentive
The financial and non-financial target levels for the STI were set at the beginning of the 2020 financial year in accordance 
with the Remuneration Policy and taking into account the annual plan for 2020, ensuring that targets are realistic, but 
challenging.

For the STI, the following qualitative performance metrics applied in 2020:

•  Market Position, measuring ASML’s performance in the market, not only in terms of market share, but also customer 

satisfaction and quality.

•  Technology Leadership Index, consisting of a set of targets related to ASML's product and technology roadmaps. It 
measures the technological progress made by ASML over the relevant performance period, supporting our efforts to 
drive innovation and thereby helping our customers achieve their goals and realize new technology and applications. 
Both the STI and LTI make use of the Technology Leadership Index as a qualitative performance measure. The 
objective is the same, but the applicable measures, targets and performance periods are different and aligned with 
specific short- and long-term strategic priorities.

In addition to the Technology Leadership Index and Market Position performance metrics, three financial performance 
metrics were selected for the 2020 STI. Based on ASML's business challenges and circumstances in 2020, the 
Supervisory Board chose the following three financial measures from the pre-defined list as included in the Remuneration 
Policy:

•  EBIT Margin %, measuring Income from operations as percentage of revenues
•  EUV Gross Margin %, measuring Gross Profit as a percentage of revenues for EUV
•  Free Cash Flow, measuring Cash flow from operations minus purchases of Property, Plant and Equipment and 

intangible fixed assets.

After the end of the performance period, the Supervisory Board assessed the performance achieved against the targets, in 
cooperation with the relevant subcommittees Technology Committee, Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee. 
We do not disclose the exact actual target and achievement levels for the STI performance criteria, as these qualify as 
commercially or strategically sensitive information, but in view of transparency, we report performance as follows:

STI Performance metric 2020
EBIT Margin %
EUV Gross Margin %

Free Cash Flow

Technology Leadership Index

Market position

Total

Weight
20%
20%

20%

20%

20%

100%

Pay-out (as % of target)
149.5%
150.0%

150.0%

Between target and max

Between target and max

139.2%

The total STI outcome results in a cash pay-out of €5.4 million, representing 111.3% of the base salary of the Board of 
Management. 

At the beginning of 2021, the Supervisory Board decided to apply the same three financial performance measures for 
2021 as in the previous year: 1. EBIT Margin %, 2. EUV Gross Margin % and 3. Free Cash Flow. 

138

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Long-Term Incentive

For the LTI, the following performance metrics apply, in accordance with the Remuneration Policy:

•  Total shareholder return vs. Index, measuring ASML's relative change in share price, plus dividends paid over the 

relevant performance period. ASML's total shareholder return is compared to the PHLX Semiconductor Sector Index, 
a NASDAQ index designed to track the performance of a set of companies engaged in the design, distribution, 
manufacture, and sale of semiconductors.

•  Return on Average Invested Capital (ROAIC), measuring ASML’s rate of return on capital it has put to work, regardless 
of our capital structure. It is used as a fundamental metric to measure value creation of the company. The ROAIC is 
calculated by dividing the Net Operating Profit After Tax by the Average Invested Capital. 

•  Technology Leadership Index, a qualitative measure which is also applied for the STI. Reference is made to the 

description under STI.

•  Sustainability, a qualitative measure for determining our performance in the area of sustainability by benchmarking our 
result from the annual comprehensive Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) against the best of the semiconductor 
industry. This DJSI Assessment is a comprehensive assessment measuring our performance on more than 20 ESG 
aspects. It allows us to benchmark our company performance in the wider field of ESG with our industry peers and 
drive continuous improvement. Underlying is our Sustainability Strategy 2019-2025 containing a set of 16 KPIs and 
targets, which we define by means of a comprehensive materiality assessment and input from continuous stakeholder 
engagement. For more information see Non-financial statements - Materiality: assessing our impact.

Vesting LTI 2018-2020

After the end of the three-year performance period 2018-2020, the Supervisory Board assessed the performance 
achieved against the LTI targets, in cooperation with the Technology Committee, Audit Committee and Remuneration 
Committee. For the LTI performance criteria, the actual target and achievement levels are not disclosed for the same 
reason as mentioned under STI, with the exception of total shareholder return. We report performance as follows:

LTI Performance metric 2018-2020
Total Shareholder Return
ROAIC

Technology Leadership Index

Sustainability
Total

Weight
30%
40%

20%

10%

100%

Pay-out (as % of target)
200.0%
88.4%

164.2%

183.5%

146.5%

The total LTI outcome results in a share vesting of 146.5% of target (73.3% of max).

Grant 2020

At the beginning of 2020, 9,245 performance shares were conditionally granted to each of the two Presidents; the other 
members of the Board of Management were each conditionally granted 5,718 performance shares. These conditional 
grants are based on the maximum achievable opportunity.

The targets levels related to the LTI performance measures ROAIC, Technology Leadership Index and Sustainability were 
set at the beginning of 2020 for the performance period 2020-2022. This was done taking into account the long-term 
product roadmap, sustainability goals and the long-term financial plan, thereby ensuring alignment between the various 
targets and ASML’s long-term strategic priorities and encouraging behavior focused on long-term value creation.  

Other remuneration
In 2020, the Board of Management members participated in the pension arrangement for the Board of Management, 
which is based on the ‘excedent’ (supplementary) arrangement for our employees in the Netherlands, a defined 
contribution opportunity as defined in Dutch fiscal regulations. It consist of a gross pension element (for the salary below 
approximately 110,000 euro) and a net pension element (for the salary above 110,000 euro). Some members opted out of 
the net pension due to different tax treatment of this outside the Netherlands. Details on the incurred accounting expenses 
relating to the application of the pension arrangement in 2020 can be found in the table Total Remuneration Board of 
Management.

Expenses reimbursed by ASML in 2020 included company car costs, travel expenses, representation allowances, housing 
costs, social security costs, and health and disability insurance costs.

Share ownership guidelines
All members of the Board of Management complied with the share ownership guidelines as incorporated in the 
Remuneration Policy. 

139

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Total remuneration Board of Management

The remuneration of the members of the Board of Management based on incurred accounting expenses in 2020, 2019 
and 2018 was as follows (amounts are in € thousands):

Board of 
Management

Financial 
Year

Base 
salary

Pension

Other 
benefits

Total 
fixed % Fixed

P.T.F.M. 
Wennink

M.A. van den 
Brink

F.J. van Hout

F.J.M. 
Schneider- 
Maunoury

R.J.M. Dassen

C.D. Fouquet

Total Board of 
Management

2020

2019

2018

2020

2019

2018

2020

2019

2018

2020

2019

2018

2020

2019

2018

2020

2019

2018

2020

2019

2018

1,020

1,000

978

1,020

1,000

978

694

680

661

694

680

661

694

680

386

694

680

496

4,816

4,720

4,160

216

207

203

216

207

203

122

114

114

122

114

114

100

93

53

83

74

45

859

809

732

57

53

53

57

52

51

47

44

44

36

30

31

51

47

28

51

47

32

1,293

1,260

1,234

1,293

1,259

1,232

863

838

819

852

824

806

845

820

467

828

801

573

299

273

239

5,974

5,802

5,131

28.3%

28.9%

35.9%

28.3%

28.9%

35.9%

29.4%

30.6%

37.6%

29.1%

30.3%

37.2%

22.2%

27.7%

52.0%

27.8%

36.4%

50.9%

27.4%

30.0%

38.8%

Total 
variable

% 
Variable

Total 
Remuneration

Relative 
proportion 
fixed vs. 
variable

STI

1,135

1,070

747

1,135

1,070

747

773

728

505

773

728

505

773

728

295

773

728

379

LTI

2,136

2,031

1,452

2,136

2,031

1,452

1,302

1,172

853

1,302

1,172

858

2,186

1,408

135

1,374

674

173

3,271

3,101

2,199

3,271

3,101

2,199

2,075

1,900

1,358

2,075

1,900

1,363

2,959

2,136

430

2,147

1,402

552

5,362

5,052

3,178

10,436

8,487

4,923

15,798

13,539

8,101

71.7%

71.1%

64.1%

71.7%

71.1%

64.1%

70.6%

69.4%

62.4%

70.9%

69.7%

62.8%

77.8%

72.3%

47.9%

72.2%

63.6%

49.1%

72.6%

70.0%

61.2%

4,564

4,361

3,433

4,564

4,360

3,431

2,938

2,738

2,177

2,927

2,724

2,169

3,804

2,956

897

2,975

2,203

1,125

21,772

19,341

13,232

0.40

0.41

0.56

0.40

0.41

0.56

0.42

0.44

0.60

0.41

0.43

0.59

0.29

0.38

1.09

0.39

0.57

1.04

0.38

0.43

0.63

The remuneration reported as part of the LTI (share awards) is based on costs incurred under US GAAP and EU-IFRS. The 
costs of share awards are charged to the Consolidated Statements of Operations over the 3-year vesting period based on 
the number of awards expected to vest. For the first 2 years, we apply the maximum achievable number of share awards, 
and in the final performance year of the awards we update this estimate for the non-market performance conditions to the 
best estimated amounts which are anticipated to vest. Any difference between the amount based on the best estimate of 
achievable number of shares awards and the amount based on the actual number of share awards that vest, is taken into 
account in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the financial year in which the share awards vest.

The LTI (share awards) remuneration reported for the year 2020 includes a release for the 2018 performance share plan 
based on the actual number of share awards vesting early 2021. The release is as follows: Mr. Wennink: €772,357; Mr. van 
den Brink: €772,357; Mr. van Hout: €443,710; Mr. Schneider-Maunoury: €443,840; Mr. Dassen: €281,317; Mr. Fouquet: 
€361,691. 

The Supervisory Board applied an upward adjustment for the pay-out related to the ROAIC performance metric of the 
2018-2020 LTI plan. This adjustment is made to correct for the effects of higher than anticipated investments in R&D and 
CAPEX since target setting. The increase in investments is mainly needed to meet customer development roadmaps for 
High-NA and as such supports long-term value creation of ASML and our stakeholders. The pay-out changed from 
111.2% to 146.5%. The upward adjustments are as follows: Mr. Wennink: 2,307 shares for €369,050; Mr. van den Brink: 
2,307 shares for €369,050; Mr. Van Hout: 1,326 shares for €212,017; Mr. Schneider-Maunoury: 1,326 shares for €212,087; 
Mr. Dassen: 773 shares for €140,560; Mr. Fouquet: 994 shares for €180,720. Amounts involved are based on the number 
of extra vested shares multiplied with the share price at grant date adjusted for the number of service days until vesting in 
2021. The modified vesting conditions have been taken into account in the adjustment. 

The net impact in the 2020 Consolidated Statements of Operations is a release of: Mr. Wennink: €403,307; Mr. Van den 
Brink: €403,307; Mr. Van Hout: €231,693, Mr. Schneider-Maunoury: €231,753; Mr. Dassen: €140,757; Mr. Fouquet: 
€180,971.

W.U. Nickl is no longer part of the Board of Management since he left the company in 2018.

Former 
Board of 
Management

Financial 
Year

W.U. Nickl

2018

Base 
salary

220

Pension

Other 
benefits

Total 
fixed % Fixed

25

19

264

18.2%

STI

168

Total 
variable

% 
Variable

Total 
Remuneration

LTI

Relative 
proportion 
fixed vs. 
variable

1,020

1,188

81.8%

1,452

0.22

140

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Share-based payments
Performance based share-based remuneration current members of the Board of Management

Market based 
element

Non-Market based 
element

Full 
control

Number 
of shares 
at target

Fair value 
at grant 
date

Number 
of shares 
at target

Fair value 
at grant 
date

Board of 
Management

Grant 
date

Status

P.T.F.M. 
Wennink

1/24/20 Conditional

7/19/19 Conditional

1/19/18 Unconditional

1/20/17 Unconditional

1/22/16 Unconditional

M.A. van  
den Brink

1/24/20 Conditional

7/19/19 Conditional

1/19/18 Unconditional

1/20/17 Unconditional

1/22/16 Unconditional

F.J. van Hout

1/24/20 Conditional

7/19/19 Conditional

1/19/18 Unconditional

1/20/17 Unconditional

1/22/16 Unconditional

1/24/20 Conditional

7/19/19 Conditional

1/19/18 Unconditional

1/20/17 Unconditional

1/22/16 Unconditional

1/24/20 Conditional

7/19/19 Conditional

1/25/19 Conditional

7/20/18 Unconditional

F.J.M. 
Schneider- 
Maunoury

R.J.M. 
Dassen

C.D. Fouquet

1/24/20 Conditional

7/19/19 Conditional

7/20/18 Unconditional

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

1,387

2,217

1,958

3,037

n/a

1,387

2,217

1,958

3,037

n/a

858

1,371

1,125

1,745

n/a

858

1,371

1,125

1,745

n/a

858

1,371

3,000

657

858

1,371

844

286.9

245.4

215.1

145.4

n/a

286.9

245.4

215.1

145.4

3,235

5,173

4,570

7,085

8,290

3,235

5,173

4,570

7,085

263.7

194.4

162.8

110.5

83.6

263.7

194.4

162.8

110.5

286.9

245.4

215.1

145.4

n/a

286.9

245.4

215.1

145.4

2,001

3,198

2,626

4,070

5,603

2,001

3,198

2,626

4,070

263.7

194.4

162.8

110.5

83.6

263.7

194.4

162.8

110.5

n/a

5,603

83.6

286.9

245.4

169.0

274.6

286.9

245.4

274.6

2,001

3,198

7,000

1,531

2,001

3,198

1,969

263.7

194.4

148.3

185.0

263.7

194.4

185.0

Total 
target  
shares 
at grant 
date

4,622

7,390

6,528

Maximum 
shares 
(200%)

9,245

14,780

Number 
of shares 
at vesting 
date

n/a

n/a

Vesting 
date

1/1/23

1/1/22

13,056

1/19/21

9,566

10,122

20,243

1/1/20

16,733

Share 
price at 
vesting

End of 
lock-up 
date

n/a

n/a

439.9

263.7

1/1/25

1/1/24

1/19/23

1/1/22

16,579

1/22/19

12,435

141.4

1/22/21

9,245

14,780

1/1/23

1/1/22

n/a

n/a

13,056

1/19/21

9,566

10,122

20,243

1/1/20

16,733

n/a

n/a

439.9

263.7

1/1/25

1/1/24

1/19/23

1/1/22

5,718

9,137

7,501

1/1/23

1/1/22

1/19/21

11,629

1/1/20

11,205

1/22/19

5,718

9,137

7,502

1/1/23

1/1/22

1/19/21

11,629

1/1/20

11,205

1/22/19

5,718

9,137

1/1/23

1/1/22

1/1/22

n/a

n/a

5,496

9,613

8,404

n/a

n/a

5,496

9,613

8,404

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

439.9

263.7

1/1/25

1/1/24

1/19/23

1/1/22

141.4

1/22/21

n/a

n/a

439.9

263.7

1/1/25

1/1/24

1/19/23

1/1/22

141.4

1/22/21

n/a

n/a

n/a

1/1/25

1/1/24

1/1/24

10,000

20,000

2,188

2,859

4,569

2,813

4,376

1/19/21

3,207

439.9

1/19/23

5,718

9,137

5,626

1/1/23

1/1/22

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

1/1/25

1/1/24

1/19/21

4,122

439.9

1/19/23

8,290

4,622

7,390

6,528

2,859

4,569

3,751

5,815

5,603

2,859

4,569

3,751

5,815

5,603

2,859

4,569

n/a

8,290

83.6

8,290

16,579

1/22/19

12,435

141.4

1/22/21

W.U. Nickl is no longer part of the Board of Management since he left the company in 2018.

Market based 
element

Non-Market based 
element

Former Board 
of 
Management

Grant 
date

Status

Full 
control

Number 
of shares 
at target

Fair value 
at grant 
date

Number 
of shares 
at target

Fair value 
at grant 
date

Total 
target  
shares 
at grant 
date

Maximum 
shares 
(200%)

Vesting 
date

Number 
of shares 
at vesting 
date

Share 
price at 
vesting

End of 
lock-up 
date

W.U. Nickl

1/19/18 Unconditional

1/20/17 Unconditional

1/22/16 Unconditional

No

No

No

375

1,745

—

215.1

145.4

—

876

4,070

5,603

162.8

110.5

83.6

1,251

5,815

5,603

2,501

1/19/21

11,629

1/1/20

11,205

1/22/19

1,833

9,613

8,404

439.9

1/19/23

263.7

141.4

1/1/22

1/22/21

Reasons, criteria and principal conditions for granting shares

For the reasons and criteria for granting the performance shares to each member of the Board of Management, reference 
is made to the table summarizing the Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management and to the section Board of 
Management Remuneration in 2020 - Long Term Incentive as included in this Remuneration Report.

141

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
The principal conditions applicable to the performance shares are described below. These apply to each member of the 
Board of Management. 

Instrument:

Performance Shares

Grant:

Grant date:

Conditional grant on an annual basis based on maximum achievable opportunity. The number 
of performance shares to be conditionally awarded is calculated using the volume-weighted 
average share price during the last quarter of the year preceding the conditional award.

Two days after the publication of ASML’s annual results in January of the 
year in which the three-year performance period starts

Performance period:

Three years, starting on January 1 in year of grant

Vesting:

The shares will become unconditional in the year after the end of the three-year performance 
period,  depending on the level of achievement of the predetermined performance targets

Lock-up period:

The minimum holding period is two years after the vesting date.

Upon termination of contract the transfer restrictions will remain in place 
during the holding period except in case of decease.

In case a tax payment is due by the members of the Board of Management over 
the retrieved variable income, performance shares may be partially sold at vesting 
(‘sell to cover’) in accordance with the law and internal regulations.

Relationship between accounted remuneration and company's performance
The following table sets forth an overview of the relationship between accounted remuneration and the company's 
performance:

For the year ended December 31 (€, in thousands)
Net sales
Net income based on US GAAP

Net income based on EU-IFRS

ASML share price (closing price on Euronext Amsterdam in €)

Average number of FTEs (payroll and temporary)

2016
6,875,073
1,557,850

2017
8,962,658
2,066,679

2018 1
10,944,016
2,591,614

2019
11,820,001
2,592,252

2020
13,978,452
3,553,670

1,642,800

2,173,400

2,525,515

2,581,107

3,696,813

106.7

12,852

145.2

15,136

137.2

18,204

263.7

22,192

397.6

24,727

Remuneration P.T.F.M. Wennink (CEO)

Remuneration M.A. van den Brink

Remuneration R.J.M. Dassen

Remuneration F.J. van Hout

Remuneration C.D. Fouquet

Remuneration F.J.M. Schneider-Maunoury

Average remuneration per FTE

Internal pay ratio (CEO versus employee remuneration)

3,458

3,462

—

2,360

—

2,301

110

31

3,455

3,454

—

2,276

—

2,260

109

32

3,433

3,431

897

2,177

1,125

2,169

107

32

4,361

4,360

2,956

2,738

2,203

2,724

106

41

4,564

4,564

3,804

2,938

2,975

2,927

113

40

1.  The remuneration of the R.J.M. Dassen and C.D. Fouquet is lower in 2018 as they were appointed as members of the Board of Management during 2018. 

Explanation of changes in company's performance versus remuneration

The table set out above aims to provide insight into the Company's performance over the past five years and the 
development of the remuneration. The metrics sales, net income and share price are used to measure company 
performance, as they are key metrics serving as a good proxy for ASML's general performance, as well as in view of 
comparability with other companies. The Company has grown significantly over the last years, not only reflected in the 
number of employees but also in terms of revenue. Since 2016, net sales increased by 103%. The performance of the 
Company in that same period has increased significantly as well, reflected for example in Net Income (125% growth since 
2016 based on EU-IFRS) and Total Shareholder Return (273% growth). As the table shows, the company performance 
over the last five years has improved more significantly compared to the development of remuneration in that same 
period. The size of the company (measured by enterprise value, revenue and number of employees) is taken into account 
in determining the group of reference companies that are used for the benchmark to assess the competitiveness of the 
Board of Management remuneration compared to the labor market. This has led to revisions of the Board of Management 
remuneration policy in 2017 and 2019, resulting into higher base salaries as well as higher levels of STI (at target) and LTI 
(at target). Actual remuneration may fluctuate year over year depending on actual STI pay-out in any year, as well as the 
vesting of performance shares (LTI) in any year and the share price at that moment. 

142

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Relationship between CEO and average remuneration (pay ratio) 

The internal pay ratio1 (CEO versus employee remuneration) remained stable 40:1 in 2020 (2019 41:1) after the reset 
performed in 2019.  ASML intends to grant competitive remuneration to employees at all position levels within the 
Company. At each level remuneration should reflect the responsibilities of the role. The build-up of remuneration from level 
to level should therefore be gradual and in line with increasing responsibilities, also following market practice. At the 
highest level the steps become gradually bigger as responsibilities ultimately rise from a divisional level to an overall 
company level. The Supervisory Board considers the current build-up and the overall pay ratio of 40:1 to be equitable, 
considering the current size and organization structure of the company. 

1.  This ratio consists of the CEO's total remuneration during 2020 of €4,564 thousand, compared to the average remuneration of all employees. The average 

remuneration of all employees was calculated using the average number of payroll employees in FTE (wages and salaries + pension and retirement expenses + share-
based payments) / average number of payroll employees = €2,756 million / 24,727 = €113 thousand. This ratio is prepared in accordance with the Dutch Corporate 
Governance Code and has not been prepared to comply the Pay Ratio Disclosure requirements under SEC regulations.  

Remuneration Supervisory Board
In this section of the Remuneration Report we provide an overview of the Supervisory Board's Remuneration Policy as 
adopted by the General Meeting on April 22, 2020 and as in force as of April 1, 2020. It also provides the details of the 
Supervisory Board members' actual remuneration in 2020. The Remuneration Policy for the Supervisory Board can be 
found in the Governance section of our website. 

Remuneration Policy
Remuneration objectives and principles
The remuneration policy for the Supervisory Board is designed to enable ASML to attract and retain qualified Supervisory 
Board members, which together compose a diverse and balanced Supervisory Board with the appropriate level of skills, 
competences and experience required to properly supervise (the execution of) ASML's strategy, which is focused on the 
creation of long-term value for all stakeholders.

The remuneration policy is built on the following principles: 

•  Transparent – The remuneration policy and its execution are clear and practical 
•  Alignment – The remuneration policy is benchmarked to market practice 
•  Compliant – ASML adopts the highest standards of good corporate governance 
•  Simple – The remuneration policy and its execution are as simple as possible and easily understandable to all 

stakeholders 

•  Fair – The remuneration should reflect the time spent and the responsibilities of the role of the members of the 

Supervisory Board 

•  Independent – The remuneration of a Supervisory Board member may not be made dependent on the results of the 

company.

Reference group and market positioning 
The remuneration of the Supervisory Board should be competitive compared to a relevant reference market. This market 
is defined using a reference group of companies with a two-tier board structure listed on the AEX Index of Euronext 
Amsterdam. To determine the positioning in this group, enterprise value, revenue and number of employees are taken into 
account. 

143

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Summary of Remuneration Policy Supervisory Board 
The table below provides an overview and description of the elements of the Remuneration Policy for the Supervisory 
Board.

Remuneration element

Description

Value

Fixed remuneration

Basic membership fee

Chair € 110,000 
Vice-Chair € 80,000 
Member € 70,000 
Chair Audit Committee € 23,000 
Member Audit Committee € 15,000 
Chair other committees € 18,000 
Member other committees € 12,000

Extra allowance for 
intercontinental meetings

Extra, fixed allowance paid in connection with additional 
time commitment for intercontinental travel

€ 5,000 for each meeting that 
involves intercontinental travel

Expenses

Expenses incurred in relation to meeting attendance are 
reimbursed. 

Depends on level of expenses 

In addition, a fixed net cost allowance is paid, covering 
certain pre-defined out-of-pocket expenses

€ 1,980 for the Chair of the Supervisory 
Board and € 1,380 for the other 
Supervisory Board members

Loans and guarantees

No (personal) loans or guarantees or the like will be granted Not applicable

Shares and share ownership No (rights to) shares are granted by way of 

Not applicable

Other arrangements

remuneration. Any holding of ASML shares for the 
purpose of long-term investment. Any trading activity 
is subject to ASML's Insider Trading Rules

(Re)appointment based on Dutch law and ASML's 
articles of association. No claw-back, severance 
or change in control arrangements are in place

Not applicable

Remuneration Supervisory Board in 2020
Overview of the remuneration awarded to the Supervisory Board members over five years (amounts are in € thousands):

Membership 
fees 2020

Committee 
fees 2020

Allowances   
20201

Proportion 
fixed vs. 
variable 2020

Total 
remuneration 
2020

Total 
remuneration 
2019

Total 
remuneration 
2018

Total 
remuneration 
2017

Total 
remuneration 
2016

G.J. Kleisterlee

110

D.A. Grose

T.L. Kelly

A.P. Aris

R.D. Schwalb

C.M.S. Smits Nusteling

J.M.C. Stork

D.W.A. East

D.M. Durcan

Total

80

70

70

70

70

70

48

48

45

30

12

24

33

24

24

10

8

2

7

6

1

1

1

6

1

1

636

210

26

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

100:0

157

117

88

95

104

95

100

59

57

872

154

133

101

98

101

91

118

—

—

796

138

115

60

80

88

80

100

—

—

661

135

113

—

80

86

79

100

—

—

593

113

105

—

76

81

75

94

—

—

544

1. 

 Allowances consist of fixed expense allowances and allowances for intercontinental meetings.

No shares and options have been granted to the current and former members of the Supervisory Board during the last five 
years. The remuneration of the Supervisory Board is not directly linked to the performance of ASML. 

Overview of the remuneration awarded to the former Supervisory members in 2020, 2019 and 2018 (amounts are in € 
thousands):

Membership 
fees 2020

Committee fees 
2020

Allowances   
20201

Proportion fixed 
vs. variable 2020

Total 
remuneration 
2020

Total 
remuneration 
2019

Total 
remuneration 
2018

P.F.M. van der Meer Mohr

W.H. Ziebart

Total

—

22

22

—

8

8

—

—

—

—

100:0

100:0

—

30

30

—

101

101

1. 

 Allowances consist of fixed expense allowances and allowances for intercontinental meetings.

27

82

109

144

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
Other information

Total remuneration
The annual remuneration for the members of the Board of Management and Supervisory Board members during 2020 
amounts to €22.6 million (2019: €20.1 million). 

Other arrangements
No remuneration has been granted and allocated by subsidiaries or other companies whose financials are consolidated by 
ASML, since all members of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board are paid directly by ASML Holding N.V.

No (personal) loans have been granted to the members of the Board of Management or the Supervisory Board and no 
guarantees or the like have been granted in favor of any of the members of the Board of Management and the Supervisory 
Board.

No severance payments were granted to members of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board in 2020 and 
no variable remuneration has been clawed-back.

Derogation
In 2020 no deviations took place from the decision-making process for the implementation of the Remuneration Policies 
for the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board and no temporary deviations took place from the Remuneration 
Policies. 

Shareholder voting
At the 2020 AGM the 2020 Remuneration Policy for the Board of Management was adopted with 95% of the votes cast in 
favor. The Remuneration Policy for the Supervisory Board was also adopted at the 2020 AGM with a majority of 99.47% of 
the votes cast in favor of the proposal.

The Remuneration Report for the financial year 2019 was submitted to the 2020 AGM for an advisory vote. 93.78% of the 
votes were cast in favor. As a result there are no specific topics to be addressed in this Remuneration Report.

This Remuneration Report will be submitted to the 2021 AGM for an advisory vote in line with Dutch law. 

145

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consolidated
financial
statements

146

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Supervisory Board

ASML Holding N.V.:

Opinions on the Consolidated Financial 
Statements and Internal Control Over 
Financial Reporting 
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance 
sheets of ASML Holding N.V. and subsidiaries (the 
“Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the 
related consolidated statements of operations, 
comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash 
flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended 
December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively, the 
“consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited 
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as 
of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in 
Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by 
the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway Commission.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements 
referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the 
financial position of the Company as of December 31, 
2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its 
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period 
ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with U.S. 
generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our 
opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, 
effective internal control over financial reporting as of 
December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in 
Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by 
the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway Commission.

Basis for Opinions 
The Company’s management is responsible for these 
consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective 
internal control over financial reporting, and for its 
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over 
financial reporting, included in the accompanying 
Management’s report on internal control over financial 
reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the 
Company’s consolidated financial statements and an 
opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial 
reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting 
firm registered with the Public Company Accounting 
Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are 
required to be independent with respect to the Company in 
accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the 
applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and 
Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards 
of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about 
whether the consolidated financial statements are free of 
material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and 
whether effective internal control over financial reporting 
was maintained in all material respects. 

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements 
included performing procedures to assess the risks of 
material misstatement of the consolidated financial 
statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing 
procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures 

included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the 
amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial 
statements. Our audits also included evaluating the 
accounting principles used and significant estimates made 
by management, as well as evaluating the overall 
presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our 
audit of internal control over financial reporting included 
obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial 
reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness 
exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating 
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed 
risk. Our audits also included performing such other 
procedures as we considered necessary in the 
circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a 
reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal 
Control Over Financial Reporting 
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a 
process designed to provide reasonable assurance 
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the 
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. 
A company’s internal control over financial reporting 
includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to 
the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, 
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and 
dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide 
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as 
necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, 
and that receipts and expenditures of the company are 
being made only in accordance with authorizations of 
management and directors of the company; and (3) provide 
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely 
detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of 
the company’s assets that could have a material effect on 
the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over 
financial reporting may not prevent or detect 
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of 
effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that 
controls may become inadequate because of changes in 
conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the 
policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matter 
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter 
arising from the current period audit of the consolidated 
financial statements that was communicated or required to 
be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) 
relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the 
consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our 
especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. 
The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter 
in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial 
statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by 
communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a 
separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the 
accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Complex revenue recognition due to the identification of 
distinct performance obligations and allocation of the total 
contract consideration.  

147

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020As disclosed in note 3 to the consolidated financial 
statements, net system sales was EUR 10,317 million for 
the 12 months ended December 31, 2020. Sales of 
systems are usually entered into with customers under 
Volume Purchase Agreements (VPAs). These VPAs usually 
contain multiple performance obligations, for example 
delivery of goods, installation, warranty and training. Once 
these performance obligations are identified, the total 
contract consideration, including discounts, offer of free 
goods or services and credits that can be used towards 
future purchases, is allocated to the performance 
obligations. 

We identified complex revenue recognition relating to the 
identification of performance obligations in the contracts as 
well as the allocation of the total contract consideration, 
including discounts, offer of free goods or services and 
credits that can be used towards future purchases, as a 
critical audit matter since it is inherently judgmental and 
results in complex accounting. As a result, evaluating the 
Company’s judgments regarding the identified 
performance obligations, including the estimate of the 
number of systems to be delivered, and the allocation of 
the total contract consideration to these performance 
obligations required a high degree of auditor judgment. 

The following are the primary procedures we performed to 
address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design 
and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal 
controls related to the critical matter. This includes controls 
related to VPA contract assessment for the identification of 
performance obligations and the allocation of the total 
contract consideration to these performance obligations, 
and the correct application of these on individual sales 
transactions. We evaluated the identification of 
performance obligations by inspecting a selection including 
significant VPAs and their supporting documentation. 
Furthermore, we evaluated a sample of individual sales 
transactions by inspecting their related supporting 
documentation, we performed sensitivity analysis to 
assess the estimated number of systems to be delivered, 
assessed changes in estimates throughout the year by 
inspecting related supporting documentation, and 
performed inquiries with different levels of the organization. 
Finally, we checked the accuracy of the Company’s model 
used to allocate the contract consideration to the identified 
performance obligations.

/s/ KPMG Accountants N.V.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

February 10, 2021 

148

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Consolidated Statements of Operations 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions, except per share data)

Notes

Net system sales
Net service and field option sales

Total net sales

Cost of system sales
Cost of service and field option sales

Total cost of sales 1

2018

8,259.1
2,684.9

2019

8,996.2
2,823.8

3, 4

10,944.0

11,820.0

(4,141.2)
(1,773.6)

(5,914.8)

(4,676.2)
(1,864.0)

(6,540.2)

2020

10,316.6
3,661.9

13,978.5

(5,169.3)
(2,012.0)

(7,181.3)

Gross profit

5,029.2

5,279.8

6,797.2

Research and development costs
Selling, general and administrative costs

Income from operations

Interest and other, net

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense

Income after income taxes

Profit from equity method investments

Net income

Basic net income per ordinary share

Diluted net income per ordinary share

Number of ordinary shares used in computing per share amounts: 

Basic
Diluted

(1,575.9)
(488.0)

2,965.3

(1,968.5)
(520.5)

2,790.8

(2,200.8)
(544.9)

4,051.5

16

21

10

23

23

23
23

(28.3)

2,937.0

(351.6)

2,585.4

6.2

2,591.6

6.10

6.08

424.9
426.4

(25.0)

2,765.8

(191.7)

2,574.1

18.2

2,592.3

6.16

6.15

420.8
421.6

(34.9)

4,016.6

(551.5)

3,465.1

88.6

3,553.7

8.49

8.48

418.3
419.1

1.  Cost of sales includes amounts with related parties of €1,457.4 million, €1,321.8 million and €1,173.7 million in 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively.

149

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Net income

Notes

2018

2,591.6

2019

2,592.3

2020

3,553.7

Other comprehensive income:
Proportionate share of OCI from equity method investments

(4.8)

(19.8)

(1.3)

Foreign currency translation, net of taxes:
Gain (loss) on foreign currency translation and effective portion of hedges

18.2

20.1

(73.8)

Financial instruments, net of taxes:
Gain (loss) on derivative financial instruments
Transfers to net income

Other comprehensive income, net of taxes

Total comprehensive income, net of taxes
Attributable to equity holders

25
25

8.3
11.8

33.5

3.2
(10.7)

(7.2)

2,625.1
2,625.1

2,585.1
2,585.1

(21.0)
(2.3)

(98.4)

3,455.3
3,455.3

150

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of December 31 (€, in millions, except share and per share data)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Short-term investments
Accounts receivable, net
Finance receivables, net
Current tax assets
Contract assets
Inventories, net
Other assets 1
Total current assets

Finance receivables, net
Deferred tax assets
Other assets 2
Equity method investments
Goodwill
Other intangible assets, net
Property, plant and equipment, net
Right-of-use assets - Operating
Right-of-use assets - Finance 3

Total non-current assets

Total assets

Liabilities and shareholders’ equity
Accounts payable 4
Accrued and other liabilities
Current tax liabilities
Current portion of long-term debt
Contract liabilities

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt
Deferred and other income tax liabilities
Contract liabilities
Accrued and other liabilities

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

Ordinary shares; €0.09 nominal value; 

699,999,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2020; (2019: 699,999,000)

416,514,034 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020;  (2019: 419,810,706)

Issued and outstanding shares

Share premium

Treasury shares at cost

Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive income

Total shareholders’ equity

Notes

2019

2020

5
5
6
7
21
3
8
9

7
21
9
10
11
12
13
14
14

15
21
16
3

16
21
3
15

22

3,532.3
1,185.8
1,786.8
564.5
178.7
231.0
3,809.2
842.8
12,131.1

421.1
445.3
830.4
833.0
4,541.1
1,104.4
1,999.3
205.4
118.5

6,049.4
1,302.2
1,310.3
1,710.5
67.3
119.2
4,569.4
801.7
15,930.0

400.5
671.5
951.5
820.7
4,629.1
1,048.9
2,470.3
180.1
164.8

10,498.5

11,337.4

22,629.6

27,267.4

1,062.2
1,039.9
65.6
—
2,526.4

4,694.1

3,108.3
234.4
1,759.6
241.0

5,343.3

1,377.9
1,146.0
110.0
15.4
3,954.2

6,603.5

4,662.8
238.3
1,639.9
257.5

6,798.5

10,037.4

13,402.0

38.2

3,772.0

(1,019.6)

9,523.8
277.8

12,592.2

37.6

3,780.1

(863.2)

10,731.5
179.4

13,865.4

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

22,629.6

27,267.4

1.  Other assets - current includes amounts with related parties of €265.8 million and €215.2 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
2.  Other assets - non-current includes amounts with related parties of €668.0 million and €585.3 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
3.  Right-of-use assets - Finance includes amounts with related parties of €149.9 million and €107.6 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
4.  Accounts Payable includes amounts with related parties of €110.9 million and €127.4 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

151

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

(€, in millions)
Balance at January 1, 2018
Components of comprehensive income:
Net income

Share of OCI from equity method investments
Foreign currency translation and effective 
portion of hedges
Gain (loss) on financial instruments 

Total comprehensive income
Purchase of treasury shares

Share-based payments

Issuance of shares
Dividend paid

Balance at December 31, 2018

Components of comprehensive income:
Net income

Share of OCI from equity method investments 
Foreign currency translation and effective 
portion of hedges
Gain (loss) on financial instruments 

Total comprehensive income
Purchase of treasury shares

Cancellation of treasury shares

Share-based payments

Issuance of shares
Dividend paid

Balance at December 31, 2019

Components of comprehensive income:
Net income

Share of OCI from equity method investments 
Foreign currency translation and effective 
portion of hedges
Gain (loss) on financial instruments 

Total comprehensive income
Purchase of treasury shares

Cancellation of treasury shares

Share-based payments

Issuance of shares
Dividend paid

25

22

20

22

25

22

22

20

22

25

22

22

20

22

Issued and 
Outstanding Shares

Number
427.4

Amount
38.8

Share 
Premium
3,732.5

Treasury 
Shares at 
Cost
(557.9)

Retained 
Earnings
7,226.2

Notes

—

—

—

—

—

(7.0)

—

0.7
—

—

—

—

—

—

(0.3)

—

0.1
—

—

—

—

—

—

— 2,591.6

—

—

—

—

—

—

— 2,591.6

— (1,145.9)

—

—

—

82.0

(22.8)
— (597.1)

46.3

(37.5)
—

OCI1
251.5

Total
10,691.1

— 2,591.6
(4.8)

(4.8)

18.2

20.1

18.2

20.1

33.5

2,625.1
— (1,146.2)
—
46.3

—
21.8
— (597.1)

421.1

38.6

3,741.3 (1,621.8)

9,197.9

285.0

11,641.0

—

—

—

—

—

(1.9)

—

—

0.6
—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(0.5)

—

0.1
—

—

—

—

—

—

— 2,592.3

—

—

—

—

—

—

— 2,592.3

— (410.0)

—

—

902.3

(901.8)

74.6

(43.9)
—

—

—

109.9

(38.9)
— (1,325.7)

— 2,592.3
(19.8)

(19.8)

20.1

(7.5)

20.1

(7.5)

(7.2)

2,585.1
— (410.0)
—
—

—

74.6

—
27.2
— (1,325.7)

419.8

38.2

3,772.0 (1,019.6)

9,523.8

277.8

12,592.2

—

—

—

—

—
(3.9)

—

—

0.6
—

—

—

—

—

—
—

(0.7)

—

0.1
—

—

—

—

—

— 3,553.7

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
— (1,207.5)

— 3,553.7
—

— 1,262.3 (1,261.6)

— 3,553.7
(1.3)

(1.3)

(73.8)

(73.8)

(23.3)

(98.4)

(23.3)
3,455.3
— (1,207.5)
—
—

—

—

—

53.9

101.6

(18.0)
— (1,066.4)

—
37.9
— (1,066.4)
13,865.4

179.4

53.9

(45.8)
—

Balance at December 31, 2020

416.5

37.6

3,780.1

(863.2)

10,731.5

1.  As of December 31, 2020, accumulated OCI consists of €(26.9) million loss relating to our proportionate share of other comprehensive income from equity method 
investments (2019: €(25.6) million loss; 2018: €(5.8) million loss), €229.1 million relating to foreign currency translation gain (2019: €302.4 million gain; 2018: €282.3 
million gain) and €(22.3) million relating to unrealized losses on financial instruments (2019: €1.0 million gains; 2018: €8.5 million gains).

152

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Notes

2018

2019

2020

Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net income
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows from operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization 1
Impairment and loss on disposal

Share-based compensation expense

Inventory reserves

Deferred tax expense (benefit)
Equity method investments 2
Changes in assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable

Finance receivables

Inventories 

Other assets

Accrued and other liabilities

Accounts payable

Current tax assets and liabilities
Contract assets and liabilities

Net cash provided by operating activities

Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Purchase of property, plant and equipment 3, 4
Purchase of intangible assets

Purchase of short-term investments 

Maturity of short-term investments

Cash from (used for) derivative financial instruments

Loans issued and other investing
Acquisition of subsidiaries (net of cash acquired)

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Dividend paid

Purchase of treasury shares

Net proceeds from issuance of shares

Net proceeds from issuance of notes, net of issuance costs
Repayment of debt and finance lease obligations

Net cash used in financing activities

Net cash flows

Effect of changes in exchange rates on cash

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year

Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information:
Non-cash portion of PP&E in investing activities

Interest received

Interest paid
Income taxes paid, net of refunds

12, 13

12, 13

18, 20

8

21

10

6

7

8

9

15

21
3

13

12

5

5

9
2

22

22

20

16
14, 16

5

5

2,591.6

2,592.3

3,553.7

422.7

19.0

46.3

218.2

(238.5)

61.6

212.4

(664.9)

(515.7)

(404.0)

237.7

97.9

13.1
975.3

3,072.7

(574.0)

(35.5)

(918.1)

1,034.1

(2.4)

4.4
—

448.5

7.8

74.6

221.5

(236.8)

56.9

490.8

5.5

53.9

192.4

(211.3)

11.0

(255.0)

507.5

(95.3)

(1,125.4)

(404.7)

(199.1)

82.1

(12.1)

(202.6)
1,198.3

3,276.4

(706.7)

(75.1)

47.5

334.3

131.5
1,418.0

4,627.6

(766.6)

(119.3)

(962.0)

(38.8)

(1,291.5)

(1,475.5)

1,019.0

1,359.1

—

0.9
—

—

(12.2)
(222.8)

(491.5)

(1,157.5)

(1,352.2)

(597.1)

(1,325.7)

(1,146.2)

(410.0)

(1,066.4)

(1,207.5)

21.8

—
(2.8)

27.2

—
(3.8)

(1,724.3)

(1,712.3)

856.9

5.2

862.1
2,259.0

3,121.1

24.2

37.3

(61.0)
(554.4)

406.6

4.6

411.2
3,121.1

3,532.3

85.9

38.9

(59.9)
(678.7)

37.9

1,486.3
(3.3)

(753.0)

2,522.4

(5.3)

2,517.1
3,532.3

6,049.4

(46.9)

32.1

(64.1)
(650.2)

1.  Depreciation and amortization includes depreciation of property, plant and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, amortization of underwriting commissions and 

discount related to the bonds and credit facility.

2.  Equity method investments includes the profit and dividends received from our equity method investment, as well as the capitalization of R&D and supply chain 

support funding. The dividend received is a cash inflow in 2020 of €128.1 million (2019: €99.9 million, 2018: €89.2 million).
In 2020, an amount of €203.7 million (2019: €184.1 million, 2018: €191.6 million) of the purchase of property, plant and equipment relates to funding provided for 
facilities and tooling to our equity method investment, which is initially recognized as part of the other assets. 
In 2018, an amount of €54.7 million of land and buildings was reclassified to other assets. 

3. 

4. 

153

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

1. General information / summary of general accounting policies

ASML, with its corporate headquarters in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, is engaged in the development, production, 
marketing, selling and servicing of advanced semiconductor equipment. ASML’s principal operations are in the 
Netherlands, the US and Asia. 

Our shares are listed for trading in the form of registered shares on Euronext Amsterdam and on NASDAQ. The principal 
trading market of our ordinary shares is Euronext Amsterdam.

Basis of preparation 
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements are stated in millions of euros unless indicated otherwise.  

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with US GAAP. 

Use of estimates 
The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make 
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent 
assets and liabilities on the balance sheet dates, and the reported amounts of net sales and costs during the reported 
periods. The inputs into our estimates and assumptions consider the economic implications of COVID-19 on our critical 
accounting estimates. We believe that the critical accounting estimates and assumptions are appropriate in light of the 
increased uncertainties surrounding the severity and duration of the impact of COVID-19. ASML will continue to monitor 
the impacts of COVID-19 and incorporate them into accounting estimates. Actual results could differ from those 
estimates. We evaluate our estimates continuously and we base our estimates on historical experience and on various 
other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these 
estimates if the assumptions prove incorrect. To the extent there are material differences between actual results and these 
estimates, our future results could be materially and adversely affected. We believe that the accounting policies described 
below require us to make significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial 
Statements. Our most critical accounting estimates include: 

•  Revenue recognition, including lease accounting
•  Inventory reserves 
•  Unrecognized tax benefits
•  Contingencies and litigation 
•  Evaluation of long-lived assets for impairment  

Principles of consolidation 
The Consolidated Financial Statements include the Financial Statements of ASML Holding N.V. and all of its subsidiaries. 
Subsidiaries are all entities over which ASML controls the financial and operating activities, generally accompanying a 
shareholding of more than 50.0% of the outstanding voting rights. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date on 
which control is obtained by ASML. The Company consolidates Berliner Glas using a one-quarter lag, to allow for the 
timely preparation of consolidated financial information. There were no significant intervening events during this lag period 
that materially affected the Consolidated Financial Statements. All intercompany transactions, balances and unrealized 
results on transactions with subsidiaries are eliminated. We also assess if we are the primary beneficiary of, and thus 
would consolidate, any variable interest entity. 

Foreign currency translation 
The financial information for subsidiaries outside the euro-zone is measured using a mix of local currencies or the euro as 
the functional currency. The Financial Statements of those foreign subsidiaries are translated into euros in the preparation 
of ASML’s Consolidated Financial Statements. Assets and liabilities are translated into euros at the exchange rate on the 
respective balance sheet dates, with the resulting translation adjustments are recorded directly in shareholders’ equity. 
Income and costs are translated into euros based on the average exchange rate for the corresponding period. 

New US GAAP accounting pronouncements adopted 
During 2020, there were no new US GAAP accounting pronouncements that were adopted which have a material impact 
on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

New US GAAP accounting pronouncements issued but not adopted 
For the year ended December 31, 2020, there are no new US GAAP accounting pronouncements which have not yet been 
adopted and are expected to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. 

154

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 20202. Business Combinations

Accounting Policy 
Acquisitions of subsidiaries are included on the basis of the acquisition method. The cost of acquisition is measured 
based on the consideration transferred at fair value, the fair value of identifiable assets distributed and the fair value 
of liabilities incurred or assumed at the acquisition date (i.e. the date which we obtain control). Goodwill is capitalized 
as the excess of the costs of an acquired subsidiary, net of the amounts assigned to identifiable assets acquired and 
liabilities incurred or assumed. Acquisition-related costs are expensed when incurred in the period they arise or the 
service is received.

On October 30, 2020, we concluded the acquisition of Berliner Glas and obtained control through acquiring 100% of the 
issued share capital of Berliner Glas, for a total consideration of €257.1 million, of which €3.9 million relates to contingent 
consideration to be paid in cash in 2021.

Berliner Glas is one of the world’s leading providers of optical key components, assemblies and systems, high-quality 
refined technical glass as well as glass touch assemblies. Berliner Glas is headquartered in Berlin and has facilities 
at five locations throughout Germany, Switzerland and China. 

With the acquisition of Berliner Glas, we acquired technical capabilities that are critical to secure the future roadmap for 
our EUV and DUV products and will provide increased value to ASML's customers.

The following table summarizes the major classes of consideration transferred, and the recognized amounts of the fair 
value of the identifiable assets distributed and the fair value of the liabilities incurred or assumed at the acquisition date.

€, in millions
Cash and cash equivalents
Accounts receivable, net

Inventories, net

Other assets

Deferred tax assets

Intangible assets, net

Property, plant and equipment, net

Right of use assets - Finance

Assets acquired

Accounts payable

Long-term debt, current and non-current

Deferred and other tax liabilities

Accrued and other liabilities, current and non-current
Other liabilities assumed

Liabilities assumed

Total net identifiable assets

Total consideration transferred

Goodwill on acquisition

October 30, 2020
30.3
21.3

83.4

8.2

4.6

32.3

125.1

6.9

312.1

13.1

55.5

16.5

40.2
17.6

142.9

169.2

257.1

87.9

The gross contractual amount for accounts receivable due is €21.6 million, of which €0.3 million is expected to be 
uncollectible.

The Accrued and other liabilities include a net pension liability of €14.8 million for a defined benefit pension plan in 
Switzerland. For details see Note 19 Employee benefits.

Prior to the acquisition, supply and investment arrangements existed between Berliner Glas and ASML. These pre-existing 
relationships were effectively settled as a result of the acquisition. We determined that the supply arrangements as well as 
the investment arrangement were at current market terms and therefore no gain or loss was recognized. In addition, the 
consideration has not been adjusted for the settlement of the pre-existing relationships between ASML and Berliner Glas. 
The total net identifiable assets of €169.2 million include a net liability to ASML of €9.6 million, which is eliminated in the 
Consolidated Balance Sheets.

155

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The majority of the goodwill arising on the acquisition of Berliner Glas is attributable to the fact that the acquisition will help 
us achieve our strategic objective to secure the ramp-up and roll-out of future lithography systems.

All goodwill has been allocated to the ASML reporting unit. None of the goodwill recognized is expected to be deductible 
for income tax purposes. 

The operating results of Berliner Glas are recognized in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations using a 
one-quarter time lag. Therefore, the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 do not 
include any operating results of Berliner Glas for the period between the date of acquisition and December 31, 2020. 
Additionally, Berliner Glas balance sheet information included in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets as of 
December 31, 2020 is as of the acquisition date.

In 2020, we incurred €5.4 million transaction costs relating to the acquisition of Berliner Glas. These costs are included in 
SG&A. 

The following unaudited pro forma summary presents estimated consolidated information of ASML as if the Berliner Glas 
acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2019. These amounts have been calculated after applying our accounting policies 
and adjusting the results of Berliner Glas to reflect the charges and benefits assuming the fair value adjustments had been 
applied from January 1, 2019 with the consequential tax effects. 

Pro forma year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Total net sales
Net income 1,2

Unaudited
2019

11,952.3
2,572.9

Unaudited
2020

14,107.2
3,567.2

1.  Pro forma 2019 net income was adjusted to include €18.6 million of non-recurring costs related to the fair value adjustments to acquisition date inventory, €2.3 million 

of amortization charges related to the fair value adjustments to acquisition date intangibles as well as €5.4 million of acquisition-related costs incurred in 2020.

2.  Pro forma 2020 net income was adjusted to exclude €5.4 million of non-recurring acquisition-related costs incurred and to include €2.3 million of amortization charges 

related to the fair value adjustments to acquisition date intangibles.

3. Revenue from contracts with customers

Accounting Policy 
We measure revenue based on the consideration specified in the contracts with our customers, adjusted for any 
significant financing components, and excluding any taxes collected on behalf of third parties. We recognize revenue 
when we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring control over a good or service to our customer. We bill our 
customers for, and recognize as revenue, any charges for shipping and handling costs.  

Depending on the contract, we obtain a right to payment for our systems through a combination of either a 
reservation of a production slot or upon delivery of our systems, with the remaining portion upon final acceptance of 
our systems. Right to payment for our service and field options occurs upon shipment or completion of the service 
unless described otherwise. The payment term is typically due 15-45 days after the aforementioned events. Our 
contracts typically include cancellation penalties that provide economic protection from the risk of customer 
cancellation. The costs related to our sales are recognized as cost of sales.  

We generate revenue from the sale of integrated patterning solutions for the semiconductor industry, which mainly 
consist of systems, system related options and upgrades, other holistic lithography solutions and customer services. 
The main portion of our net sales is derived from volume purchase agreements with our customers that have 
multiple performance obligations, which mainly include the sale of our systems, system related options, installation, 
training and extended and enhanced (optic) warranty. In our volume purchase agreements we offer customers 
discounts in the normal course of sales negotiations. As part of these volume purchases agreements, we may also 
offer free goods or services and credits that can be used towards future purchases. Occasionally, systems, with the 
related extended and enhanced (optic) warranties, installation and training services, are ordered individually. Our 
sales agreements do not include a right of return for any reason other than not meeting the agreed upon 
specifications. 

For bundled packages, we account for individual goods and services as separate and distinct performance 
obligations, including the free or discounted goods or services, if a product or service is separately identifiable from 
other items in the bundled package and if a customer can benefit from it on its own or with other resources that are 
readily available to the customer. 

The consideration paid for our performance obligations is typically fixed, unless specifically noted in the nature of the 
performance obligations. Most of our volume purchase agreements with customers contain some component of 
variable consideration, typically dependent on the final volume of systems ordered by the customer. Variable 
consideration is estimated at contract inception for each performance obligation based on communications with the 

156

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020customer to understand their requirements and roadmap. We subsequently updated each quarter, using either the 
expected value method or most likely amount method, whichever is determined to best predict the consideration to 
be collected from the customer. Variable consideration is only included in the transaction price if it is considered 
probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur. In certain scenarios when entering into a volume purchase 
agreement, free goods or services are provided directly or through a voucher that can be used on future contracts. 
Consideration from the contract will be allocated to these performance obligations and revenue recognized when 
control transfers based on the nature of the goods or services provided.  

Some of our contracts require our customers to pay a down payment on systems to be shipped. We do not record a 
significant financing component for down payments as the timing difference between the promised consideration 
and the cash selling price arises from other reasons than financing.

The total consideration of the contract is allocated between all distinct performance obligations in the contract based 
on their stand-alone selling prices. The stand-alone selling prices are determined based on other stand-alone sales 
that are directly observable, when possible. However, for the majority of our performance obligations these are not 
available. If no directly observable evidence is available, the stand-alone selling price is determined using the 
adjusted market assessment approach, which requires judgment. 

Options to buy goods or services in addition to the purchase commitment are assessed to determine if they provide 
a material right to the customer that they would not have received if they had not entered into this contract. Each 
option to buy additional goods or services provided at a discount from the stand-alone selling price is considered a 
material right. The discount offered from the stand-alone selling price will be allocated from the consideration of the 
other goods and services in the contract if it is determined the customer will exercise the option to buy, adjusted for 
the likelihood. Revenue will be recognized in line with the nature of the related goods or services. If it is subsequently 
determined the customer will not exercise the option to buy, or the option expires, revenue will be recognized.  

Occasionally we may enter into a bill-and-hold transaction where we invoice a customer for a system that is ready 
for delivery but not shipped to the customer until a later date, based on customer’s request. Transfer of control is 
determined to have occurred only when there is a substantive reason for the arrangement, the system is separately 
identified as belonging to the customer, the good has been accepted by the customer and is ready for delivery, and 
we do not have the ability to direct the use of the system. 

We generate revenue from lessor agreements, which we classify as a sales-type lease when the lease meets any of 
the following criteria at lease commencement:   
•  The lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term;  
•  The lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset, that the lessee is reasonably certain to 

exercise;  

•  The lease term is for the major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset. However, if the 

commencement date falls at or near the end of the economic life of the underlying asset, this criterion shall not be 
used for purposes of classifying the lease;  

•  The present value of the sum of the lease payments and any residual value guaranteed by the lessee that is not 

already reflected in the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset; 
or  

•  The underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at 

the end of the lease term.  

Leases where substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of an asset are transferred to the lessee 
are classified as sales-type lease arrangements. If we have offered the customer a sales-type  lease arrangement, 
revenue is recognized at commencement of the lease term. The difference between the gross finance receivable 
and the present value of the minimum lease payments is initially recognized as unearned interest and presented 
as a deduction to the gross finance receivable. Interest income is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of 
Operations  over the term of the lease contract using the effective interest method.   

Leases whereby all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership are not transferred to the lessee are classified 
as operating lease arrangements. If we have offered the customer an operating lease arrangement, the system 
is included in property, plant and equipment upon commencement of the lease. Revenue from operating lease 
arrangements is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations  on a straight-line basis over the term of 
the lease contract.

157

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Goods or services

Nature, timing of satisfying the performance obligations, and significant payment terms

New systems (established 
technologies)

Used systems

Field upgrades and 
options (system 
enhancements)

New systems sales include i-line, KrF, ArF, ArFi and EUV related systems, along with the related factory 
options ordered with the base system, as well as metrology and inspection systems.  
Prior to shipment, the majority of our systems undergo a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) in our cleanroom 
facilities, effectively replicating the operating conditions that will be present on the customer’s site, in 
order to verify whether the system meets its standard specifications and any additional technical and 
performance criteria agreed with the customer. A system is shipped only after all contractual specifications 
are met or discrepancies from agreed upon specifications are waived and customer sign-off is received for 
delivery. Each system’s performance is re-tested through a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) after installation at 
the customer site. We have never failed to successfully complete installation of a system at a customer’s 
premises; therefore, acceptance at FAT is considered to be proven for established technologies with a 
history of successful customer acceptances at SAT (equal or better than FAT). 

New system sales do not meet the requirements for over time revenue recognition because our customers 
do not simultaneously receive and or consume the benefits provided by our performance or control the 
asset throughout any stage of our production process, as well as the systems are considered to have 
alternative use. 

Transfer of control of a system undergoing FAT, and recognition of revenue related to this system, will 
occur upon delivery of the system. 

Transfer of control of a system not undergoing a FAT, and recognition of revenue related to this system, will 
occur upon customer acceptance of the system at SAT.

We have no repurchase commitments in our general sales terms and conditions, however from time to 
time we repurchase systems that we have manufactured and sold and, following refurbishment, will resell 
to other customers. This repurchase decision is mainly driven by market demand expressed by other 
customers and less frequently by explicit or implicit contractual arrangements relating to the initial sale. We 
consider reasonable offers from any vendor, including customers, to repurchase used systems that we can 
refurbish, resell, and install as part of our normal business operations. 

Transfer of control of a used system, and recognition of revenue, follow the same logic as for our “New 
systems (established technologies)”.

Field upgrades and options mainly relate to goods and services that are delivered for systems already 
installed in the customer factories. Certain upgrades require significant installation efforts, enhancing 
an asset the customer controls, therefore resulting in transfer of control over the period of installation, 
measured using the cost incurred method which is estimated using labor hours, as this best depicts 
the satisfaction of our obligation in transferring control. For the options and other upgrades for which 
the customer receives and consumes the benefit at the moment of delivery, the transfer of control and 
recognition of revenue will occur upon delivery.

As long as we are not able to make a reliable estimate of the total efforts needed to complete the upgrade, 
we only recognize revenue to cover costs incurred. Margin will be realized at the earlier of us being able to 
make a reliable estimate or completion of the upgrade.

New product introduction We sell new products and services, which are evolutions of our existing technologies. If installation 
is determined not to be a separate performance or if there is not a sufficient established history of 
acceptance on FAT, the product is determined to be a “new product introduction”. 

Installation

New product introductions are typically newly developed options to be used within our systems. Transfer 
of control and revenue recognition for new product introductions occurs upon after successful installation 
and customer acceptance at SAT. Once there is an established history of successful installation and 
customer acceptance, revenue will be recognized consistent with other systems and goods after transfer 
of control.

Installation is provided within the selling price of a system. Installation is considered to be distinct as it 
does not significantly modify the system being purchased and the customer or a third party could be 
capable of performing the installation themselves, if desired. Transfer of control takes place over the period 
of installation from delivery through SAT, measured on a straight-line basis, as our performance is satisfied 
evenly over this period of time. 

As long as we are not able to make a reliable estimate of the total efforts needed to complete the 
installation, we only recognize revenue to cover costs incurred. Margin will be realized at the earlier of us 
being able to make a reliable estimate or installation completion.

158

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Goods or services

Nature, timing of satisfying the performance obligations, and significant payment terms

Warranties

Time-based licenses and 
related service

We provide standard warranty coverage on our systems for 12 months and on certain optic parts for 60 
months, providing labor and non-consumable parts necessary to repair our systems during these warranty 
periods. These standard warranties cannot be purchased and do not provide a service in addition to 
the general assurance the system will perform as promised. As a result, no revenue is allocated to these 
standard warranties.

Both the extended and enhanced (optic) warranties on our systems are accounted for as a separate 
performance obligation, with transfer of control taking place over the warranty period, measured on a 
straight-line basis, as this is a stand-ready obligation. 

Time-based licenses relate to software licenses and the related service which are sold for a period of 
time. The licenses and the related service are not considered to be individually distinct as the support 
services are integral to the customer’s ability to continue to use the software license in the rapidly changing 
technological environment. The transfer of control takes place over the license term, measured on a 
straight-line basis, as our performance is satisfied evenly over this period of time. Payments are made in 
installments throughout the license term.

Application projects

Application projects are node transition and consulting projects which at times may be provided as free 
service within a volume purchase agreement. Measuring satisfaction of this performance obligation is 
performed through an input method based on the labor hours expended relative to the estimated total 
labor hours as this best depicts the transfer of control of these kind of services. 

Service contracts

As long as we are not able to make a reliable estimate of the total efforts needed to complete these kind 
of projects, we only recognize revenue to cover costs incurred. Margin will be realized at the earlier of us 
being able to make a reliable estimate or project completion.

Service contracts are entered into with our customers to support our systems used in their ongoing 
operations during the systems lifecycle, typically in the form of full-service agreements, limited manpower 
agreements, other labor agreements, parts availability or parts usage agreements. These services are 
typically for a specified period of time. Control transfers over this period of time, measured on a straight-
line basis, as these are stand-ready obligations, with an exception for the labor hour pool service contracts 
for which we recognize revenue in line with invoicing, using the practical expedient in ASC 606-10-55-18. 
Invoicing is typically performed monthly or quarterly throughout the service period.

Billable parts and labor

Billable labor represents maintenance services to our systems installed in the customer’s factories while 
in operation, through purchase orders from our customer. Control over these services is transferred to the 
customer upon receipt of customer sign-off. 

Billable parts represent spare parts including optical components relating to our systems installed in the 
customer’s factories while in operation, through purchase orders from our customer. 

Billable parts can be:

•  Sold as direct spare parts, for which control transfers upon delivery; or

•  Sold as part of maintenance services, where control transfers upon receipt of customer sign-off.

Field projects (relocations) Field projects represent mainly relocation services. Measuring satisfaction of this performance obligation 
is performed through an input method based on the labor hours expended relative to the estimated total 
labor hours as this best depicts the transfer of control of our service.

OnPulse Maintenance

OnPulse maintenance services are provided over a specified period of time on our light source systems. 
Payment is determined by the amount of pulses counted from each light source system, which is variable. 
Invoicing is monthly based on the pulses counted. Revenue is recognized in line with invoicing using the 
practical expedient in ASC 606-10-55-18.

159

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Disaggregation of revenue 
Our revenue from contracts with customers, on a disaggregated basis, aligns with our reportable segment disclosures 
with the addition of disaggregation of net system sales per technology and per end-use. 

Net system sales per technology were as follows:

Year ended December 31

2020
EUV
ArFi

ArF dry

KrF

I-line
Metrology & Inspection

Total

2019
EUV

ArFi

ArF dry

KrF

I-line
Metrology & Inspection

Total

2018
EUV

ArFi

ArF dry

KrF

I-line
Metrology & Inspection

Total

Net system sales 
in units

Net system sales
in € millions

31

68

22

103

34
137

395

26

82

22

65

34
115

344

18

86

16

78

26
114

338

4,463.8

3,917.0

427.0

1,012.3

146.4
350.1

10,316.6

2,799.7

4,707.7

401.2

679.7

133.5
274.4

8,996.2

1,880.1

4,806.9

274.3

860.1

98.6
339.1

8,259.1

Net system sales per end-use were as follows:

Year ended December 31

Net system sales 
in units

Net system sales
in € millions

2020
Logic
Memory

Total

2019
Logic
Memory

Total

2018
Logic
Memory

Total

260
135

395

238
106

344

125
213

338

7,393.0
2,923.6

10,316.6

6,565.3
2,430.9

8,996.2

3,713.7
4,545.4

8,259.1

160

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Contract assets and liabilities
The contract assets primarily relate to our rights to a consideration for goods or services delivered but not invoiced at the 
reporting date. The contract assets are transferred to the receivables when the receivables become unconditional. The 
contract liabilities primarily relate to remaining performance obligations for which consideration has been received such as 
down payments received for systems to be delivered, as well as deferred revenue from system shipments, based on the 
allocation of the consideration to the related performance obligations in the contract. This deferred revenue mainly 
consists of extended and enhanced warranties, installation and free goods or services provided as part of a volume 
purchase agreement.

The majority of our customer contracts contain both asset and liability positions. At the end of each reporting period, 
these positions are netted on a contract basis and presented as either an asset or a liability in the Consolidated Balance 
Sheets. Consequently, a contract balance can change between periods from a net contract asset balance to a net 
contract liability balance in the balance sheet.

Significant changes in the contract assets and the contract liabilities balances during the periods are as follows.

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

2019

2020

Contract 
Assets

Contract 
Liabilities

Contract 
Assets

Contract 
Liabilities

Balance at beginning of the year
Transferred from contract assets to accounts receivables

Revenue recognized during the year ending in contract assets

Revenue recognized that was included in contract liabilities
Changes as a result of cumulative catch-up adjustments arising from 
changes in estimates
Remaining performance obligations for which considerations have been 
received
Transfer between contract assets and liabilities

Total

95.9
(167.4)

68.7

—

—

—

233.8

231.0

2,953.2
—

—

(1,528.4)

(133.4)

2,760.8

233.8

4,286.0

231.0
(192.2)

83.4

—

—

—

(3.0)

119.2

4,286.0
—

—

(2,428.4)

(41.9)

3,781.4

(3.0)

5,594.1

The increase in the net contract liability to €5,474.9 million as of December 31, 2020 compared to €4,055.0 million as 
of December 31, 2019 is mainly driven by the recognition of down payments for systems which will be shipped in the 
future. Cumulative catch-up adjustments recognized in our current year revenue are due to updated estimates for system 
volume, discounts and credits included in our volume purchase agreements.

Remaining performance obligations 
Our customers generally commit to purchase systems, service, or field options through separate sales orders and service 
contracts. Typically the terms and conditions of these sales orders come from volume purchase agreements with our 
customers which can cover up to 5 years. The revenues for each committed performance obligation are estimated based 
on the terms and conditions agreed through the volume purchase agreements. 

When revenues will be recognized is mainly dependent on when systems are shipped or installed, as well as when service 
projects and field upgrades are performed and completed. All of which is estimated based on contract terms and 
communication with our customers, including the customer facility readiness to take delivery of our goods or services. The 
volume purchase agreements may be subject to modifications, impacting the amount and timing of revenue recognition 
for the anticipated revenues. 

As of December 31, 2020 the remaining performance obligations amount to €15.1 billion (December 31, 2019: €13.2 
billion). We estimate 76% (December 31, 2019: 55%) of these anticipated revenues are expected to be recognized during 
the next 12 months. The remaining anticipated revenues mainly include orders related to EUV system sales and our next-
generation EUV platform, High-NA, which are planned to be shipped in 2022 or later.

4. Segment disclosure 

ASML has one reportable segment, for the development, production, marketing, sales, upgrading and servicing of 
advanced semiconductor equipment systems, consisting of lithography, metrology and inspection systems. Its operating 
results are regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker in order to make decisions about resource allocation 
and assess performance. 

Management reporting includes net system sales figures of new and used systems, sales per technology and sales per 
end-use. For the sales per technology and end-use, see Note 3 Revenue from contracts with customers.

161

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Net system sales for new and used systems were as follows:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
New systems
Used systems

Net system sales

2018
8,115.6
143.5

8,259.1

2019
8,807.1
189.1

8,996.2

2020
10,160.8
155.8

10,316.6

For geographical reporting, total net sales are attributed to the geographic location in which the customers’ facilities are 
located. Long-lived assets are attributed to the geographic location in which these assets are located.

Total net sales and long-lived assets (consisting of property, plant and equipment) by geographic region were as follows:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
2020
Japan
South Korea

Singapore

Taiwan

China

Rest of Asia

Netherlands

EMEA
United States

Total

2019
Japan

South Korea

Singapore

Taiwan

China

Rest of Asia

Netherlands

EMEA
United States

Total

2018
Japan

South Korea

Singapore

Taiwan

China
Rest of Asia

Netherlands

EMEA
United States

Total

Total net sales

Long-lived assets

542.8

4,151.6

84.9

4,731.3

2,324.4

1.6

1.6

483.3
1,657.0

13,978.5

463.2

2,202.1

120.0

5,357.0

1,377.7

2.6

2.6

314.6
1,980.2

11,820.0

567.6

3,725.1

222.5

1,989.5

1,842.8
1.9

1.2

631.7
1,961.7

10,944.0

8.3

34.1

2.1

164.3

17.8

0.4

1,625.2

129.2
488.9

2,470.3

6.5

24.1

1.6

131.6

21.3

0.5

1,396.0

4.3
413.4

1,999.3

8.2

24.6

1.1

96.5

16.2
0.4

1,113.8

5.1
323.6

1,589.5

In 2019 and 2020, 3 customers exceed more than 10% of total net sales, in 2020 totaling €9,946.5 million, or 71.2%, of 
total net sales (2019: €8,018.1 million, or 67.8%). In 2018, 4 customers exceed more than 10% of total net sales, totaling 
€7,931.4 million, or 72.5%. Our three largest customers (based on total net sales) accounted for €2,757.0 million, or 
80.1%, of accounts receivable and finance receivables at December 31, 2020, compared with €2,191.8 million, or 77.2%, 
at December 31, 2019. 

Substantially all of our sales were export sales in 2020, 2019 and 2018.

162

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020  
The increase in total net sales of €2,158.5 million, or 18.3%, to €13,978.5 million in 2020 from €11,820.0 million in 2019 
(2018: €10,944.0 million) is driven by higher volumes in EUV, higher average selling prices in EUV for the NXE:3400C 
relative to the NXE:3400B and growth in our service and field options business. The Logic sector continued to be strong in 
2020, and was the largest consumer of our most advanced EUV systems as well. Memory demand picked up in 2020 
after a decline in 2019.  South Korea saw the largest geographic sales growth in support of expanding capacity in Foundry 
and DRAM production lines. 

In Q4 2020, 2 systems have been moved into storage on our premises after completion, through a long-term storage 
arrangement with a customer. For both systems we have recognized revenue as a bill-and-hold transaction since control 
has transferred to the customer.

5. Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments 

Accounting Policy 
Cash and cash equivalents consist primarily of highly liquid investments, such as bank deposits, deposits with 
governments and government related bodies, money market funds and bank accounts readily convertible to known 
amounts of cash with insignificant interest rate risk and original maturities to the entity holding the investments of 3 
months or less at the date of acquisition. 

Investments with original maturities to the entity holding the investments longer than 3 months and 1 year or less at 
the date of acquisition are presented as short-term investments. Other than temporary fair value changes in these 
investments are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Short-term investments have insignificant 
interest rate risk. 

Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments consist of the following: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Deposits with financial institutions, governments and government related bodies
Investments in money market funds
Bank accounts

Cash and cash equivalents

Deposits with financial institutions, governments and government related bodies

Short-term investments

2019
434.8
2,139.7
957.8

3,532.3

1,185.8

1,185.8

2020
1,545.3
3,841.9
662.2

6,049.4

1,302.2

1,302.2

The cash and cash equivalents and short term investments increased €2.6 billion mainly driven by an increase in Net 
income, an increase in down payments from customers and proceeds from the issuance of notes. 

The deposits with financial institutions, governments and government related bodies and investments in money market 
funds have an investment grade credit rating. Our cash and cash equivalents are predominantly denominated in euros and 
partly in US dollars. 

As of December 31, 2020, no restrictions on usage of cash and cash equivalents exist (2019: no restrictions). The carrying 
amount of these assets approximates their fair value. 

163

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 20206. Accounts receivable, net 

Accounting Policy 
Accounts receivable are measured at fair value and are subsequently measured at amortized cost, less allowance for 
credit losses. The carrying amount of the accounts receivable approximates the fair value. We perform ongoing 
credit evaluations on our customers’ financial condition. We periodically review whether an allowance for credit 
losses is needed by considering factors such as historical payment experience, credit quality, aging of the accounts 
receivable balances, expected lifetime losses, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer's ability 
to pay.

When entering into arrangements to sell our receivable, we derecognize the receivable only when meeting the 
derecognition criteria. The criteria require isolation from the seller, granting the buyer the right to pledge or exchange 
the receivables, and legal transfer of control over the receivable. 

Accounts receivable consist of the following: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Accounts receivable, gross
Allowance for credit losses

Accounts receivable, net

2019
1,791.9
(5.1)

1,786.8

2020
1,313.1
(2.8)

1,310.3

The decrease in accounts receivable as of December 31, 2020 compared to December 31, 2019 is due to an increase in 
factoring of our accounts receivable, partly offset by an increase in our sales.

In 2020, receivables have been sold through factoring arrangements for cash totaling €2.2 billion (2019: €1.3 billion). The 
amounts consist of €1.4 billion (2019: €0.6 billion) regular trade receivables and €0.8 billion (2019: €0.7 billion) absolute, 
unconditional, irrevocable accounts receivable for down payments on systems to be shipped in 2021. The total amount 
sold has been derecognized since the asset is isolated from the seller, control is transferred to the buyer and there are no 
restrictions on the buyer related to the factored items. The fair value of the receivables sold was substantially the same as 
their carrying value. The transfer is treated as an operating cash flow within the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

7. Finance receivables, net 

Accounting Policy 
Finance receivables consist of receivables in relation to sales-type leases. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of 
our customers’ financial condition. We periodically review whether an allowance for credit losses is needed by 
considering factors such as historical payment experience, credit quality, the aging of the finance receivables 
balances, expected lifetime losses, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay.  

The following table lists the components of the finance receivables as of December 31, 2020 and 2019:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Finance receivables, gross
Unearned interest

Finance receivables, net
Current portion of finance receivables, gross
Current portion of unearned interest

Non-current portion of finance receivables, net

2019
994.4
(8.8)

985.6
568.4
(3.9)

421.1

2020
2,122.5
(11.5)

2,111.0
1,716.1
(5.6)

400.5

The increase in finance receivables as of December 31, 2020 compared to December 31, 2019 is the result of providing 
additional systems with a free-use period, to support the capacity ramp-up of high-end systems which are part of the 
early-insertion lifecycle of the technology. Additionally, we delivered some of our newest DUV systems to customers with 
the right to use and evaluate the new technology during a free-use period, and it is expected they will be purchased at the 
end of the free-use period.

Gross profit recognized at the commencement date of the lease for our sales-type leases amounts to €830.2 million 
during 2020 (2019: €343.9 million; 2018: €446.5 million). Interest income for our sales-type leases in 2020 amounts to €6.2 
million (2019: €4.7 million; 2018: €4.9 million).

164

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020At December 31, 2020, payment of the finance receivables in the next 5 years and thereafter are:

(€, in millions)

2021
2022

2023

2024

2025
Thereafter

Finance receivables, gross

Amount

1,716.1
406.4

—

—
—

2,122.5

In 2020, 2019 and 2018 we did not record any expected credit losses from finance receivables. As of December 31, 2020, 
the finance receivables were neither past due nor impaired. 

8. Inventories, net 

Accounting Policy
Inventory costs are computed on a first-in, first-out basis. Our inventory values are comprised of purchased 
materials, freight expenses, customs duties, production labor and overhead. The valuation of inventory includes 
determining which fixed costs should be capitalized into inventory based on the normal capacity of our 
manufacturing and assembly facilities. If the usage of our facilities is below the established normal capacity, a 
portion of our fixed overhead costs are not capitalized into inventory but instead are expensed in Cost of sales as 
incurred. 

Inventory is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value, based on assumptions about future demand and 
market conditions. Valuation of inventory also requires us to establish provisions for inventory that is defective, 
obsolete or in excess. We use our demand forecast to develop manufacturing plans and utilize this information to 
compare against raw materials, work in progress and finished product levels to determine the amount of defective, 
obsolete or excess inventory. 

Inventories consist of the following:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Raw materials
Work-in-process
Finished products

Inventories, gross

Inventory reserves

Inventories, net

2019
2,026.3
1,505.9
771.3

4,303.5

(494.3)

3,809.2

2020
2,073.4
1,805.0
1,164.2

5,042.6

(473.2)

4,569.4

The increase in inventory in 2020 compared to 2019 is driven by the increased demand from customers, higher costs of 
our latest technologies and growing install base.

A summary of activity in the inventory reserves is as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Balance at beginning of year
Additions for the year

Effect of changes in exchange rates
Utilization of the reserve

Balance at end of year

2019
(441.3)
(221.5)

(0.5)
169.0

(494.3)

2020
(494.3)
(192.4)
0.8
212.7

(473.2)

The additions for 2020 and 2019 are recorded in Cost of sales, while 2018 is split between Cost of sales of €207.9 million 
and Research and Development costs of €10.3 million. The additions for the year mainly relate to inventory items which 
became obsolete due to technological developments and design changes. 

165

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 20209. Other assets

Other current and non-current assets consist of the following: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Advance payments to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
Prepaid expenses
Derivative financial instruments 1
VAT receivable
Other assets

Other current assets 

Advance payments to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH

Prepaid expenses
Derivative financial instruments 1
Compensation plan assets

Non-current accounts receivable
Other assets

Other non-current assets 

2019
215.2
372.5

34.5

89.5
131.1

842.8

585.3

—

103.0

55.1

67.8
19.2

830.4

2020
265.8
278.7

39.0

125.6
92.6

801.7

668.0

55.2

123.8

67.0

22.6
14.9

951.5

1.  For further details on derivative financial instruments see Note 25 Financial risk management.

ASML makes non-interest bearing advance payments to support our equity method investment Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH’s 
work-in-process. These payments are made to secure optical column deliveries and these advance payments are settled 
through future lens or optical column deliveries. The increase in this balance is due to the support provided under the 
High-NA agreement. 

Prepaid expenses mainly include prepaid income taxes to intercompany profit on inventory that has not been realized by 
the ASML group of €162.9 million (2019: €159.2 million) and the contract balance related to the joint development program 
with imec of €53.8 million as of December 31, 2020 (2019: €88.8 million). At the end of 2018 we started the new joint 
development program with imec under which we mainly deliver systems and services upfront and receive R&D services 
throughout the contract period up until 2024.

10. Equity method investments 

Accounting Policy
Equity investments which we are able to exercise significant influence but do not control, are accounted for using the 
equity method and presented on our Consolidated Balance Sheets within Equity method investments. The difference 
between the cost of our investment and our proportionate share of the carrying value of the investee's underlying net 
assets as of the acquisition date is the basis difference. The basis difference is allocated to the identifiable assets 
and liabilities based on their fair value as of the acquisition date (i.e. the date which we obtain significant influence), 
with the excess costs of the investment over our proportional fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities being 
equity method goodwill.

We amortize the basis difference related to the other intangible assets over the estimated remaining useful lives of 
these assets that gave rise to this difference. The remaining weighted-average life of the finite-lived intangible assets 
acquired is 16.2 years and is amortized using a straight-line method. In-process R&D is initially capitalized at fair 
value as an intangible asset with an indefinite life. When the R&D project is complete, it is reclassified as an 
amortizable purchased intangible asset and is amortized over its estimated useful life. If the project is abandoned, 
we will record the full basis difference charge for the value of the related intangible asset in our Consolidated 
Statements of Operations in the period of abandonment. Equity method goodwill is not amortized or tested for 
impairment; instead the equity method investment is tested for impairment whenever events or changes in 
circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the investment may not be recoverable. 

Under the equity method, after initial recognition at cost, our Equity method investments are adjusted for our 
proportionate share of the profit or loss and other comprehensive income of the investee, recognized on a one-
quarter time lag and presented within Profit from equity method investments. Our proportionate share of the profit or 
loss of the investee is adjusted for any differences in accounting principles and policies, basis difference adjustments 
and intra-entity profits. Receipt of dividends reduces our Equity method investments, which is presented as an 
operating cash flow based on the nature of the distributions.  

Equity method investments consists of a 24.9% equity interest acquired on June 29, 2017 in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding 
GmbH & Co. KG, a limited partnership that owns Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, our single supplier of optical columns. We have 

166

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020determined that Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG is a variable interest entity because the entity was established 
without substantive voting rights since there is disparity between our voting rights and our economics, as well as 
substantially all of Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG’s activities involve or are conducted on our behalf. However, 
we are not the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity because we lack the power, through voting rights or similar 
rights, to direct the activities that most significantly impact Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG’s economic 
performance. 

For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a profit from equity method investments of €88.6 million (2019: 
€18.2 million) in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. This profit includes the following components:  

•  Profit of €111.4 million (2019: €82.8 million) related to our share of Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG’s net 

income after accounting policy alignment

•  Cost due to basis difference amortization related to intangible assets of €26.7 million (2019: €26.7 million)
•  Cost (benefit) due to intercompany profit elimination of €(3.9) million (2019: €13.7 million)
•  Cost due to dividend forfeiture of €0.0 million (2019: €24.2 million)

In 2020 we received a dividend of €128.1 million (2019: €99.9 million) from Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG. 

Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held company; therefore, quoted market prices for its stock are not 
available. 

The following summarizes the total assets and liabilities related to our variable interest in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & 
Co. KG as reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, as well as our maximum exposure to losses as of December 31, 
2020. Our maximum exposure to loss is limited to our equity method investment in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. 
KG, right-of-use assets and prepayments provided to the equity method investment.

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
EUV Agreements
DUV Agreements

High-NA Agreement 
Investment agreement for 24.9% equity

2020

Assets

319.3
33.2

784.0
820.7

2020

Liabilities

Maximum 
exposure to loss

—
—

(4.0)
—

319.3
33.2

784.0
820.7

EUV and DUV Agreements
ASML makes non-interest bearing advance payments to support Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH’s work-in-process. These 
payments are made to secure optical column deliveries and these advance payments are settled through future lens or 
optical column deliveries. Our maximum exposure related to this agreement is limited to the assets not settled as of the 
balance sheet date.

High-NA Agreement
On November 3, 2016 we agreed with Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH to support their R&D costs, capital expenditures and supply 
chain investments, in respect of High-NA, for an amount initially estimated at €760.0 million. The current estimate as of 
December 31, 2020 is €1,354.8 million (2019: €1,242.2 million). As of December 31, 2020 our estimated remaining 
commitment to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH is €319.9 million (2019: €524.8 million).

The table below summarizes support provided to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, by type: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Capital expenditures
R&D costs
Supply chain investments

Total support provided

2018
191.8
74.8
8.5

275.1

2019
184.1
94.2
4.5

282.8

2020
203.7
96.1
17.7

317.5

Our maximum exposure related to this agreement is limited to the amount reimbursable from Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH as of 
the balance sheet date. 

R&D and supply chain support costs are capitalized for 24.9% of this funding because it directly benefits us through our 
investment in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG. The amount capitalized is presented within equity method 
investments. The remainder of this support relating to supply chain support costs is charged to the cost of sales as 
incurred, the part related to R&D costs is charged to Research and development costs as incurred.  

The support provided related to capital expenditures consists of tooling and facilities, and is determined to be a lease. As 
a result, prior to the asset being put into use, it is recorded in Other Assets, then transferred into ROU Assets - Finance 
when put into use. 

167

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202011. Goodwill 

Accounting Policy
Goodwill represents the excess of the costs of an acquisition over the fair value of the amounts assigned to assets 
acquired and liabilities incurred or assumed of the acquired subsidiary at the date of acquisition. Goodwill on 
acquisition of subsidiaries is allocated to reporting units for the purpose of impairment testing. The allocation is 
made to those reporting units that are expected to benefit from the business combination in which the goodwill 
arose. Goodwill is stated at cost less accumulated impairment losses.

Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the 
carrying amount of the goodwill may not be recoverable. To determine whether it is necessary to perform the 
quantitative goodwill impairment test, we perform a step-zero qualitative assessment, annually. If we determine that 
it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, we do not perform a 
quantitative goodwill impairment test.  

Goodwill mainly results from the acquisitions of Cymer and HMI. The balance as of December 31, 2020 is €4,629.1 million 
(2019: €4,541.1 million). The increase of €87.9 million is the result of the acquisition of Berliner Glas on October 30, 2020. 
For details of the Berliner Glas business combination see: Note 2 Business Combinations.

We have identified two reporting units: Reporting Unit ASML and Reporting Unit Cymer Light Sources. As of 
December 31, 2020 the goodwill allocated to Reporting Unit ASML amounts to €4,166.8 million (2019: €4,078.8 million) 
and Reporting Unit Cymer Light Sources amounts to €462.3 million (2019: €462.3 million). Goodwill related to the Berliner 
Glas acquisition is allocated to the Reporting Unit ASML.

Based on our assessment during the annual goodwill impairment test, we believe it is more likely than not that the fair 
values of the reporting units exceed their carrying amounts, and therefore goodwill was not impaired as of December 31, 
2020.

12. Intangible assets, net 

Accounting Policy 
Intangible assets include brands, intellectual property, developed technology, customer relationships, and other 
intangible assets not yet available for use. These finite-lived intangible assets are stated at cost, less accumulated 
amortization and accumulated impairment losses. Amortization is calculated using the straight-line method based on 
the estimated useful lives of the assets.  

Finite-lived intangible assets are assessed for impairment whenever there is an indication that the balance sheet 
carrying amount may not be recoverable using cash flow projections for the useful life.  

The following table shows the respective useful lives for intangible assets:

Category

Brands
Intellectual property

Developed technology

Customer relationships
Other

Estimated useful life

20 years
3 - 10 years

6 - 15 years

8 - 18 years
2 - 10 years

168

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020As of December 31, 2020 intangible assets consist mainly of brands, intellectual property, developed technology, 
customer relationships obtained from the acquisitions of HMI (2016) and Cymer (2013): 

€, in millions
Cost
Balance at January 1, 2019

Additions

Disposals
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2019
Acquisitions through business combinations
Additions

Disposals
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2020

Brands

Intellectual 
property

Developed 
technology

Customer 
relationships

Other

Total

39.2

—

—
(0.3)

38.9
—

—

—
—

68.9

73.7

—
(0.2)

142.4
—

2.5

—
(0.1)

1,199.9

228.6

—

—
0.2

1,200.1
30.0

—

—
—

—

—
—

228.6
—

—

—
—

66.2

42.1

(0.2)
2.4

110.5
2.3

33.4

(0.2)
(0.1)

1,602.8

115.8

(0.2)
2.1

1,720.5
32.3

35.9

(0.2)
(0.2)

38.9

144.8

1,230.1

228.6

145.9

1,788.3

Accumulated amortization
Balance at January 1, 2019

Amortization

Disposals
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2019

Amortization

Disposals
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2020

Carrying amount
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2020

7.4

1.9

—
(0.1)

9.2

1.9

—
—

11.1

29.7
27.8

62.8

7.8

—
—

70.6

8.2

—
—

78.8

71.8
66.0

346.5

82.0

—
0.1

428.6

82.1

—
—

510.7

771.5
719.4

70.5

12.7

—
—

83.2

12.7

—
—

95.9

11.6

11.0

(0.2)
2.1

24.5

18.6

(0.2)
—

42.9

498.8

115.4

(0.2)
2.1

616.1

123.5

(0.2)
—

739.4

145.4
132.7

86.0
103.0

1,104.4
1,048.9

During 2020, we recorded amortization charges of €123.5 million (2019: €115.4 million; 2018: €103.7 million) which were 
recorded in cost of sales for €101.8 million (2019: €97.4 million; 2018: €97.2 million), in R&D costs for €12.0 million (2019: 
€7.5 million and 2018: €1.3 million) and in SG&A costs for €9.7 million (2019: €10.5 million and 2018: €5.2 million).

As of December 31, 2020, the intangible assets not yet available for use amount to €24.8 million (2019: €14.9 million) and 
are allocated to Reporting Unit ASML. 

During 2020 we recorded no impairment charges (2019: €0.0 million; 2018: €0.0 million). 

As of December 31, 2020, the estimated amortization expenses for intangible assets for the next 5 years and thereafter: 

€, in millions
2021
2022

2023

2024

2025
Thereafter

Amortization expenses

Amount

129.9
129.4

122.3

113.0

107.8
446.5

1,048.9

169

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202013. Property, plant and equipment, net 

Accounting Policy
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment 
losses. Costs of assets manufactured by ASML include direct manufacturing costs, production overhead and 
interest costs incurred for qualifying assets during the construction period. Property, plant and equipment are 
depreciated on a straight-line basis in the Consolidated Statements of Operations over their estimated useful lives, 
except for land which is not depreciated.   

Evaluation systems leased to our customers under an operating lease are capitalized as Property, plant and 
equipment at cost and depreciated over the respective lease term. Leased assets that are returned to ASML upon 
expiration of the lease term are either taken back into Property, plant and equipment as they will be used internally 
by D&E or transferred back to Inventory to be reworked and sold.

The carrying values of prototypes, tooling and equipment that are intended to be sold, but first internally utilized for 
more than one year for R&D purposes, are reclassified from Inventories to Property, plant and equipment and 
depreciated while being internally used. When no longer required for R&D activities the assets' carrying value is 
reclassified back to Inventories and reworked to make them ready for sale to our customers. These transfers are 
reported as Net non-cash movements to/from Inventories in our Property, plant and equipment movement schedule.

Property, plant and equipment is assessed for impairment whenever there is an indication that the carrying amount 
may not be recoverable using cash flow projections for the useful life. 

The following table shows the respective useful lives for property, plant and equipment:

Category
Buildings and constructions
Machinery and equipment

Leasehold improvements
Furniture, fixtures and other

Estimated useful life

5 - 45 years
1 - 7 years

1 - 10 years
3 - 5 years

170

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Land and 
buildings

Machinery 
and 
equipment

Leasehold 
improvements

Furniture, 
fixtures and 
other

Property, plant and equipment consist of the following: 

€, in millions
Cost
Balance at January 1, 2019

Additions

Disposals

Net non-cash movements to/from Inventories
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2019
Acquisitions through business combinations
Additions

Disposals

Net non-cash movements to/from Inventories
Effect of changes in exchange rates

1,709.8

321.0

(0.3)

—
6.0

2,036.5
49.1

359.3

(0.4)

—
(12.3)

1,305.1

261.1

(17.5)

33.9
5.2

1,587.8
65.7

263.0

(53.6)

(23.9)
(10.1)

Balance at December 31, 2020

2,432.2

1,828.9

Accumulated depreciation and impairment
Balance at January 1, 2019

Depreciation

Impairment charges

Disposals

Net non-cash movements to/from Inventories
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2019
Depreciation
Impairment charges

Disposals

Net non-cash movements to/from Inventories
Effect of changes in exchange rates

Balance at December 31, 2020

Carrying amount
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2020

646.0

98.5

—

(0.2)

—
2.0

746.3
102.0

—

(0.1)

—
(5.6)

842.6

892.0

166.7

4.7

(14.8)

(28.7)
2.8

1,022.7
186.2

2.7

(51.6)

(29.9)
(3.9)

1,126.2

1,290.2
1,589.6

565.1
702.7

275.2

26.7

(1.4)

—
0.5

301.0
—

45.7

(5.2)

—
(1.2)

340.3

260.9

21.3

—

(1.2)

—
0.3

281.3
21.4

—

(4.7)

—
(0.7)

297.3

19.7
43.0

416.2

64.6

(103.4)

—
0.3

377.7
10.3

43.4

(9.0)

—
(1.8)

420.6

317.9

38.8

—

(103.3)

—
—

253.4
42.1

—

(9.0)

—
(0.9)

285.6

124.3
135.0

Total

3,706.3

673.4

(122.6)

33.9
12.0

4,303.0
125.1

711.4

(68.2)

(23.9)
(25.4)

5,022.0

2,116.8

325.3

4.7

(119.5)

(28.7)
5.1

2,303.7
351.7

2.7

(65.4)

(29.9)
(11.1)

2,551.7

1,999.3
2,470.3

As of December 31, 2020, the carrying amount includes assets under construction for Land and buildings of €526.3 
million (2019: €286.6 million), Machinery and equipment of €113.4 million (2019: €85.4 million), Leasehold improvements 
of €32.6 million (2019: €4.5 million) and Furniture, fixtures and other of €4.1 million (2019: €7.8 million).

As of December 31, 2020, the carrying amount of land amounts to €102.4 million (2019: €105.7 million). 

The additions in 2020 in Land and buildings, as well as Furniture, fixtures and other, relates to construction of ASML’s 
logistics facility, High-NA factory and office space at our headquarters in Veldhoven, in order to support our continued 
growth.

The additions in 2020 in Machinery and equipment mainly relate to the upgrade and expansion of production tooling to 
support the growth of our business, as well as investments in prototypes of new technologies. 

The Consolidated Statements of Operations include the following depreciation charges: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Cost of Sales
R&D Costs
SG&A

Total Depreciation

2018
191.6
105.9
17.9

315.4

2019
196.1
117.2
12.0

325.3

2020
205.9
119.9
25.9

351.7

171

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202014. Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities 

Accounting Policy
We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in Right-of-use assets - 
Operating, accrued & other current liabilities, and accrued & other non-current liabilities in our consolidated balance 
sheets. Finance leases are included in Right-of-use assets - Finance, current portion of long-term debt, and Long-
term debt in our consolidated balance sheets.  

Right-of-use assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent 
our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized 
at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As our leases do not 
provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement 
date in determining the present value of lease payments. The Right-of-use assets include any lease payments made 
at or before the commencement date and are reduced by lease incentives. Our lease terms may include options to 
extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease 
payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.  

We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components. The lease components are accounted for 
separately from non-lease components. The allocation of the consideration between lease and non-lease 
components is based on the relative stand-alone prices of lease components included in the lease contracts.   

Right-of-use assets consist of the following leases:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Properties
Cars

Equipment

Warehouses
Other

Right-of-use assets

Operating Leases

Finance  Leases

2019
177.0
11.9

—

8.7
7.8

205.4

2020
158.2
7.6

—

11.0
3.3

180.1

2019
92.1
—

26.4

—
—

2020
130.7
—

34.1

—
—

118.5

164.8

ASML owns the majority of real estate we utilize for manufacturing, supply chain management and general administration 
at our headquarter in Veldhoven, in the Netherlands. At our other locations, worldwide much of the properties we occupy 
are leased and therefore comprise the largest amount of our right-of-use assets. Additionally, we lease warehouse space 
at locations world-wide and cars for use by our employees.  

Right-of-use assets from an operating leases decreased by €25.3 million, mainly due to depreciation over the lease term, 
partly offset by new lease contracts.

The Right-of-use assets from finance leases mainly consist of facilities and tooling related to our High-NA agreement with 
Carl Zeiss SMT, for which the funds are prepaid by ASML. As capital expenditures under this arrangement are placed into 
service, we derecognized our prepaid asset and recognized a ROU Asset under a finance lease arrangement.

Lease liabilities are split between current and non-current:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Current

Non-current

Lease liabilities

Operating Leases

Finance Leases

2019
55.6
153.8

209.4

2020
46.5
129.8

176.3

2019
—
9.5

9.5

2020
4.7
8.1

12.8

For the year ended December 31, 2020, Lease Liabilities under an operating lease arrangement decreased by €33.1 
million, mainly due to scheduled lease payments, partly offset by new lease contracts. 

The majority of our finance leases do not have an associated lease liability as the lease payments have been prepaid. 

172

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The Consolidated Statements of Operations include the following depreciation charges relating to these leases:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Properties
Cars

Equipment

Warehouses
Other

Depreciation charge right-of-use assets

Operating Leases

Finance Leases

2018
40.2
7.4

—

7.1
12.4

67.1

2019
48.2
8.1

—

4.5
12.4

73.2

2020
47.6
5.5

—

6.6
5.9

65.6

2018
—
—

—

—
—

—

2019
2.8
—

4.5

—
—

7.3

The total cash flows relating to the lease liabilities are as follows:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Total Cash Flows

Operating Leases

2018
67.1

2019
73.2

2020
58.8

Finance Leases

2018
—

2019
2.8

The weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate related to the leases are as follows:

2020
4.1
—

7.0

—
—

11.1

2020
2.9

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Weighted average remaining lease term (months)
Weighted average discount rate (%)

2018
60
2.1%

2019
70
2.2%

2020
65
2.0%

2018
—
—%

2019
230
0.7%

2020
243
0.5%

Operating Leases

Finance Leases

15. Accrued and other liabilities 

Accrued and other liabilities consist of the following: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Costs to be paid
Personnel related items
Derivative financial instruments 1
Operating lease liabilities 2
Provisions

Standard warranty reserve
Other

Accrued and other liabilities
Less: non-current portion of accrued and other liabilities

Current portion of accrued and other liabilities 

2019
252.1
654.6

3.9

209.4

30.7

128.4
1.8

1,280.9
241.0

1,039.9

2020
233.9
757.4

20.0

176.3

84.8

119.1
12.0

1,403.5
257.5

1,146.0

1.  For further details on derivative financial instruments see Note 25 Financial risk management.
2.  For further details on operating lease liabilities see Note 14 Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities.

Costs to be paid as of December 31, 2020 include accrued costs for unbilled services provided by suppliers including 
contracted labor, outsourced services and consultancy. 

Personnel related items mainly consist of accrued annual short-term incentive bonus plans, accrued vacation days, 
accrued pension premiums, accrued wage tax and accrued vacation allowance. The increase in the accrued personnel 
related items compared to prior year is mainly due to an increase in the annual short-term incentive bonus plan accrual 
based on company performance, as well as the result of the growth of our business, which resulted in an increase in the 
number of our employees.

173

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The standard warranty reserve is based on historical product performance and total expected costs to fulfill our warranty 
obligation. Annually, we assess and update the standard warranty reserve based on the latest actual historical warranty 
costs and expected future warranty costs. Total changes in standard warranty reserve for the years 2020 and 2019 are as 
follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Balance at beginning of year
Additions for the year

Utilization of the reserve
Effect of exchange rates

Balance at end of year

2019
59.8
118.5

(50.0)
0.1

128.4

2020
128.4
137.1

(145.9)
(0.5)

119.1

16. Long-term debt and interest and other costs 

Accounting policy
Long-term debt represents debt issued privately without registration with a government authority and is payable to 
others under the terms of a signed agreement. Long-term debt is initially recognized at fair value and subsequently 
measured at amortized cost. Debt is qualified as long-term debt as long as the group has an unconditional right to 
defer settlement of the liability for at least 12 months after the reporting period.  

Interest accruals and payments relating to Long-term debt are accounted for as part of the “Accrued and other 
liabilities”. Interest and other costs should be accrued and recorded with the passage of time over the agreed term, 
regardless of when the interest receipt or payment has taken place. 

Long-term debt consists of the following: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
€500 million 0.625% senior notes issued July 2016 and principal due July 7th 2022 interest annually 
payable on July 7th, carrying amount
€750 million 3.375%  senior notes issued September 2013 and principal due September 19th 2023 
interest annually payable on September 19th, carrying amount
€1000 million 1.375% senior notes issued July 2016 and principal due July 7th 2026 interest annually 
payable on July 7th, carrying amount
€750 million 1.625% senior notes issued November 2016 and principal due May 28th 2027 interest 
annually payable on May 28th, carrying amount
€750 million 0.250% senior notes issued February 2020 and principal due February 25th 2030 
interest annually payable on February 25th, carrying amount
€750 million 0.625% senior notes Issued May 2020 and principal due May 7th 2029 interest annually 
payable on May 7th, carrying amount
Debt acquired through the Berliner Glas business combination 
Other

Long-term debt
Less: current portion of long-term debt

Non-current portion of long-term debt

2019

499.5

813.3

2020

501.5

802.1

1,007.0

1,028.0

778.3

—

—

—
10.2

3,108.3
—

3,108.3

795.4

740.7

746.8

55.5
8.2

4,678.2
15.4

4,662.8

All senior notes are redeemable at the option of ASML, in whole or in part, at any time by paying a make whole premium, 
and unless previously redeemed, will be redeemed at 100% of their principal amount on the due date.

174

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Our obligations to make principal repayments under our Eurobonds and other borrowing arrangements excluding interest 
expense as of December 31, 2020:

€, in millions
2021
2022

2023

2024

2025
Thereafter

Long-term debt
Less: current portion of long-term debt

Non-current portion of long-term debt

Amount
15.4
512.0

761.1

7.4

2.7
3,265.0

4,563.6
15.4

4,548.2

For the year 2021, the obligations relate to lease payments and Berliner Glas loan repayments. The years thereafter mainly 
relate to repayments of principals under our Eurobonds.

Eurobonds
The following table summarizes the carrying amount of our outstanding Eurobonds, including the fair value of interest rate 
swaps used to hedge the change in the fair value of the Eurobonds: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Amortized cost amount
Fair value interest rate swaps 1

Carrying amount

1.  The fair value of the interest rate swaps excludes accrued interest. 

2019
2,983.2
114.9

3,098.1

2020
4,474.1
140.4

4,614.5

We use interest rate swaps to minimize the net interest exposure for the group by aligning the interest terms of the 
available cash and the interest bearing debt. The fair value changes of these interest rate swaps are recorded on the 
Consolidated Balance Sheets under Other assets and the carrying amount of the Eurobonds is adjusted for these fair 
value changes. In February and May of 2020 we issued new Eurobonds with fixed interest coupons. We did not enter into 
additional interest rate swaps in connection with these bonds.

The following table summarizes the estimated fair value of our Eurobonds:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Principal amount
Carrying amount
Fair value 1

1.  Source: Bloomberg Finance LP. 

2019
3,000.0
3,098.1
3,247.7

2020
4,500.0
4,614.5
4,798.8

The fair value of our Eurobonds is estimated based on quoted market prices as of December 31, 2020. The fair value 
deviates from the principal amount, due to changes in market interest rates and credit spreads since the issue of our 
Eurobonds which carry a fixed coupon interest rate.

Lines of credit
We maintain an available committed credit facility, with a group of banks, of €700.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and 
as of December 31, 2019. No amounts were outstanding under the committed credit facility at the end of 2020 and 
2019. This facility of €700.0 million was renegotiated on July 3, 2019, with an original maturity date of July 3, 2024. The 
facility includes options for extension by two 1-year extension options. This extends the maturity to potentially 2026, if 
agreed by both ASML and the lenders. In June 2020 the first 1-year extension option was exercised extending the 
maturity date of the facility from July 2024 to July 2025. Outstanding amounts under this credit facility will bear interest at 
EURIBOR plus a margin that depends on our credit rating and ESG score.  

We have a non-committed guarantee facility of €85.0 million under which guarantees in the ordinary course of business, 
such as customs or rental guarantees, can be provided to third parties. As of January 1, 2019, ASML entered into a non-
committed credit facility for our Chinese subsidiary of €130.0 million. The non-committed credit facility covers bank 
guarantees, standby letters of credit, as well as advances up to €75.0 million. No amounts were outstanding under this 
facility. Outstanding amounts under the non-committed facility will bear interest based on market conditions at the 
moment of draw down.

175

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Debt acquired through the Berliner Glas business combination
The loans of Berliner Glas are comprised of a mortgage loan of €25.0 million with an annual interest rate of 0.5% 
repayable in 2034, revolving credit facilities at various financial institutions of €25.7 million with annual interest rates 
varying between 0.8% and 1.2% that are repayable annually through 2024, as well as financial lease liabilities totaling €4.8 
million.

Interest and other, net 
Interest and other, net consist mainly of interest income and interest expenses. In 2020, the interest expense component is 
€43.3 million (2019: €36.6 million and 2018: €41.8 million). The expenses mainly relate to interest expense on our 
Eurobonds, interest rate swaps and hedges, and amortized financing costs.

17. Commitments and contingencies 

Commitments
We have various contractual obligations, some of which are required to be recorded as liabilities in our Consolidated 
Balance Sheets, including long- and short-term debt and lease commitments. Other contractual obligations, namely 
purchase obligations, are generally not required to be recognized as liabilities but are required to be disclosed.

Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2020 can be summarized as follows: 

Payments due by period (€, in millions)
Long-Term Debt Obligations, including interest1
Lease Obligations 2
Purchase Obligations
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH High-NA Funding 3

Total Contractual Obligations

Total
4,874.5
176.3

5,243.1
319.9

10,613.8

1 year
76.4
46.5

4,247.3
229.7

4,599.9

2 year
572.9
37.1

624.0
90.2

3 year
818.9
24.5

231.3
—

1,324.2

1,074.7

4 year
39.9
15.0

67.6
—

122.5

5 year
35.2
12.1

37.9
—

85.2

 >5 years
3,331.2
41.1

35.0
—

3,407.3

1.  Long-term debt obligations mainly relate to principal amounts and interest payments of our Eurobonds. For the amounts excluding interest expenses and for further 

details see Note 16 Long-term debt and interest and other costs. 
2.  For further details see Note 14 Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. 
3.  For further details see Note 10 Equity method investments.

We have purchase obligations towards suppliers in the ordinary course of business which mainly relates to goods and 
services for our operations. The general terms and conditions of the agreements relating to the major part of our purchase 
obligations as of December 31, 2020 contain clauses that enable us to delay or cancel delivery of ordered goods and 
services up to the dates specified in the purchase agreements, in line with the timing of future sales. The terms and 
conditions that we normally agree with our suppliers give us additional flexibility to adapt our purchase obligations to our 
requirements in light of the cyclically and technological developments inherent in the industry in which we operate. 

Contingencies 
ASML is subject to proceedings, litigation and other actual or potential claims. In addition, ASML’s customers may be 
subject to claims of infringement from third parties alleging that the ASML equipment used by those customers in the 
manufacture of semiconductor products, and / or the methods relating to use of the ASML equipment, infringes one or 
more patents issued to those third parties. If these claims were successful, ASML could be required to indemnify such 
customers for some or all of the losses incurred or damages assessed against them as a result of that infringement. 

In connection with any proceedings and claims, our management evaluates, based on the relevant facts and legal 
principles, the likelihood of an unfavorable (or favorable) outcome, and whether the amount of the loss (or gain) can be 
reasonably estimated. Judgment is required in these evaluations, including judgments regarding the validity of asserted 
claims and the likely outcome of legal and administrative proceedings. The outcome of these proceedings, however, is 
subject to a number of factors beyond our control, most notably the uncertainty associated with predicting decisions by 
courts and administrative agencies. In addition, estimates of the potential costs (or gains) associated with legal and 
administrative proceedings frequently cannot be subjected to any sensitivity analysis, as damage estimates or settlement 
offers by claimants may bear little or no relation to the eventual outcome. Finally, in any particular proceeding, we may 
agree to settle or to terminate a claim or proceeding in which we believe that it would ultimately prevail where we believe 
that doing so, when taken together with other relevant commercial considerations, is more effective than engaging in an 
expensive and protracted litigation, the outcome of which is uncertain. 

As of December 31, 2020, management has determined that ASML does not have any material contingency which is 
considered probable or reasonably probable for each year presented in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.   

176

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202018. Personnel expenses and employee information 

Personnel expenses for all payroll employees were as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Wages and salaries
Social security expenses

Pension and retirement expenses
Share-based payments

Personnel expenses

The average number of payroll employees in FTEs was: 

Average number of payroll employees in FTEs
Netherlands
Worldwide

2018
1,777.9
146.3

122.0
46.3

2,092.5

2019
2,124.4
181.9

152.5
74.6

2,533.4

2020
2,519.6
208.1

182.6
53.9

2,964.2

2018
8,597
18,204

2019
11,376
22,192

2020
12,812
24,727

The continued increase in payroll employees in 2020 is to support the growth of our business and due to the acquisition of 
Berliner Glas. As a result of the acquisition of Berliner Glas, around 1,600 employees joined ASML as of October 30, 
2020. None of these employees work in the Netherlands. The personnel expenses in 2020 do not include any expenses of 
Berliner Glas, since ASML consolidates Berliner Glas using a one-quarter lag. 

The total number of payroll and temporary employees as of December 31 in FTEs per sector was: 

Year ended December 31 (in FTE)
Customer Support
Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

Strategic Supply Management

General & Administrative

Sales and Mature Products and Services
Research & Development

Total
Less: Temporary employees

Payroll employees

2018
5,674
5,779

267

1,701

559
9,267

23,247
3,203

20,044

2019
5,953
5,933

326

1,898

624
10,166

24,900
1,681

23,219

2020
6,429
7,680

346

2,061

744
10,813

28,073
1,459

26,614

Bonus plans 
We have annual performance related short-term incentive (STI) bonus plans for our employees. Under these plans, the 
payout depends on company and / or individual performance. This STI bonus (excluding the Board of Management) can 
range between 0% and 117.0% of the employees' annual base salary, depending on their job grade and the type of STI 
plan. The STI for 2020 is accrued for as part of Accrued and other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and will 
be paid in the first quarter of 2021.

Short-term incentive bonus expenses for the Board of Management and other employees were as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Board of Management

Other employees

Total bonus expenses

2018

4.5
233.7

238.2

2019

5.1
269.1

274.2

2020

5.4
402.5

407.9

177

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202019. Employee benefits 

Accounting policy  
Contributions to defined contribution retirement benefit plans are recognized as an expense when employees have 
rendered service entitling them to the contributions. Payments made to state-managed retirement benefit schemes 
are dealt with as payments to defined contribution plans where our obligations under the plans are equivalent to 
those arising in a defined contribution retirement benefit plan.  

We maintain one multi-employer union defined benefit pension plan and various other defined contribution pension 
plans covering a substantial part of our employees. ASML accounts for its multi-employer defined benefit plan as if it 
were a defined contribution plan for the following reasons:

•  ASML is affiliated to an industry-wide pension fund and uses the pension scheme in common with other 

participating companies. 

•  Under the regulations of the pension plan, the only obligation these participating companies have towards the 

pension fund is to pay the annual premium liability. Participating companies are under no obligation whatsoever to 
pay off any deficits the pension plan may incur. Nor have they any claim to any potential surpluses. 

Our pension and retirement expenses for all employees for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Pension plan based on multi-employer union plan
Pension plans based on defined contribution

Pension and retirement expenses

2018
74.0
48.0

122.0

2019
96.6
55.9

152.5

2020
126.8
55.8

182.6

In accordance with the collective bargaining agreements effective for the industry in which we operate, which has no 
expiration date, there are 13,816 eligible employees in the Netherlands that participate in a multi-employer union plan. Our 
net periodic pension cost for this multi-employer union plan for any period is the amount of the required employer 
contribution for that period.  

This multi-employer union plan is managed by PME and covers approximately 1,400 companies and 
approximately 168,000 contributing members. Every company participating in the PME contributes a premium that is 
based on the same contribution rate. This contribution rate can fluctuate yearly based on the coverage ratio of the multi-
employer union plan. For 2020, the contribution percentage was 22.7% (2019: 22.7%). For 2020, our contribution to this 
multi-employer union plan (including the premiums paid by employees), was 14.0% (2019: 11.7%) of the total contribution 
to the plan. For 2021, we expect to contribute around €190.0 million to this multi-employer union plan (including the 
premiums paid by employees). The pension rights of each employee are based upon the employee’s average salary 
during employment.

The PME multi-employer union plan monitors its risks on a global basis and is subject to regulation by Dutch 
governmental authorities. By Dutch law (the Dutch Pension Act), a multi-employer union plan must be monitored against 
specific criteria, including the coverage ratio of the plan’s assets to its obligations. The coverage percentage is calculated 
by dividing the funds capital by the total sum of pension liabilities and is based on actual market interest rates. The 
coverage ratio as per December 31, 2020 is 97.2% (December 31, 2019: 98.7%) and is below the legally required 
minimum coverage ratio of 104.0%. While the current coverage ratio is below the legally required minimum, PME has 
made use of a temporary ministerial exemption regulation in 2020 due to the current economic environment, which 
exempts PME from the requirement to reduce the pension payouts in 2021. 

Additionally, PME has initiated a recovery plan to increase the coverage ratio to its legally required minimum level. Based 
on this plan it is estimated that the coverage ratio will increase to the legally required minimum coverage ratio as of 2028, 
which is within the legally required maximum recovery period of ten years. ASML has no obligation to pay off any deficits 
the pension fund may incur, nor do we have any claim to any potential surpluses.

We also participate in several other defined contribution pension plans (outside the Netherlands), with our expenses for 
these plans equaling the employer contributions made in the relevant period. 

As part of the acquisition of Berliner Glas, we assumed a pension plan in Switzerland that is classified as a defined benefit 
pension plan as a result of a requirement to provide additional funding in case of a shortfall, while surpluses can only 
become due to beneficiaries. The plan is funded in line with the statutory requirements. The current level of funding is 
sufficient with a coverage ratio of 106. Furthermore, the pension fund is allowed to take measures to limited the deficit 
before additional funding is required by the participating companies. As of December 31, 2020, the plan assets are 
estimated at €74.7 million and the pension obligation at €89.5 million, resulting in a net pension liability 
of €14.8 million recorded under non-current Accrued and other liabilities.

178

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Deferred compensation plans 
We have a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for our US employees that allows a select group of management or 
highly compensated employees to defer a portion of their salary, bonus, and commissions. The plan allows us to credit 
additional amounts to the participants’ account balances. The participants divide their funds among the investments 
available in the plan. Participants elect to receive their funds in future periods after the earlier of their employment 
termination or their withdrawal election, at least 3 years after deferral. Expenses were close to nil relating to this plan in 
2020, 2019 and 2018. As of December 31, 2020, our liability under deferred compensation plans was €68.3 million (2019: 
€56.6 million).The related compensation plan assets are €67.0 million (2019: €55.1 million).

20. Share-based compensation

ASML provides compensation to its employees through different type of share plans. These plans can be categorized as 
follows:

•  Share based compensation plans (Long term incentive and Employee Umbrella Share Plan)
•  Employee purchase plan (Cash reservation for acquisition of undefined number of shares based on an undefined share 

price at acquisition date)

•  Option plans (Option to buy a predetermined amount of shares against a predetermined exercise price

Share based compensation plans

Accounting Policy 
As part of our long-term incentive (LTI) bonus, employees can be granted either a service or performance share 
based-payment plan including services. For service plans shares are granted at grant date and after having been in 
service for a set period (typically 3 years), the participant is awarded these shares at the vesting date. For 
performance plans, the shares are conditionally granted and awarded based on the company specific performance 
criteria, which can be split between market and non-market based elements. These shares vest after completion of 
the service period and the performance reached at vesting date.

Long-term incentive plans
The table below shows the performance criteria and the corresponding weight for the 2020 LTI performance plans.

LTI performance plan criteria

Market / Non-Market element

Total Shareholder Return
ROAIC

Technology Leadership Index
Sustainability

Total 

Market
Non-Market

Non-Market
Non-Market

Weight

30%
40%

20%
10%

100%

The fair value of the market based element is measured at the grant date incorporating the expected vesting and 
expected value at vesting, using a tailored Monte Carlo simulation model. The fair value of the service plans and the non-
market based elements of the performance plans is the share price at grant date less the present value of expected 
dividends during the vesting period, as participants are not entitled to dividends payable and voting rights during the 
vesting period. The likelihood of the conditions being met for service and non-market performance plans is assessed as 
part of the company’s best estimate of the number of equity instruments that will ultimately vest.

Participants are entitled to a conditional grant of company shares upon awarding. Performance plans are subject to cliff 
vesting and are accounted for on a straight line basis. Service only plans are subject to graded vesting. Each installment of 
the plan is therefore accounted as a separate grant with a separate fair value. This means that each installment will be 
separately measured and attributed to expense over the related vesting period. Expenses for the market based element 
are recognized during vesting at a fixed vesting level (as the vesting expectation is incorporated in the fair value) provided 
that all other performance conditions are met. Expenses for the non-market based elements and service plans are 
recognized during vesting at expected vesting levels, which are updated during vesting period as necessary, with a final 
update/adjustment at vesting date. All share based remuneration expenses are recognized as personnel expense, with a 
corresponding entry in equity, during the vesting period of the award. Share based remuneration expenses are included in 
the same income statement line or lines in the functional grouped consolidated statement of operations as the 
compensation paid to the employees receiving the stock-based awards.  

The General Meeting approved the adoption of the most recent remuneration policy for the Board of Management and the 
number of shares to be issued. The most recent remuneration policy includes the target and maximum levels of the LTI 
plans, the performance measures and pay-out zone percentages. The General Meeting also approved the restrictions and 
limits to the Board of Management for issuance/granting of ordinary shares, limits for restricting or excluding the 
preemption rights accruing to shareholder and the restrictions and limits to the Board of Management for repurchasing 
ordinary shares on behalf of the company. 

179

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Employee Umbrella Share Plan 
The Employee Umbrella Share Plan, effective as of January 1, 2014 covers all employees. The main purpose of the grants 
of Equity Incentives under the Employee Umbrella Share Plan is to continue to attract, reward and retain qualified and 
experienced industry professionals in an international labor market. All grants under the Employee Umbrella Share Plan 
typically have a 3-year vesting period and are subject to the above mentioned performance or service criteria. 

The assumptions for the calculation of the fair value of shares for share based compensation plans, which include a 
market based performance element, are set out in the following table: 

Year ended December 31
Share price in € at grant date
Expected volatility ASML
Expected volatility PHLX index

Vesting period

Dividend yield

Risk free interest rate (Eurozone)
Risk free interest rate (US)

2018
166.9
26.1%
21.3%

2019
199.5
29.8%
24.8%

2020
270.7
28.9 %

24.7 %

2.9 years

2.5 years

2.9 years

0.8%

(0.4)%
2.2%

1.1%

(0.8)%
1.8%

0.9 %

(0.6)%
1.5 %

Expenses for share based compensation plans were as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Total compensation expenses incurred for share based remuneration (including 
share-based compensation to the BoM)
The income tax benefit (excluding excess income tax benefits) recognized 
related to the recognized share-based compensation costs in the US
Total compensation expenses to be incurred for share based remuneration 
(including share-based compensation to the BoM) in future periods 
Weighted average period in which compensation expenses (including share-
based compensation to the BoM) are expected to be recognized

2018

46.3

5.6

94.2

2019

74.6

5.9

95.8

2020

53.9

6.6

85.9

1.7 years

1.6 years

1.6 years

Details with respect to shares granted and vested during the year are set out in the following table: 

Year ended December 31

Total fair value at vesting date of shares vested during the year (in millions)

EUR-denominated

USD-denominated

2018

46.4

2019

58.7

2020

124.9

2018

61.6

2019

54.9

2020

133.9

Weighted average fair value of shares granted

161.63

190.33

297.05

187.98

206.90

302.75

A summary of the status of conditionally outstanding shares as of December 31, 2020, and changes during the year 
ended December 31, 2020, is presented below:

Conditional shares outstanding at January 1, 2020
Granted

Vested
Forfeited

Conditional shares outstanding at December 31, 2020

EUR-denominated

USD-denominated

Weighted 
average 
fair value at 
grant date

157.48
297.05

173.80
147.94

201.44

Number 
of shares

682,029
210,029

(314,221)
(22,743)

555,094

Weighted 
average 
fair value at 
grant date

179.22
302.75

186.08
179.82

225.26

Number 
of shares

578,499
181,221

(274,637)
(40,329)

444,754

Employee purchase plan
Every quarter, we offer our worldwide payroll employees the opportunity to buy our shares against fair value using their net 
salary. The Board of Management is excluded from participation in this plan. The fair value for shares is based on the 
closing price of our shares listed at Euronext Amsterdam on grant date. The maximum net amount for which employees 
can participate in the plan amounts to 10.0% of their annual gross base salary. When employees retain the shares for a 
minimum of 12 months, we will pay out a 20.0% cash bonus on the initial participation amount. 

Option plans 
The grant-date fair value of stock options is estimated using a Black-Scholes option valuation model. This Black-Scholes 
model requires the use of assumptions, including expected share price volatility, the estimated life of each award and the 
estimated dividend yield. The risk-free interest rate used in the model is determined, based on an index populated with 
euro denominated European government agency bond with high credit ratings and with a life equal to the expected life of 

180

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020  
  
 
the equity settled share-based payments. Our option plans typically vest over a 3-year service period with any 
unexercised stock options expiring 10 years after the grant date. Options granted have fixed exercise prices equal to the 
closing price of our shares listed at Euronext Amsterdam on grant date. As of 2017 we no longer grant options to our 
employees and all options issued are vested. Issuance of shares upon exercising the stock options are deducted from the 
treasury shares. The purchase of shares against the exercise price is settled with the employees involved through 
deductions on their salary.  

Details with respect to stock options are set out in the following table:

Year ended December 31

Weighted average share price at the exercise date of stock options
Aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised (in millions)
Weighted average remaining contractual term of currently exercisable 
options (in years)
Aggregate intrinsic value of exercisable stock options (in millions)
Aggregate intrinsic value of outstanding stock options (in millions)

EUR-denominated

USD-denominated

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

169.68
13.6

201.52
4.3

302.20
4.8

201.01
7.6

225.70
2.3

355.44
3.7

4.76

8.9
9.0

4.16

17.7
17.7

3.55

22.4
22.4

5.20

5.2
5.2

4.40

11.8
11.8

3.66

16.9
16.9

The number and weighted average exercise prices of stock options as of December 31, 2020, and changes during the 
year then ended are presented below:

Outstanding, January 1, 2020
Granted

Exercised

Forfeited
Expired

Outstanding, December 31, 2020
Exercisable, December 31, 2020

 EUR-denominated

USD-denominated

Weighted 
average 
exercise price 
per ordinary 
share (EUR)

64.80
—

48.35

26.07
23.37

70.02
70.02

Weighted 
average 
exercise price 
per ordinary 
share (USD)

83.71
—

74.05

—
32.74

86.87
86.87

Number 
of options

55,549
—

(13,165)

—
(129)

42,255
42,255

Number 
of options

88,740
—

(19,071)

(200)
(929)

68,540
68,540

Details with respect to the stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2020 are set out in the following table:

EUR-denominated

USD-denominated

Range of exercise 
prices (€)
25 - 40
40 - 50

50 - 60

60 - 70

70 - 80

80 - 90

90 - 100

100 - 110

Total

Number of 
outstanding 
options

Weighted average 
remaining 
contractual life of 
outstanding (years)

5,611
6,857

6,082

13,483

11,951

12,035

12,521

—

68,540

0.73
1.80

2.97

2.93

4.37

4.85

4.68

—

3.55

Range of exercise 
prices (USD)
25 - 40
40 - 50

50 - 60

60 - 70

70 - 80

80 - 90

90 - 100

100 - 110

Total

Number of 
outstanding 
options

Weighted average 
remaining 
contractual life of 
outstanding (years)

2,136
562

2,698

423

856

9,690

18,228

7,662

42,255

0.42
0.84

1.67

2.06

2.30

3.87

3.97

4.72

3.66

181

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020  
  
 
21. Income taxes 

Accounting Policy 
The asset and liability method is used in accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and 
liabilities are recognized for the tax effect of operating losses and tax credit carry forward as well as for tax 
consequences attributable to differences between the balance sheets carrying amounts of existing assets and 
liabilities and their respective tax bases. If it is more likely than not that the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets 
will not be realized, a valuation allowance is recorded for the differences. Income tax expense includes current and 
deferred taxes on profit, including related interest and penalties, as well as actual or potential withholding taxes on 
current and expected dividend income from group companies. 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the 
years in which temporary differences and net operating losses are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on 
deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of 
Operations in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred income taxes including stranded effects 
originally recognized through OCI are recycled through earnings in future periods upon release of the connected item 
from OCI to the statement of income.

We assess unrecognized tax benefits based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for 
recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position 
will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to 
measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. While 
we believe we have appropriate support for the positions taken on our tax returns, we regularly assess the potential 
outcomes of examinations by tax authorities in determining the adequacy of our income tax expense, and adjust the 
income tax expense, income taxes payable and deferred taxes in the period in which the facts that give rise to a 
revision become known. 

Income taxes are affecting our Consolidated Statements of Operations, Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive 
Income and Consolidated Balance Sheets. The disclosure of the Income taxes is therefore split into:

•  Income tax expense   
•  Liability for unrecognized tax benefits 
•  Deferred taxes 

Income tax expense
The components of the income tax expense  are as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Netherlands
Foreign

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense current
Income tax expense deferred

Income tax expense Netherlands

Income tax expense current
Income tax expense deferred

Income tax expense Foreign

Total income tax expense current
Total income tax expense deferred

Total income tax expense

2018
2,602.0
335.0

2,937.0

(433.5)
9.7

(423.8)

(210.1)
282.3

72.2

(643.5)
291.9

(351.6)

2019
2,441.2
324.6

2,765.8

(305.5)
74.8

(230.7)

(118.4)
157.4

39.0

(423.9)
232.2

(191.7)

2020
3,574.6
442.0

4,016.6

(407.7)
1.4

(406.3)

(375.3)
230.1

(145.2)

(783.0)
231.5

(551.5)

The Dutch statutory tax rate was 25.0% in 2020, 2019 and 2018. Tax amounts in other jurisdictions are calculated at the 
rates prevailing in the relevant jurisdictions. 

182

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The reconciliation of the income tax expense is as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Income before income taxes
Income tax expense based on ASML’s domestic rate

Effects of tax rates in foreign jurisdictions
Adjustments in respect of tax exempt income

2018
2,937.0
(734.3)

15.4
6.2

%1
100.0%
25.0%

(0.5)%
(0.2)%

2019
2,765.8
(691.4)

5.0
7.2

%1
100.0%

2020
4,016.6
25.0% (1,004.1)
(0.2)%
0.9
(0.3)%

0.2

Adjustments in respect of tax incentives

311.8

(10.6)%

351.0

(12.7)%

Adjustments in respect of prior years’ current taxes

Adjustments in respect of prior years’ deferred taxes

Movements in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits

Tax effects in respect to HMI restructuring

Change in valuation allowance

Equity method investments

Effect of change in tax rates
Other (credits) and non tax deductible items

Income tax expense

1.  As a percentage of income before income taxes. 

(1.2)

3.3

(57.2)

115.3

(28.5)

(14.5)

—
32.1
(351.6)

—%

(0.1)%

1.9%

(3.9)%

1.0%

0.5%

—%
(1.1)%
12.0%

46.7

9.8

(16.9)

89.8

7.6

(19.7)

—
19.2
(191.7)

(1.7)%

(0.4)%

0.6%

(3.2)%

(0.3)%

0.7%

—%
(0.7)%
6.8%

510.4

(39.3)

27.0

(41.0)

—

(56.9)

(20.9)

15.0
57.2

(551.5)

%1
100.0%
25.0%
—%

—%

(12.7)%

1.0%

(0.7)%

1.0%

—%

1.4%

0.5%

(0.4)%
(1.4)%

13.7%

The effective tax rate increased to 13.7% of income before income taxes in 2020, compared to 6.8% in 2019. The lower 
rate for 2019 was a result of discrete tax benefits relating to restructuring of our HMI group companies and US Tax Reform 
regulations.

The individual line items can further be explained as follows:

Income tax expense based on ASML’s domestic rate 
The income tax expense based on ASML’s domestic rate is based on the Dutch statutory income tax rate. It reflects 
the income tax expense that would have been applicable assuming that all of our income is taxable against the Dutch 
statutory tax rate and there are no permanent differences between taxable base and financial results and no Dutch tax 
incentives are applied. 

Effects of tax rates in foreign jurisdictions 
A portion of our results is realized in countries other than the Netherlands where different tax rates are applicable. The 
effect can differ from year to year depending on the profit before tax in foreign jurisdictions.

Adjustments in respect of tax exempt income
In past years in certain jurisdictions part of the income generated was tax exempted. In conjunction with changed facts 
and circumstances this effect is reduced as of 2020. With regard to previous years the higher effect in 2019 compared to 
2018 was caused by a small increasing level of income reported at the level of ASML Hong Kong. 

Adjustments in respect of tax incentives
Adjustments in respect of tax incentives mainly relates to a reduced tax rate as a result of application of the Dutch 
Innovation Box. The Innovation box is a facility under Dutch corporate tax law pursuant to which qualified income 
associated with R&D is subject to an effective tax rate of 7.0% (rate for 2020; in 2021 effective innovation box tax rate will 
increase to 9%). The innovation box benefit is determined according to Dutch laws and published tax policy, the 
application of which has been confirmed in an agreement among ASML and the Dutch tax authorities, which agreement 
applies for the years 2017 through 2023 assuming facts and circumstances do not change. 

Furthermore this category includes the benefit of US Tax Reform through the Foreign Derived Intangible Income (FDII) 
deduction at the level of our US group companies. The FDII deduction is a facility under US corporate tax law which 
reduces the effective tax rate on qualifying income. 

The higher effect in 2020 compared to 2019 is mainly caused by an increase in innovation box benefit resulting from an 
increased level in income before tax. 

Adjustments in respect of prior years’ current taxes 
The movements in the adjustments in respect of prior years’ current taxes relate to differences between the initially 
estimated income taxes and final corporate income tax returns filed, which to a certain extent are offset with 
corresponding adjustments in prior years' deferred taxes (movement in temporary differences).

The impact in 2019 is mainly due to an increase in the FDII deduction as taken into account in our 2018 tax filing in the 
US.

183

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Adjustments in respect of prior years’ deferred taxes
The movements in the adjustments in respect of prior years’ deferred taxes for 2020 and 2018  relate to differences 
between the initially estimated income taxes and final corporate income tax returns filed. For 2019 the movement was 
mainly driven by the capitalization of R&D expenses for tax purposes in the US, which was mirrored by an adjustment in 
prior years' current taxes.   

Movements in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits 
In 2020, similar to prior years 2019 and 2018, the effective tax rate was impacted by movements in the liability for 
unrecognized tax benefits. The movement for 2020 is mainly driven by the finalization of a tax audit at the level of our 
South Korean group companies - reference is made to the 'liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits' paragraph below.

Tax effects in respect to HMI restructuring 
The 2019 and 2018 tax effects are driven by an internal restructuring of our HMI group companies. As a result of this 
internal restructuring the deferred tax liabilities on intangible assets that were initially included in the business combination 
accounting for HMI have been released during 2018. Furthermore a deferred tax asset has been recognized in 2019 for 
book to tax differences on intangible fixed assets transferred as part of the internal restructuring. For 2020 this 
restructuring has no additional impact on the effective tax rate.  

Change in valuation allowance  
The higher effect in 2020 as compared to prior years is to the main extent caused by the recognition of R&D and 
withholding tax credits at the level of our group companies in the Netherlands and the US as of which it is considered not 
more likely than not that these can be realized in future years.

Equity method investments
This line includes the income tax expense relating to our investment in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG The 
higher effect in 2020 compared to 2019 is mainly caused by an increase of the profit before tax of the equity investment.  

Effect of change in tax rates
The impact on the effective tax rate in 2020 is in essence driven by the enacted increase of the Dutch innovation box rate 
to 9% as of 2021 as well as reversal of the initial enacted reduction of the general Dutch corporate income tax rate (from 
21.7% back to 25%), which rate changes both have impact on the valuation of deferred taxes at the level of the Dutch 
group companies. 

Additionally it includes a small impact of a change in blended tax rate of one or our HMI group companies in the US.

Other credits and non-tax deductible items
Other credits and non-tax deductible items reflect the impact on our statutory rates of permanent non-tax deductible 
items such as non-deductible interest expense and non-deductible meals and entertainment expenses, as well as the 
impact of various tax credits on our income tax expense. 

US Tax Reform 
The 2018, 2019 and 2020 year-end tax positions calculated also reflect the regulations of US Tax Reform, thereby taking 
into account the guidance issued by the US government. Hereby the position has been taken not to apply the most recent 
guidance relating to the final FDII regulations issued in 2020 retrospectively, but only as of 2021 onwards, which is 
permitted under the aforementioned regulations. In regard to GILTI and BEAT, the decision has been taken to treat this as 
a period permanent item. 

Liability for unrecognized tax benefits and deferred taxes
The liability for unrecognized tax benefits (including accrued interest and penalties) and total deferred tax position 
recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets is as follows:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Liability for unrecognized tax benefits
Deferred tax assets
Deferred tax liabilities

Deferred and other tax assets (liabilities)

2019
(227.1)
445.3
(7.3)

210.9

2020
(200.4)
671.5
(37.9)

433.2

Liability for unrecognized tax benefits
We have operations in multiple jurisdictions, where we are subject to the application of complex tax laws. Application of 
these complex tax laws may lead to uncertainties on tax positions. We aim to resolve these uncertainties in discussions 
with the tax authorities. We record unrecognized tax benefits in line with the requirements of ASC 740, which requires us 
to estimate the potential outcome of any tax position. Our estimate for the potential outcome of any uncertain tax position 
is highly judgmental. We believe that we have adequately provided for uncertain tax positions. However, settlement of 
these uncertain tax positions in a manner inconsistent with our expectations could have a material impact on our 
Consolidated Financial Statements.

184

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consistent with the requirements of ASC 740, as of December 31, 2020, the liability for unrecognized tax benefits 
including interest and penalties amounts to €200.4 million (2019: €227.1 million) which is classified as Deferred and other 
tax liabilities. If recognized, these unrecognized tax benefits would affect our effective tax rate for approximately equal 
amounts.

Expected interest and penalties related to income tax liabilities have been accrued for and are included in the liability 
for unrecognized tax benefits and in the income tax expense. Accrued interest and penalties in 2020 amount to a benefit 
of €(14.2) million (2019: €9.0 million expense; 2018: €32.6 million expense). 

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits (excluding interest and 
penalties) is as follows:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Balance, January
Gross presentation for different tax jurisdictions

Gross increases – tax positions in prior period

Gross decreases – tax positions in prior period
Gross increases – tax positions in current period

Settlements

Lapse of statute of limitations

Effect of changes in exchange rates

Total liability for unrecognized tax benefits
Balance of accrued interest and penalties

Total liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits including interest and penalties

2019
(140.4)
—

(21.3)

2.2
(18.9)

—

28.7

(1.0)

(150.7)
(76.4)

(227.1)

2020
(150.7)
(27.3)

(66.6)
0.5

(21.6)

106.6

14.5

6.6

(138.0)
(62.4)

(200.4)

We conclude our allowances for tax contingencies to be appropriate. Based on the information currently available, we 
estimate that the liability for unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by €33.1 million (excluding interest and penalties) 
within the next 12 months, mainly as a result of expiration of statute of limitations.

Gross increases of tax positions in prior period and Settlements are in essence mainly relating to finalization of a tax audit 
at the level of our South Korean group companies. 

We file income tax returns in all countries where we operate, with the Netherlands, US, Taiwan, South Korea and China 
being the major jurisdictions. The years for which tax returns are still open for examination for respective jurisdictions are 
as follows:

Country
Netherlands
US

Taiwan

South Korea
China

Years
2016-2020
2016-2020

2016-2020

2016-2020
2011-2020

We are routinely subject to examinations and audits from tax and other authorities in the various jurisdictions in which we 
operate. We believe that adequate amounts of taxes and related interest and penalties have been provided for, and any 
adjustments as a result of examinations are not expected to have a material adverse effect.

185

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Deferred taxes 
The composition of total deferred tax assets and liabilities reconciled to the classification in the Consolidated Balance 
Sheets is:

Deferred taxes (€, in millions)
Deferred tax assets:
Capitalized R&D expenditures
R&D & other credit carry forwards

Inventories

Deferred revenue

Accrued and other liabilities

Installation and warranty reserve

Tax effect carry-forward losses

Property, plant and equipment

Lease liabilities

Intangible fixed assets

Share-based payments
Other temporary differences

Total deferred tax assets, gross
Valuation allowance 1

Total deferred tax assets, net
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible fixed assets

Goodwill

Right-of-use assets

Property, plant and equipment

Deferred revenue

Borrowing costs long-term debt
Other temporary differences

Total deferred tax liabilities
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)
Classified as:

Deferred tax assets – non-current 
Deferred tax liabilities – non-current 

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)

Acquisitions 
through 
business 
combinations

Consolidated 
Statements 
 of 
Operations

January 1, 
2020

Income tax 
recognized 
in Other 
Comprehensive 
Income

Effect of 
changes 
in exchange 
rates

December 
31, 2020

—
—

—

—

3.8

—

—

0.8

—

—

—

4.6
—

4.6

(8.9)

—

—

(1.9)

—

—
(5.7)

(16.5)
(11.9)

117.3
63.7

(9.0)

70.8

15.9

5.4

15.3

(7.0)

(1.6)

13.7

(0.6)
1.9

285.8
(56.9)

228.9

11.0

(9.0)

1.6

10.9

(5.1)

(0.1)
(6.7)

2.6
231.5

192.9
60.8

49.3

56.8

73.4

12.3

12.5

32.8

8.1

129.8

8.5
20.3

657.5
(73.6)

583.9

(104.2)

(6.6)

(8.1)

(15.3)

(13.1)

(1.5)
2.9

(145.9)
438.0

445.3
(7.3)

438.0

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
0.6

0.6
—

0.6

—

—

—

—

—

—
—

—
0.6

(23.1)

(7.3)

(3.1)

(2.4)

(5.3)

(1.3)

(0.7)

0.3

—

—

(0.7)
1.1

(42.5)
8.0

(34.5)

8.2

—

—

0.9

—

—
0.8

287.1

117.2

37.2

125.2

87.8

16.4

27.1

26.9

6.5

143.5

7.2
23.9

906.0
(122.5)

783.5

(93.9)

(15.6)

(6.5)

(5.4)

(18.2)

(1.6)
(8.7)

9.9
(24.6)

(149.9)
633.6

671.5
(37.9)

633.6

1.  The valuation allowance disclosed above relates to R&D and other credits and Tax effect carry-forward losses that may not be realized.    

186

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Deferred taxes (€, in millions)
Deferred tax assets:
Capitalized R&D expenditures
R&D & other credit carry forwards

Inventories

Deferred revenue

Accrued and other liabilities

Installation and warranty reserve

Tax effect carry-forward losses

Property, plant and equipment

Lease liabilities

Intangible fixed assets

Share-based payments
Other temporary differences

Total deferred tax assets, gross
Valuation allowance 1

Total deferred tax assets, net
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible fixed assets
Goodwill

Right-of-use assets

Property, plant and equipment

Deferred revenue

Borrowing costs long-term debt
Other temporary differences

Total deferred tax liabilities
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)
Classified as:

Deferred tax assets – non-current
Deferred tax liabilities – non-current

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)

Acquisitions 
through 
business 

combinations Other

January 
1, 2019

Consolidated 
Statements 
 of 
Operations

Income tax 
recognized 
in Other 
Comprehensive 
Income

Effect of 
changes 
in exchange 
rates

December 
31, 2019

—
—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
—

—
—

—

—
—

—

—

—

—
—

—
—

—
—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
—

—
—

—

—
—

—

—

—

—
7.4

7.4
7.4

189.0
(11.1)

(0.2)

(92.4)

31.4

(1.3)

3.4

9.0

8.1

81.1

0.6
(5.4)

212.2
7.6

219.8

17.9
(6.6)

(8.1)

9.8

(13.0)

—
12.4

12.4
232.2

1.7
70.5

52.9

150.3

40.5

13.3

8.5

19.4

—

48.7

7.7
21.7

435.2
(79.2)

356.0

(119.8)
—

—

(25.7)

(0.1)

(1.5)
(15.1)

(162.2)
193.8

236.3
(42.5)

193.8

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
6.1

6.1
—

6.1

—
—

—

—

—

—
—

—
6.1

2.2

1.4

(3.4)

(1.1)

1.5

0.3

0.6

4.4

—

—

0.2
(2.1)

4.0
(2.0)

2.0

(2.3)
—

—

0.6

—

—
(1.8)

(3.5)
(1.5)

192.9

60.8

49.3

56.8

73.4

12.3

12.5

32.8

8.1

129.8

8.5
20.3

657.5
(73.6)

583.9

(104.2)
(6.6)

(8.1)

(15.3)

(13.1)

(1.5)
2.9

(145.9)
438.0

445.3
(7.3)

438.0

1.  The valuation allowance disclosed above relates to R&D and other credits and Tax effect carry-forward losses that may not be realized. 

Tax effect carry-forward losses and Tax credits 
The deferred tax assets from carry-forward losses and R&D & other credits recognized as per December 31, 2020 are 
almost fully reserved. R&D & other credits for the amount of €92.9 million have no expiration date. The remaining R&D & 
other credits of €24.3 million have an expiration date between 2021 and 2035. The carry-forward losses of €133.9 million 
have an expiration date between 2021 and 2030. 

Unrecognized Deferred Tax Liability Related to Investments in Foreign Subsidiaries 
In general, it is our practice and intention to reinvest the earnings of our non-Dutch subsidiaries in those operations and 
distribute only when necessary or opportune by law. The tax implications of distributions by such non-Dutch subsidiaries 
are dependent on local tax and accounting regulations applying at the moment of actual distribution. As these cannot 
practicably be determined no deferred tax liability has been recognized in respect of undistributed profit reserves of the 
foreign subsidiaries. As per December 31, 2020 the aggregate amount of unrecognized temporary differences 
approximately amounts to €240.0 million.

187

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202022. Shareholders’ equity 

Share capital

ASML's authorized share capital amounts to €126.0 million and is divided into:

Type of shares

 Cumulative preference shares

 Ordinary shares

 Ordinary shares B

Amount of shares

Nominal value

Votes per share

700,000,000

€0.09 per share

699,999,000

€0.09 per share

9,000

€0.01 per share

9

9

1

The issued and fully paid up ordinary shares with a nominal value of €0.09 each were as follows:

Year ended December 31
Issued ordinary shares with nominal value of €0.09

Issued ordinary treasury shares with nominal value of €0.09

2018
421,097,729

2019
419,810,706

2020
416,514,034

10,368,038

5,848,998

2,983,454

Total issued ordinary shares with nominal value of €0.09

431,465,767

425,659,704

419,497,488

77,733,738 ordinary shares were held by 288 registered holders with a registered address in the US. Since certain of our 
ordinary shares were held by brokers and nominees, the number of record holders in the US may not be representative of 
the number of beneficial holders, or of where the beneficial holders are resident.

A total of 96,566,077 depository receipts for ordinary shares were issued at the launch of the CCIP. This number has since 
decreased with the sell-down by the relevant customers following expiry of the lock-up.

Each ordinary share consists of 900 fractional shares. Fractional shares entitle the holder thereof to a fractional dividend, 
but do not give entitlement to voting rights. Only those persons who hold shares directly in the share register in the 
Netherlands, held by us at our address at 5504 DR Veldhoven, de Run 6501, the Netherlands, or in the New York share 
register, held by JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., P.O. Box 64506, St. Paul, MN 55164-0506, United States, can hold 
fractional shares. Shareholders who hold ordinary shares through the deposit system under the Dutch Securities Bank 
Giro Transactions Act maintained by the Dutch central securities depository Euroclear Nederland or through the 
Depository Trust Company cannot hold fractional shares.

No ordinary shares B and no cumulative preference shares have been issued. 

There are no special voting rights on the issued shares in our share capital. 

Certain voting restrictions apply in respect of ordinary shares issued in connection with the customer co-investment 
program, which ASML entered into in 2012 with three key customers – Intel, TSMC and Samsung – to accelerate ASML’s 
development of EUV. Under this program, the participating customers funded certain development programs and invested 
in ASML’s ordinary shares. Currently, only one participating customer still holds (directly or indirectly) ordinary shares. The 
voting restrictions in respect of these ordinary shares are set out in the underlying agreement between ASML and the 
relevant customer.

There are currently no limitations, either under Dutch law or in ASML’s Articles of Association, on the transfer of ordinary 
shares in the share capital of ASML. Pursuant to ASML’s Articles of Association, the Supervisory Board’s approval shall be 
required for every transfer of cumulative preference shares. 

Issue and repurchase of (rights to) shares
Our Board of Management has the power to issue ordinary shares and cumulative preference shares insofar as it has 
been authorized to do so by the General Meeting. The Board of Management requires approval of the Supervisory Board 
for such an issue. The authorization by the General Meeting can only be granted for a certain period not exceeding five 
years and may be extended for no longer than five years on each occasion. If the General Meeting has not authorized the 
Board of Management to issue shares, the General Meeting will be authorized to issue shares on the Board of 
Management’s proposal, provided that the Supervisory Board has approved such proposal. 

Holders of ASML’s ordinary shares have a preemptive right, in proportion to the aggregate nominal amount of the ordinary 
shares held by them. This preemptive right may be restricted or excluded. Holders of ordinary shares do not have 
preemptive right with respect to any ordinary shares issued for consideration other than cash or ordinary shares issued to 
employees. If authorized for this purpose by the General Meeting, the Board of Management has the power, subject to 
approval of the Supervisory Board, to restrict or exclude the preemptive rights of holders of ordinary shares.

At our 2020 AGM, the Board of Management was authorized from April 22, 2020 through October 22, 2021, subject to the 
approval of the Supervisory Board, to issue shares and / or rights thereto representing up to a maximum of 5% of our 
issued share capital at April 22, 2020, plus an additional 5% of our issued share capital at April 22, 2020 that may be 
issued in connection with mergers, acquisitions and / or (strategic) alliances. Our shareholders also authorized the Board 

188

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020of Management through October 22, 2021, subject to approval of the Supervisory Board, to restrict or exclude preemptive 
rights with respect to holders of ordinary shares up to a maximum of 10% of our issued share capital.    

We may repurchase our issued ordinary shares at any time, subject to compliance with the requirements of Dutch law and 
our Articles of Association. Any such repurchases are subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board and the 
authorization by the General Meeting, which authorization may not be for more than 18 months.  

At the 2020 AGM, the Board of Management was authorized, subject to Supervisory Board approval, to repurchase 
through October 22, 2021, up to a maximum of two times 10% of our issued share capital at April 22, 2020, at a price 
between the nominal value of the ordinary shares purchased and 110% of the market price of these securities on Euronext 
Amsterdam or NASDAQ.

ASML Preference Shares Foundation 
The ASML Preference Shares Foundation (Stichting Preferente Aandelen ASML), a foundation organized under Dutch law, 
has been granted an option right to acquire preference shares in the share capital of ASML. The Foundation may exercise 
the Preference Share Option in situations where, in the opinion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, ASML’s interests, 
ASML’s business or the interests of ASML’s stakeholders are at stake. This may be the case if:

•  a public bid for ASML’s shares is announced or made, or there is a justified expectation that such a bid will be made 

without any agreement having been reached with ASML in relation to such a bid; or 

•  in the opinion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, the (attempted) exercise of the voting rights by one shareholder 
or more shareholders, acting in concert, is materially in conflict with ASML’s interests, ASML’s business or ASML’s 
stakeholders.

The Foundation’s objectives are to look after the interests of ASML and the enterprises maintained by and/or affiliated in a 
group with ASML, in such a way that the interests of ASML, of those enterprises and of all parties concerned are 
safeguarded in the best possible way, and that influences in conflict with these interests, which might affect the 
independence or the identity of ASML and those companies, are deterred to the best of the Foundation’s ability, and 
everything related to the above or possibly conducive thereto. The Foundation aims to realize its objects by acquiring and 
holding cumulative preference shares in the capital of ASML and by exercising the rights attached to these shares, 
particularly the voting rights.

The Preference Share Option gives the Foundation the right to acquire such number of cumulative preference shares as 
the Foundation will require, provided that the aggregate nominal value of such number of cumulative preference shares 
shall not exceed the aggregate nominal value of the ordinary shares issued at the time of exercise of the Preference Share 
Option. The subscription price will be equal to their nominal value. Only one-fourth of the subscription price would be 
payable at the time of initial issuance of the cumulative preference shares, with the other three-fourths of the nominal value 
only being payable when ASML calls up this amount. Exercise of the preference share option could effectively dilute the 
voting power of the outstanding ordinary shares by one-half. 

Cancellation and repayment of the issued cumulative preference shares by ASML requires authorization by the General 
Meeting, on a proposal to this effect made by the Board of Management and approved by the Supervisory Board. If the 
Preference Share Option is exercised and as a result cumulative preference shares are issued, ASML will initiate the 
repurchase or cancellation of all cumulative preference shares held by the Foundation on the Foundation’s request. In that 
case, ASML is obliged to effect the repurchase and respective cancellation as soon as possible. A cancellation will result 
in a repayment of the amount paid and exemption from the obligation to pay up on the cumulative preference shares. A 
repurchase of the cumulative preference shares can only take place when such shares are fully paid up. 

If the Foundation does not request ASML to repurchase or cancel all cumulative preference shares held by the Foundation 
within 20 months of issuance of these shares, we will be required to convene a General Meeting for the purpose of 
deciding on a repurchase or cancellation of these shares. 

The Foundation is independent of ASML. The Board of Directors of the Foundation is composed of four independent 
members from the Netherlands’ business and academic communities. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is composed 
of the following members: Mr A.P.M. van der Poel, Mr S. Perrick, Mr A.H. Lundqvist and Mr. J. Streppel.

Other than the arrangements made with the Foundation as described above, ASML has not established any other anti-
takeover devices.

Dividend policy
ASML aims to distribute a dividend that will be growing over time, paid semi-annually. On an annual basis, the Board of 
Management, upon prior approval from the Supervisory Board, submits a proposal to the AGM with respect to the amount 
of dividend to be declared with respect to the prior year, taking into account any interim dividend distributions. The 
dividend proposal in any given year will be subject to availability of distributable profits, retained earnings and cash, and 
may be affected by, among other things, our view of potential future liquidity requirements including for investments in 
production capacity, working capital requirements, the funding of our R&D programs and acquisition opportunities that 
may arise from time to time. 

189

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020ASML intends to declare a total dividend in respect of 2020 of €2.75 per ordinary share. Recognizing the interim dividend 
of €1.20 per ordinary share paid in November 2020, this leads to a final dividend proposal to the General Meeting 
of €1.55 per ordinary share. This is a 15% increase compared to the 2019 total dividend of €2.40 per ordinary share.

Dividends on ordinary shares are payable out of net income or retained earnings as shown in our Financial Statements as 
adopted by our AGM, after payment first of (accumulated) dividends out of net income on any issued cumulative 
preference shares.

Purchase of equity securities 
In addition to dividend payments, we intend to return cash to our shareholders on a regular basis through share buybacks 
or capital repayment, subject to our actual and anticipated level of liquidity requirements and other relevant factors. 

On January 22, 2020 we announced a new three year share buyback program, to be executed within the 2020-2022 time 
frame pursuant to which ASML expects to purchase shares up to €6 billion, which includes a total of up to 0.4 million 
shares to cover employee share plans. ASML intends to cancel the remainder of the shares repurchased.

This program was temporarily paused in the first quarter of 2020 in order to address the uncertainty related to COVID-19, 
and subsequently resumed in the fourth quarter of 2020. In 2020 we repurchased 3,908,429 shares (2019: 
1,948,808 shares) for a total consideration of €1,207.5 million (2019: €410 million) and cancelled 6,162,395 shares, of 
which 4,255,817 shares were repurchased under the 2018-2019 program (2019: 5,806,366 shares canceled).

The remainder of the shares bought back under the 2020-2022 program is intended to be canceled, with the exception of 
up to 0.4 million shares, which will be used to cover employee share plans. The share buyback program may be 
suspended, modified or discontinued at any time.   

The following table provides a summary of shares repurchased by ASML in 2020:

Period

January 23 - 31, 2020
February 1 - 29, 2020

March 1 - 31, 2020

April 1 - 30, 2020

May 1 - 31, 2020

June 1 - 30, 2020

July 1 - 31, 2020

August 1 - 31, 2020

September 1 - 30, 2020

October 1 - 31, 2020

November 1 - 30, 2020

December 1 - 18, 2020

Total

Total number 
of shares 
purchased

Average 
price paid per 
Share (€)

Total number 
of shares 
purchased under 
programs

Maximum value 
of shares that may yet 
be purchased 
(€ millions)

371,468
1,071,844

463,235

—

—

—

—

—

—

578,776

800,405

622,701

3,908,429

264.49
275.41

246.12

—

—

—

—

—

—

320.19

347.77

379.51

308.94

371,468
1,443,312

1,906,547

1,906,547

1,906,547

1,906,547

1,906,547

1,906,547

1,906,547

2,485,323

3,285,728

3,908,429

5,901.8
5,606.5

5,492.5

5,492.5

5,492.5

5,492.5

5,492.5

5,492.5

5,492.5

5,307.2

5,028.9

4,792.5

23. Net income per ordinary share 

Basic net income per ordinary share is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares outstanding for that period.  

The dilutive effect is calculated using the treasury stock method by dividing net income by the weighted average number 
of ordinary shares outstanding for that period plus shares applicable to options and conditional shares (Dilutive potential 
ordinary shares). The calculation of diluted net income per ordinary share does not assume exercise of options when 
exercise would be anti-dilutive. Excluded from the diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding calculation are 
cumulative preference shares contingently issuable to the preference share foundation, since they represent a different 
class of stock than the ordinary shares.  

190

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The basic and diluted net income per ordinary share has been calculated as follows: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions, except per share data)
Net income

2018
2,591.6

2019
2,592.3

2020
3,553.7

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

Basic net income per ordinary share

Weighted average number of shares outstanding
Plus shares applicable to options and conditional shares

Diluted weighted average number of shares

Diluted net income per ordinary share

424.9

6.10

424.9
1.5

426.4

6.08

420.8

6.16

420.8
0.9

421.6

6.15

418.3

8.49

418.3
0.8

419.1

8.48

24. Vulnerability due to certain concentrations

We rely on outside vendors for components and subassemblies used in our systems including the design thereof, each of 
which is obtained from a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers. Our reliance on a limited group of suppliers 
involves several risks, including a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required components, reduced control 
over pricing and the risk of untimely delivery of these components and subassemblies. 

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, in which ASML owns an indirect interest of 24.9%, is our single supplier, and we are their single 
customer, of Optical Columns for lithography systems. Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH is capable of developing and producing 
these items only in limited numbers and only through the use of manufacturing and testing facilities in Oberkochen and 
Wetzlar, Germany. 

In 2020, 28.2% of our cost of system sales was purchased from Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH (2019: 28.3%; 2018: 28.3%).

Our relationship with Carl Zeiss AG is structured as a strategic alliance pursuant to several agreements executed in 1997 
and subsequent years. These agreements define a framework in all areas of our business relationship. The partnership 
between ASML and Carl Zeiss AG is run under the principle of ‘two companies, one business’ and is focused on 
continuous improvement of operational excellence. Pursuant to these agreements, ASML and Carl Zeiss AG have agreed 
to continue their strategic alliance until either party provides at least three years notice of its intent to terminate. 

A constraint in the production could result in limited availability of Optical Columns. During 2020, our production was not 
limited by the deliveries from Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH. 

For further information on the relationship between ASML and Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, see Note 10 Equity method 
investments and Note 26 Related party transactions.

25. Financial risk management 

We are exposed to certain financial risks such as foreign currency risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and capital 
risk. Our overall risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to minimize 
potentially adverse effects on our financial performance. Our risk management program focuses appropriately on the 
current environment of uncertainty in the financial markets. 

A key element within our risk management program is our long held prudent financing policy, which is based on three 
foundational elements:   

•  Liquidity: Maintain financial stability with a target to keep our Cash & cash equivalents, together with Short-term 

investments, above a minimum range of €2.0 to €2.5 billion 

•  Capital structure: Maintain a capital structure that targets a solid investment grade credit rating 
•  Cash return: Provide a sustainable dividend per share that will grow over time, paid semi-annually, while returning 

excess cash to shareholders through share buybacks or capital repayment 

We use derivative financial instruments to hedge certain risk exposures. None of these transactions are entered into for 
trading or speculative purposes. We use market information to determine the fair value of our derivative financial 
instruments. 

Foreign currency risk management 
We are exposed to currency risks. Our Financial Statements are expressed in euros. Accordingly, our results of operations 
are exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates between the euro and other currencies. Changes in currency exchange 
rates can result in losses in our Financial Statements. We are particularly exposed to fluctuations in the exchange rates 
between the US dollar and the euro, and to a lesser extent to the Japanese yen, the South Korean won, the Taiwanese 

191

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020dollar and Chinese yuan, in relation to the euro. We incur costs of sales predominantly in euros with portions also 
denominated in US and Taiwanese dollars. A small portion of our operating results are driven by movements in currencies 
other than the euro, US dollar, Japanese yen, South Korean won, Taiwanese dollar or Chinese yuan. In general, our 
customers run their businesses in US dollars and therefore a weakening of the US dollar against the euro might impact the 
ability or desire of our customers to purchase our products at quoted prices.

Foreign currency sensitivity  
The following table details our sensitivity to a 10.0% strengthening of foreign currencies against the euro. The sensitivity 
analysis includes foreign currency denominated monetary items outstanding and adjusts their translation at the period end 
for a 10.0% strengthening in foreign currency rates. A positive amount indicates an increase in net income or equity. 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

2019

2020

US dollar
Japanese yen

Taiwanese dollar
Other currencies

Total

Impact on net 
income 

Impact on 
equity 

Impact on net 
income 

Impact on  
equity 

(11.5)
4.2

(6.2)
(4.0)

(17.5)

30.2
(0.9)

—
—

29.3

(4.3)
(13.4)

1.3
(3.9)

(20.3)

34.4
—

—
—

34.4

It is our policy to limit the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. 
The impact on net income reflects our net exposure to currencies other than the euro at year-end 2020. The negative 
effect on net income as presented in the table above for 2020 is mainly attributable to timing differences between the 
arising and hedging of exposures. 

The effects of the fair value movements of cash flow hedges, entered into for US dollar transactions are recognized in 
equity. The US dollar effect on equity in 2020 compared with 2019 is the result of an increase in outstanding purchase 
hedges and increase in outstanding sales hedges. 

For a 10.0% weakening of the foreign currencies against the euro, there would be approximately an equal but opposite 
effect on net income and equity. 

Foreign currency risk policy 
It is our policy to hedge material transaction exposures, such as forecasted sales and purchase transactions. We hedge 
these exposures through the use of forward foreign exchange contracts.  

Foreign exchange contracts 
The notional principal amounts of the outstanding forward foreign exchange contracts in the main currencies US dollar, 
Japanese yen and Taiwanese dollar at December 31, 2020 are USD 0.4 billion, JPY 15.5 billion and TWD 0.5 billion (2019: 
USD 0.2 billion, JPY 8.6 billion and TWD 3.8 billion).

The hedged highly probable forecasted transactions denominated in foreign currency are expected to occur at various 
dates during the coming 12 months. Gains and losses recognized in OCI on forward foreign exchange contracts included 
in a hedge relationship will be recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period during which the 
hedged forecasted transactions affect the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

In 2020, we recognized a net amount of €2.3 million gain (2019: €10.7 million gain; 2018: €11.8 million loss) in the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations resulting from effective cash flow hedges for forecasted sales and purchase 
transactions that occurred in the year. Furthermore, we recognized a net amount of €28.2 million gain in the Consolidated 
Statements of Operations resulting from derivative financial instruments measured at fair value through profit or loss (2019: 
€12.0 million loss; 2018: €24.2 million gain), which is almost fully offset by the revaluation of the hedged monetary items. 

As of December 31, 2020, accumulated OCI includes €26.1 million representing the total anticipated loss to be charged to 
cost of sales (2019: gain €2.1 million and 2018: gain €10.9 million) (net of taxes: 2020: loss €22.7 million; 2019: gain €1.8 
million; 2018: gain €9.7 million), which will offset the euro equivalent of foreign currency denominated forecasted purchase 
transactions. All amounts are expected to be released over the next 12 months. As of December 31, 2020, accumulated 
OCI includes gain €0.4 million (2019: loss €1.2 million; 2018: loss €1.4 million), representing the total anticipated gain to be 
released to sales. The effectiveness of all contracts for which we apply hedge accounting is monitored on a quarterly basis 
throughout the life of the hedges. During 2020, 2019 and 2018, no ineffective hedge relationships were recognized.

Interest rate risk management 
We have interest-bearing assets and liabilities that expose us to fluctuations in market interest rates, managed through 
interest rate swaps. 

192

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Interest rate sensitivity  
The sensitivity analysis below has been determined based on the exposure to interest rates for both derivative financial 
and non-derivative financial instruments at the balance sheet date with the stipulated change taking place at the beginning 
of the financial year and held constant throughout the reporting period. The table below shows the effect of a 1.0 
percentage point increase in interest rates on our net income and equity. A positive amount indicates an increase in net 
income and equity.

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

Effect of a 1.0% point increase in interest rates

2019

Impact on net 
income 
17.2

2020

Impact on 
equity 
—

Impact on net 
income 
43.5

Impact on 
equity 
—

The positive effect on net income mainly relates to our total amount of cash and cash equivalents and short-term 
investments being higher than our total floating debt position. 

For a  1.0 percentage point decrease in interest rates there would be approximately an equal but opposite effect on net 
income and equity. 

Hedging policy interest rates 
We use interest rate swaps to minimize the net interest exposure for the group by aligning the interest terms of the 
available cash and the interest bearing debt. There may be residual interest rate risk to the extent the asset and liability 
positions do not fully offset.

Interest rate swaps 
The notional principal amount of the outstanding interest rate swap contracts as of December 31, 2020 was €3.0 billion 
(2019: €3.0 billion). During 2020, these outstanding hedges were highly effective in hedging the fair value exposure to 
interest rate movements. The changes in fair value of the Eurobonds were included in the Consolidated Statements of 
Operations in the same period as the changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps. In February and May 2020 we 
issued new Eurobonds with fixed interest coupons. We did not enter into interest rate swaps in connection with these 
bonds.

Credit risk management
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to significant concentration of credit risk consist principally of Cash and 
cash equivalents, Short-term investments, Derivative financial instruments used for hedging activities, Accounts receivable 
and Finance receivables and prepayments to suppliers. 

Cash and cash equivalents, Short-term investments and Derivative financial instruments contain an element of risk of the 
counterparties being unable to meet their obligations. Our risk management program focuses appropriately on the current 
environment of uncertainty in the financial markets. We invest our Cash and cash equivalents and Short-term investments 
in short-term deposits with financial institutions that have investment grade credit ratings and in government and or 
government related bodies that have investment grade credit ratings and in money market and other investment funds 
that invest in high-rated debt securities. To mitigate the risk that our counterparties in hedging transactions are unable to 
meet their obligations, we enter into transactions with a limited number of major financial institutions that have investment 
grade credit ratings and closely monitor their creditworthiness. Concentration risk is mitigated by limiting the exposure to 
each of the individual counterparties. 

Our customers consist of integrated circuit manufacturers located throughout the world. We perform ongoing credit 
evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. We mitigate credit risk through additional measures, including the use of 
down payments, letters of credit, and contractual ownership retention provisions. Retention of ownership enables us to 
recover the systems in the event a customer defaults on payment. 

Liquidity risk management 
Our principal sources of liquidity consist of Cash and cash equivalents, Short-term investments and available credit 
facilities with a target to keep our Cash & cash equivalents, together with Short-term investments, above a minimum range 
of €2.0 to €2.5 billion. In addition, we may from time to time raise additional funding in debt and equity markets. We seek 
to ensure that our principal sources of liquidity will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements at all times.  

Our liquidity needs are affected by many factors, some of which are based on the normal on-going operations of the 
business, and others that relate to the uncertainties of the global economy and the semiconductor industry. Although our 
cash requirements fluctuate based on the timing and extent of these factors, we believe that cash generated from 
operations, together with our other sources of liquidity are sufficient to satisfy our current requirements, including our 
expected capital expenditures and debt servicing.  

We intend to return cash to our shareholders on a regular basis in the form of dividend payments and, subject to our 
actual and anticipated liquidity requirements and other relevant factors, share buybacks or capital repayments.  

193

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Capital risk management 
Our objectives when managing our capital structure are to safeguard our ability to satisfy our capital providers by 
maintaining a capital structure that ensures liquidity and supports a solid investment grade credit rating. The capital 
structure includes both debt and the components of equity, in accordance with both US GAAP and EU-IFRS. The capital 
structure is mainly altered by, among other things, adjusting the amount of dividends paid to shareholders, the amount of 
share buybacks or capital repayment, and any changes in the level of debt. Our capital structure is formally reviewed with 
the Supervisory Board each year in connection with our updated long term financial plan and relevant scenarios. The 
outcome of this year’s review confirmed to maintain our historical financing policy in relation to our capital structure. 

Our current credit rating from Moody’s is A3 (stable) and from Fitch is A- (stable), which is consistent with the credit ratings 
as of December 31, 2019.

Financial instruments 

Accounting Policy - Derivative financial instruments and hedging activities 
We measure all derivative financial instruments based on fair values derived from level 2 input criteria. We adopt 
hedge accounting for hedges that are highly effective in offsetting the identified hedged risks taking into account 
required effectiveness criteria.  

Derivatives are initially recognized at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and subsequently 
remeasured. The method of recognizing the resulting gain or loss depends on whether the derivative is designated 
as a hedging instrument, and if so, the nature of the item being hedged. We designate derivatives as one of the 
following:  

•  A hedge of an exposure relating to changes in the fair value of a recognized asset or liability, that is attributable to 

a particular risk (fair value hedge).  

•  A hedge of an exposure relating to the variability in the cash flows of a recognized asset or liability, or of a 

forecasted transaction, that is attributable to a particular risk (cash flow hedge).  

•  A hedge of the foreign currency exposure relating to a net investment in a foreign operation (net investment 

hedge).  

We assess at the inception of the transaction the relationship between hedging instruments and hedged items, as 
well as our risk management objectives and strategy for undertaking various hedging transactions. We also assess, 
both at hedge inception and on an ongoing basis, whether derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are 
highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. The cash flows resulting from the 
derivative financial instruments are classified in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows according to the nature 
of the hedged item.  

Fair value hedge  
Changes in the fair value of a derivative financial instrument, that is designated and qualified as a fair value hedge, 
along with the gain or loss on the hedged asset or liability that is attributable to the hedged risk, are recorded in the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations.  

Hedge accounting is discontinued when we revoke the hedging relationship, the hedging instrument expires or is 
sold, terminated or exercised, or no longer qualifies for hedge accounting. The adjustment to the carrying amount of 
the hedged item arising from the hedged risk is amortized to the Consolidated Statements of Operations from that 
date. 

Interest rate swaps that are being used to hedge the fair value of fixed loan coupons payable are designated as fair 
value hedges. The change in fair value is intended to offset the change in the fair value of the underlying fixed loan 
coupons, which is recorded accordingly. The gain or loss relating to the ineffective portion of interest rate swaps 
hedging fixed loan coupons payable is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as interest and 
other, net.  

Cash flow hedge 
Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is designated and qualified as a cash flow hedge are recorded in OCI, 
net of taxes, until the underlying hedged transaction is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. In 
the event that the underlying hedge transaction will not occur within the specified time period, the gain or loss on the 
related cash flow hedge is released from OCI and included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, unless 
extenuating circumstances exist that are related to the nature of the forecasted transaction and are outside our 
control or influence and which cause the forecasted transaction to be probable of occurring on a date that is beyond 
the specified time period.  

Foreign currency hedging instruments that are being used to hedge cash flows related to forecasted sales or 
purchase transactions in non-functional currencies are designated as cash flow hedges. The gain or loss relating to 
the ineffective portion of the foreign currency hedging instruments is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of 
Operations in Net sales or Cost of sales.  

194

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Fair values of the derivatives 
The following table summarizes the notional amounts and estimated fair values of our derivative financial instruments: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

2019

2020

Forward foreign exchange contracts
Interest rate swaps

Notional 
amount

142.6
3,000.0

Fair Value

(0.7)
134.3

Notional 
amount

182.0
3,000.0

Fair Value

(17.6)
160.4

The following table summarizes our derivative financial instruments per category: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

2019

2020

Interest rate swaps — fair value hedges
Forward foreign exchange contracts — cash flow hedges
Forward foreign exchange contracts — no hedge accounting

Total
Less non-current portion:
Interest rate swaps — fair value hedges

Total non-current portion
Total current portion

Assets

Liabilities

Assets

Liabilities

134.3
2.4
0.8

137.5

103.0

103.0
34.5

—
0.6
3.3

3.9

—

—
3.9

160.4
0.9
1.5

162.8

123.8

123.8
39.0

—
15.1
4.9

20.0

—

—
20.0

The fair value part of a hedging derivative financial instrument that has a remaining term of 12 months or less after balance 
sheet date is classified as current asset or liability. When the fair value part of a hedging derivative has a term of more than 
12 months after balance sheet date, it is classified as non-current asset or liability. Derivative financial instruments are 
included in Other assets and Accrued and other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, split between current and 
non-current.

Fair value measurements 
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between 
market participants at the measurement date. The fair value measurement hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation 
techniques used to measure fair value as follows:  

•  Level 1: Valuations based on inputs such as quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the 

entity has the ability to access. 

•  Level 2: Valuations based on inputs other than level 1 inputs such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, 

quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable 
data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.  

•  Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair 

value of the assets or liabilities.  

The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or 
liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). A financial instrument’s fair value classification is 
based on the lowest level of any input that is significant in the fair value measurement hierarchy. 

Financial assets and financial liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis 
Investments in money market funds (included in our Cash and cash equivalents) have fair value measurements which are 
all based on quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities.  

Our Short-term investments consist of deposits with original maturities to the entity holding the investments longer than 3 
months and one year or less at the date of acquisition with financial institutions that have investment grade credit ratings. 
The fair value of the deposits is determined with reference to quoted market prices in an active market for similar assets or 
discounted cash flow analysis.  

The principal market in which we execute our derivative contracts is the institutional market in an over-the-counter 
environment with a high level of price transparency. The market participants usually are large commercial banks. The 
valuation inputs for our derivative contracts are based on quoted prices and quoting pricing intervals from public data 
sources; they do not involve management judgment. 

The valuation technique used to determine the fair value of forward foreign exchange contracts (used for hedging 
purposes) approximates the net present value technique which is the estimated amount that a bank would receive or pay 
to terminate the forward foreign exchange contracts at the reporting date, taking into account current interest rates and 
current exchange rates.  

195

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020The valuation technique used to determine the fair value of interest rate swaps (used for hedging purposes) is the net 
present value technique, which is the estimated amount that a bank would receive or pay to terminate the swap 
agreements at the reporting date, taking into account current interest rates. 

Our Eurobonds serve as hedged items in fair value hedge relationships in which we hedge the variability of changes in the 
fair value of our Eurobonds due to changes in market interest rates with interest rate swaps. The fair values of these 
interest rate swaps are recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets under derivative financial instruments (within other 
current and non-current assets and other current and non-current liabilities) and the carrying amounts of the Eurobonds 
are adjusted for the effective portion of these fair value changes only. For the actual aggregate carrying amount and the 
fair value of our Eurobonds, see Note 16 Long-term debt and interest and other costs.

The following tables present our financial assets and financial liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis: 

Year ended December 31, 2020 (€, in millions)
Assets measured at fair value
Derivative financial instruments 
Money market funds 
Short-term investments 

Total
Liabilities measured at fair value
Derivative financial instruments 

Assets and Liabilities for which fair values are disclosed
Long-term debt 1

1.  Long-term debt relates to Eurobonds. See Note 16 Long-term debt and interest and other costs.

Year ended December 31, 2019 (€, in millions)
Assets measured at fair value
Derivative financial instruments
Money market funds 
Short-term investments 

Total
Liabilities measured at fair value
Derivative financial instruments 

Assets and Liabilities for which fair values are disclosed
Long-term debt 1 

1.  Long-term debt relates to Eurobonds. See Note 16 Long-term debt and interest and other costs.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

—
3,841.9
—

3,841.9

—

4,798.8

162.8
—
1,302.2

1,465.0

20.0

—

—
—
—

—

—

—

162.8

3,841.9
1,302.2

5,306.9

20.0

4,798.8

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

—
2,139.7
—

2,139.7

—

3,247.7

137.5
—
1,185.8

1,323.3

3.9

—

—
—
—

—

—

—

137.5

2,139.7
1,185.8

3,463.0

3.9

3,247.7

There were no transfers between levels during the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

Financial assets and financial liabilities that are not measured at fair value 
The carrying amount of Cash and cash equivalents, Accounts payable, and other current financial assets and liabilities 
approximate their fair value because of the short-term nature of these instruments. 

Money market and investment funds measurement 
The money market and investment funds qualify as available for sale securities. The fair value is close to the carrying value 
due to short term nature and since related to investment with investment grade credit ratings. Allowances for credit losses 
and total unrealized gains and losses are close to nil. These money market funds can be called on a daily basis. 
Investments and redemptions in money market funds are managed on a daily basis based triggered through actual cash 
balances. Realized gain and losses on these money market funds are not significant given low interest rates and high 
credit ratings. Costs of securities were close to nil. ASML does not have trading securities as of December 31, 2020.

Deposits measurement 
The deposits as part of the Cash and cash equivalents and Short term investments qualify as securities held to maturity. 
The amortized cost value is close to the fair value and carrying value due to short term nature and since related to 
investment with investment grade credit ratings. Allowance for credit losses and total unrealized gains and losses are 
close to nil. Maturities are shorter than one year. No held to maturity securities were sold before expiration date.  

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis 
In 2019 and 2020, we had no significant fair value measurements on a non-recurring basis from regular business activities. 
We did not recognize any impairment charges for goodwill and other intangible assets during 2019 and 2020. For fair 
value measurements in relation to the acquisition of Berliner Glas, we refer to Note 2 Business Combinations.

196

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202026. Related party transactions 

We have a 24.9% interest in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG, which owns 100% of the shares in Carl Zeiss SMT 
GmbH. Based on the 24.9% investment, Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG and its subsidiaries are considered 
related parties.

On November 3, 2016 we agreed with Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH to support their R&D costs, capital expenditures and supply 
chain investments, in respect of High-NA, for an amount initially estimated at €760.0 million. The current estimate as of 
December 31, 2020 is €1,354.8 million (2019: €1,242.2 million). As of December 31, 2020 our estimated remaining 
commitment to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH is €319.9 million (2019: €524.8 million).

The table below summarizes support provided to Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, by type: 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Capital expenditures
R&D costs
Supply chain investments

Total support provided

2018
191.8
74.8
8.5

275.1

2019
184.1
94.2
4.5

282.8

2020
203.7
96.1
17.7

317.5

ASML makes non-interest bearing advance payments to support our equity method investment Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH’s 
work-in-process. These payments are made to secure optical column deliveries and these advance payments are settled 
through future lens or optical column deliveries. The increase in this balance is due to the support provided under the 
High-NA agreement.  

In 2018, ASML and Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH entered into an agreement for ASML to support the development and 
integration of certain tooling to be used in future production of High-NA optical columns, for which Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH 
has agreed to reimburse all costs to ASML. Receivable amounts from Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH are presented within Other 
Assets. 

The total purchases and outstanding balances with Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG and its subsidiaries:

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Total purchases

2018
1,401.0

2019
1,502.3

2020
1,623.9

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions)
Advance payments and High-NA capital expenditure support
Right-of-use assets - Finance
Accounts payable

2019
814.5
107.6
127.4

2020
986.6
149.9
110.9

For more details on our 24.9% interest in Carl Zeiss SMT Holding GmbH & Co. KG see Note 10 Equity method 
investments. 

There have been no transactions between ASML or any of its subsidiaries, any other significant shareholder, any director 
or officer, or any relative or spouse thereof, other than ordinary course (compensation) arrangements. During our most 
recent fiscal year, there has been no, and at present there is no, outstanding indebtedness to ASML owed by or owing to 
any director or officer of ASML or any associate thereof, other than the virtual financing arrangement with respect to 
shares described under Note 19 Employee benefits. Furthermore, ASML has not granted any personal loans, guarantees, 
or the like to members of the Board of Management or Supervisory Board. 

197

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 202027. Subsequent events 

Subsequent events were evaluated up to February 10, 2021, which is the date the Financial Statements included in this 
Annual Report were approved. There are no events to report. 

Veldhoven, the Netherlands
February 10, 2021

/s/ Peter T.F.M. Wennink
Peter T.F.M. Wennink
President, CEO and member of the Board of Management

/s/ Roger J.M. Dassen
Roger J.M. Dassen
Executive Vice President, CFO and member of the Board of Management 

198

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Non-financial
statements

199

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Assurance Report of the 
Independent Auditor

To the Shareholders and the Supervisory Board of ASML 
Holding N.V.:

section ‘About the non-financial information’ of the Annual 
Report.  

Our conclusion 
We have reviewed the non-financial information (hereafter: 
the Non-financial Information) of the ‘Annual Report 2020’ 
of ASML Holding N.V (hereafter: the Company) for the year 
ended December 31, 2020 in accordance with U.S. 
generally accepted accounting principles (hereafter: the 
Annual Report). A review is aimed at obtaining a limited 
level of assurance.

Materiality  
Based on our professional judgement we determined 
materiality levels for each relevant part of the Annual 
Report and for the non-financial information as a whole. 
When evaluating our materiality levels, we have taken into 
account quantitative and qualitative considerations as well 
as the relevance of information for both stakeholders and 
the Company.

Based on the procedures performed nothing has come to 
our attention that causes us to believe that the non-
financial information is not prepared, in all material 
respects, in accordance with the applicable criteria as 
described in the ‘Applicable criteria’ section of our report.

The non-financial information consists of: 2020 at a 
The non-financial information consists of: 2020 at a 
glance (pages 4-8), Who we are and what we do (pages 
glance (pages 5-9), Who we are and what we do (pages 
9-25), What we achieved in 2020 (pages 26-72), How we 
10-27), What we achieved in 2020 (pages 28-74), How we 
manage risk (pages 86-88), Responsible business (pages 
manage risk (pages 90-92), Responsible business (pages 
99-103) and the Non-financial statements (pages 199-224).
104-108) and the Non-financial statements (pages 206-
227).
Basis for our conclusion 
We performed our review in accordance with Dutch law, 
including Dutch Standard 3810N: "Assurance 
engagements relating to sustainability reports", which is a 
specified Dutch standard that is based on the International 
Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000: 
"Assurance Engagements other than Audits or Reviews of 
Historical Financial Information (Attestation engagements)".

Our responsibilities in this regard are further described in 
the ‘Auditor’s responsibilities’ section of our report.

We are independent of ASML Holding N.V. in accordance 
with the ‘Verordening inzake de onafhankelijkheid van 
accountants bij assurance-opdrachten’ (ViO, Code of 
Ethics for Professional Accountants, a regulation with 
respect to independence). Furthermore, we have complied 
with the ‘Verordening gedrags- en beroepsregels 
accountants’ (VGBA, Dutch Code of Ethics). 

We believe the assurance evidence we have obtained is 
enough and appropriate to provide a basis for our 
conclusion.

Applicable criteria
The non-financial information needs to be read and 
understood together with the reporting criteria. The 
Company is solely responsible for selecting and applying 
these reporting criteria, taking into account applicable law 
and regulations related to reporting.

The reporting criteria used for the preparation of the non-
financial information are the Sustainability Reporting 
Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the 
applied supplemental reporting criteria as disclosed in 

We agreed with the Supervisory Board that misstatements 
which are identified during the review and which in our 
view must be reported on quantitative or qualitative 
grounds, would be reported to them.

Scope of the group review 
ASML Holding N.V. is the parent company of a group of 
entities. The non-financial information incorporates the 
consolidated information of this group of entities to the 
extent as specified in 'About the non-financial information’ 
of the Annual Report.

Our group review procedures consisted of both review 
procedures at corporate (consolidated) level and at site 
level. Our selection of sites in scope of our review 
procedures is primarily based on the site’s individual 
contribution to the consolidated information. 

By performing our review procedures at site level, together 
with additional review procedures at corporate level, we 
have been able to obtain sufficient and appropriate 
assurance evidence about the group’s non-financial 
information to provide a conclusion about the non-financial 
information.

Limitations to the scope of our review 
The non-financial information includes prospective 
information such as ambitions, strategy, plans, 
expectations and estimates. Inherently the actual future 
results are uncertain. We do not provide any assurance on 
the assumptions and achievability of prospective 
information in the non-financial information.

References to external sources or websites in the non-
financial information are not part of the non-financial 
information itself as reviewed by us. Therefore, we do not 
provide assurance on this information.

Board of Management's responsibilities 
The Board of Management of the Company is responsible 
for the preparation of the non-financial information in 
accordance with the applicable criteria as described in the 
‘Applicable criteria’ section of our report, including the 
identification of stakeholders and the definition of material 
matters. The choices made by the Board of Management 
regarding the scope of the Annual Report and the reporting 

200

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020policy are summarized in section ‘About the non-financial 
information’ of the Annual Report.

Furthermore, the Board of Management is responsible for 
such internal control as it determines is necessary to 
enable the preparation of the non-financial information that 
is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or 
error.

The Board of Management is, amongst other things, 
responsible for overseeing the Company’s reporting 
process.

Auditor’s responsibilities 
Our responsibility is to plan and perform our review in a 
manner that allows us to obtain sufficient and appropriate 
assurance evidence for our conclusion.  

Procedures performed to obtain a limited level of 
assurance are aimed to determine the plausibility of 
information and vary in nature and timing, and are less in 
extent, compared to a reasonable assurance engagement. 
The level of assurance obtained in a limited assurance 
engagement is substantially lower than the assurance that 
would have been obtained had a reasonable assurance 
engagement been performed. 

We apply the ‘Nadere Voorschriften Kwaliteitssystemen’ 
(NVKS, Regulations for Quality management systems) and 
accordingly maintain a comprehensive system of quality 
control including documented policies and procedures 
regarding compliance with ethical requirements, 
professional standards and applicable legal and regulatory 
requirements.

•  Identifying areas of the non-financial information where 
a material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, 
are most likely to occur, designing and performing 
assurance procedures responsive to these areas, and 
obtaining assurance information that is enough and 
appropriate to provide a basis for our conclusion. These 
procedures included, amongst others: 

– 

– 

Interviewing management and relevant staff 
at corporate level responsible for the strategy, 
policy and results;
Interviewing relevant staff responsible for 
providing the information for, carrying out internal 
control procedures over, and consolidating the 
data in the non-financial information;

–  Obtaining assurance information that the non-

financial information reconciles with underlying 
records of the Company;

–  Reviewing, on a limited test basis, relevant 
internal and external documentation;

–  Performing analytical reviews of the data and 

trends.

•  Evaluating the consistency of the non-financial 

information with the information in the report which is 
not included in the scope of our review;

•  Evaluating the presentation, structure and content of the 

non-financial information;

•  Considering whether the non-financial information as a 
whole, including the disclosures, reflects the purpose of 
the reporting criteria used.

We have communicated with the Supervisory Board 
regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and 
timing of the review and significant findings that we identify 
during our review.

We have exercised professional judgment and have 
maintained professional skepticism throughout the review, 
in accordance with the Dutch Standard 3810N, ethical 
requirements and independence requirements.

Rotterdam, February 10, 2021 
KPMG Accountants N.V. 
J. van Delden RA

Our review included among others:

•  Performing an analysis of the external environment and 
obtaining an understanding of relevant societal themes 
and issues, and the characteristics of the Company;

•  Evaluating the appropriateness of the reporting 

criteria used, their consistent application and related 
disclosures in the Annual Report. This includes the 
evaluation of the results of stakeholder dialogue and 
the reasonableness of estimates made by the Board of 
Management;

•  Obtaining an understanding of the reporting processes 
for the non-financial information, including obtaining a 
general understanding of internal control relevant to our 
review;

201

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020About the non-financial 
information

Reporting scope 
The content disclosed in this Annual Report1 is based on 
the material topics identified for both ASML and our 
stakeholders by the comprehensive materiality assessment 
conducted in 2018. As part of the materiality assessment, 
we asked internal and external stakeholders to identify 
where in the value chain the theme has an impact (see 
table in section Non-financial statements - Materiality: 
assessing our impact, where we include the boundaries as 
required by the GRI Standards). For more information on 
the materiality assessment process, see Non-financial 
statements - Materiality: assessing our impact.  

The materiality assessment was used as input for the new 
sustainability strategy setting for the period 2019-2025. 
New (key) performance indicators have been determined to 
report on our performance in the area of sustainability. No 
comparative results for 2018 are shown for new indicators 
not previously disclosed.  

The Reporting scope table (see next page) clarifies the 
scope of the data reported per theme and explains where 
the scope of the data provided differs from the scope of 
the report’s content. Our acquisition of Berliner Glas closed 
on October 30, and as a result the non-financial indicators 
reported do not include any impact from Berliner Glas.

This Annual Report generally covers the performance of 
ASML from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Please 
see Who we are and what we do - Our company for 
significant changes regarding the size, structure, or 
ownership of the organization or its supply chain. 

The financial information in this report is derived from our 
Financial Statements that are in accordance with US GAAP. 
The reporting basis for the information in this report on our 
performance in the area of sustainability is prepared in 
accordance with the GRI Sustainability Reporting 
Standards and is presented in accordance with the ‘core’ 
option. Details of our compliance with the GRI standards 
(GRI content index) can be found in a separate Reporting 
Supplement available on the Website. We have also 
included disclosures required as part of the EU Directive 
on disclosure of non-financial information and diversity 
information. This disclosure was implemented in 2017 and 
is decreed as part of the Dutch Civil Code. 

1.  We publish two versions of the Annual Report: one version containing 

Financial Statements based on US GAAP and one version containing Financial 
Statements based on EU-IFRS.

Reporting process  
Each theme has an owner who is responsible for the theme 
ambition, strategy and relevant performance indicators, as 
well as the timely delivery of content and relevant data for 
reporting and monitoring the execution of the strategy. The 
data is reviewed and consolidated by Finance. Finance is 
also responsible for the reporting and planning process for 
the Annual Report.  

Reporting indicators  
The Consolidated Financial Statements included in this 
report are audited. Please see Consolidated Financial 
Statements - Report of Independent Registered Public 
Accounting Firm. 

The non-financial data disclosed in this report is derived 
from various sources and the way data is processed differs 
within our operating subsidiaries and departments. This 
causes a degree of uncertainty, because of limitations in 
measuring and estimating data. We continue to work on 
improving our sustainability control environment and data 
collection processes. 

Scope 3 emissions 
One of our reporting indicators is scope 3 emissions. 
See What we achieved in 2020 - Climate and energy - 
Reviewing our value-chain carbon footprint  

The emissions reported are in line with the Greenhouse 
Gas (GHG) Protocol and are calculated for nine categories, 
as described in the Scope 3 Accounting and Reporting 
Standard issued by GHG Protocol, which are deemed 
relevant to us and our value chain. The categories are: 
Cat.1 Purchased goods and services, Cat.2 Capital goods, 
Cat.3 Fuel- and energy- related activities, Cat.4 and Cat.9 
Upstream /  Downstream transportation & distribution, 
Cat.5 Waste generated in operations, Cat.6 Business 
travel, Cat.7 Employee commuting, Cat.11 Use of sold 
products, and Cat.12 End-of-life treatment of sold 
products. The remaining five categories are deemed 
irrelevant or immaterial to ASML and our value chain. 
Therefore we exclude these categories from our Scope 3 
emissions assessment.  

The applied emission factors used to calculate our value 
chain carbon footprint are from the latest DEFRA (UK 
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) 2020 
emission factors. 

Data reliability: The basis for the calculation method 
applied for scope 3, Cat.1 Purchased goods and services 
is based on spend. As a result, it relies on expenditure-
based emission factors, which is an indirect measure of 
GHG intensity of goods and services. In addition, we have 
gathered actual emissions data from our suppliers for Cat.4 
Upstream transportation & distribution and Cat.6 Business 
travel, which accounts for around 5% of total Scope 3 
emissions. 

202

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Reporting scope table
The below table clarifies the scope of the data reported per theme and explains where the scope of the data provided 
differs from the scope of the report’s content. 

Non-financial (sub)chapter
Technology and innovation ecosystem

Scope

Where we innovate

ASML worldwide

Collaborating with R&D partners

ASML worldwide excluding HMI

Product safety

ASML products

Supporting start-ups and scale-ups

ASML worldwide – NOTE: Scope of indicators is ASML Netherlands only

Customer intimacy

Operational excellence

Our people

Employee engagement

Strong employer branding

Promoting diversity and inclusion

Ensuring employee safety

Labor relations and fair remuneration

Community engagement

ASML worldwide

ASML worldwide

ASML worldwide – NOTE: The indicator ‘Absenteeism’ is excluding Cymer and HMI. The 
scope for indicator Open positions filled by internal candidates (in %) excludes ASML US.

ASML worldwide

ASML worldwide

ASML worldwide

ASML worldwide

ASML worldwide – NOTE: The scope is ASML Netherlands for all, except for Time 
investment of volunteers (in hours) – Community Involvement and total costs of 
volunteering, which is ASML worldwide excluding HMI.

Our supply chain

Our supply chain

ASML worldwide

Responsible Supply Chain

ASML worldwide excluding HMI

Circular procurement and conflict minerals

ASML worldwide

Circular economy

Reduce waste

ASML main manufacturing locations : Veldhoven (the Netherlands), Linkou (Taiwan), Wilton 
and San Diego (US)

Accelerate re-use of parts and materials

ASML products

Lifetime Extension of Mature Products

ASML products

Climate and energy

Climate change risk and opportunities

ASML worldwide

Energy efficiency of our products

ASML products

Greenhouse gas emissions from operations

ASML main manufacturing locations : Veldhoven (the Netherlands), Linkou (Taiwan), Wilton 
and San Diego (US)

Reviewing our value chain carbon footprint

ASML worldwide

Water management

Governance

Responsible business

Financial performance

ASML main manufacturing locations: Veldhoven (the Netherlands), Linkou (Taiwan), Wilton 
and San Diego (US) – except for Total Ultra-pure water consumption and Total water 
recycled and re-used, which is Veldhoven (the Netherlands) and Linkou (Taiwan) only.

ASML worldwide

Financial performance indicators

ASML worldwide

Scope changes 
Compared to the 2020 Annual Report, the following scope changes have been made: 

•  Scholarships in previous years we only reported on the scholarships in the Netherlands but starting from 2020 the 

reporting scope will be worldwide. 

Verification of this report 
As requested by our Board of Management, our non-financial information has been independently reviewed. Our external 
auditor (KPMG) was asked to provide this assurance. For KPMG’s assurance report, including details of the work they 
carried out, see Non-financial statements - Assurance Report of the Independent Auditor.

203

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Non-financial indicators

The non-financial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are reported in the different chapters of our sustainability reporting within What we achieved in 2020. The other non-financial 
performance indicators (PIs) are reported in the tables below. No comparative results for 2018 are shown for new indicators not previously disclosed. Our acquisition of Berliner Glas 
closed on October 30, and as a result the non-financial indicators reported do not include any impact from Berliner Glas.

Technology and innovation ecosystem - Product safety

Description

2018

2019

2020 Comments

Percentage of product types shipped that have a SEMI S2 Safety 
Guidelines compliance report
Number of (significant) fines for non-compliance with product design 
related laws and regulations
% RoHS compliant parts

% RoHS non-compliant parts
% RoHS unknown

Total

Our people - Workforce indicators

Number of FTEs (payroll and temporary)

Payroll employees (in FTE)

Female (in %)

Male (in %)

Temporary employees (in FTE)
Female (in %)

Male (in %)

Total 

Number of FTEs (by age group)

< 30

30 - 50

> 50

Unknown 1

Total

1. 

In the US, it is not mandatory to register the age for temporary employees.  

100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

0

0

0

91.6% 95.4% 96.0%
0.4%
0.3%
4.2%
3.7%

0.8%
7.6%

100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Total ASML

2018

2019

2020

20,044

23,219

25,082

2018

5,305

16

84

16

84

17

83

3,203

1,681

1,399

15

85

17

83

16

84

16

84

85

36

64

Asia

2019

5,664

16

84

68

34

66

Europe

2020

6,027

2018

2019

2020

9,950

12,393

13,627

17

83

30

28

72

16

84

16

84

17

83

2,752

1,339

1,087

14

86

17

83

19

81

US

2019

5,162

17

83

274

11

89

2018

4,789

16

84

366

12

88

2020

5,428

17

83

282

7

93

23,247

24,900

26,481

5,390

5,732

6,057

12,702

13,732

14,714

5,155

5,436

5,710

Total ASML
2019

2018

2020

2018

4,820

4,894

4,798

14,338

15,606

16,848

3,730

4,130

4,556

359

270

279

1,670

3,556

164

—

Asia
2019

1,628

3,902

201

1

2020

2018

1,518

4,300

238

1

2,346

8,197

2,159

—

Europe
2019

2,378

8,924

2,430

—

2020

2018

2,381

9,615

2,718

804

2,584

1,408

359

US
2019

888

2,780

1,499

269

2020

899

2,933

1,600

278

23,247

24,900

26,481

5,390

5,732

6,057

12,702

13,732

14,714

5,155

5,436

5,710

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

204

Our people - Workforce indicators

Number of payroll FTEs (split in full-time and part-time)

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

Total ASML

Asia

Europe

US

Full-time payroll FTEs (by age group)

< 30

30 - 50

> 50

Total

Full-time payroll FTEs (by gender)
Female (in %)

Male (in %)

Part-time payroll FTEs (by age group)
< 30

30 - 50

> 50
Unknown

Total

Part-time payroll FTEs (by gender)

Female (in %)

Male (in %)

Our people - Workforce indicators

Number of new hires payroll employees (in FTEs)

Number of new hires
Rate of new hires (in %)

Gender 
Female
Male

Total

Age group

< 30

30 - 50

> 50

Total

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

3,737

4,397

4,351

11,831

13,567

14,938

3,193

3,674

4,028

1,635

3,506

159

1,612

3,856

193

1,512

4,280

232

1,300

5,747

1,634

1,898

6,937

1,988

1,941

7,730

2,207

18,761

21,638

23,317

5,300

5,661

6,024

8,681

10,823

11,878

802

2,578

1,400

4,780

887

2,774

1,493

5,154

898

2,928

1,589

5,415

14

86

33

15

85

41

15

85

39

1,035

1,264

1,337

214
1

276
—

389
—

1,283

1,581

1,765

37

63

37

63

37

63

Total ASML

2018

3,479
17

746
2,733

3,479

1,666

1,636

177

2019

2,219
10

542
1,677

2,219

923

1,136

160

2020

1,932
8

454
1,478

1,932

854

947

131

16

84

1

3

2
—

5

10

90

2018

1,299
24

234
1,065

1,299

783

508

8

3,479

2,219

1,932

1,299

16

84

0

1

2
—

3

17

83

Asia

2019

558
10

123
435

558

318

233

7

558

17

83

0

1

2
—

3

13

87

32

14

86

41

14

86

39

1,030

1,259

1,332

207
—

270
—

378
—

1,269

1,570

1,749

—

100

37

63

37

63

37

63

Europe

2019

1,102
9

280
822

1,102

380

643

79

2018

1,348
14

332
1,016

1,348

522

750

76

1,348

1,102

2020

598
10

123
475

598

338

253

7

598

2020

879
6

216
663

879

329

491

59

879

16

84

0

3

6
—

9

54

46

2018

832
17

180
652

832

361

378

93

832

17

83

0

4

4
—

8

62

38

US

2019

559
11

139
420

559

225

260

74

559

17

83

0

4

9
—

13

46

54

2020

455
8

115
340

455

187

203

65

455

205

Our people - Workforce indicators

Employee attrition (in FTE)

Number of involuntary employee attrition

Number of voluntary employee attrition

Total

Gender

Female

Male

Total

Age group

< 30

30 - 50

> 50

Total

Our people - Employee engagement

Engagement score We@ASML by gender

Female

Male

Our people - Employee engagement

Description

Employee Attrition (in %)

Attrition rate of high performers (in %)

Promotion rate - Overall (in %)
Promotion rate of high performers (in %)

Absenteeism (in %)
Asia 1
Europe

US

Total ASML

Asia

Europe

US

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

153

679

832

151

681

832

183

478

171

832

177

761

938

196

742

938

219

519

200

938

186

723

909

189

720

909

218

479

212

909

35

232

267

45

222

267

104

149

14

267

40

198

238

55

183

238

78

144

16

238

38

201

239

56

183

239

73

149

17

239

69

176

245

48

197

245

29

158

58

245

80

257

337

72

265

337

61

198

78

337

102

239

341

69

272

341

67

179

95

341

49

271

320

58

262

320

50

171

99

320

57

306

363

69

294

363

80

177

106

363

46

283

329

64

265

329

78

151

100

329

2018

—

—

2019

75%

77%

2020 Comments

80%

80%

2018

2019

2020 Comments

A high performer is an employee with the merit classification 'exceptional' or 'exceeds expectations' 
from the annual employee performance evaluation

4.7

2.2

14

40

0.3
2.5

1.5

4.3

2.4

14

38

0.4
2.6

1.6

3.8

1.7

13

37

0.5
2.3

1.3

1. 

In some Asian countries sick leave is regarded as annual leave, hence illness-related absenteeism is recorded as 0%.   

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

206

Our people - Employee engagement

Description

2018

2019

2020 Comments

Open positions filled by internal candidates (in %)
Rotation ratio (in %)

Human Capital Return On Investment (ROI) 1

People Performance Management process completion (in %)
Development Action Plan completion (in %)

Scholarships
Number of scholarships Netherlands

Number of scholarships US

Number of scholarships Taiwan
Number of scholarships China

Number of scholarships South Korea

—
—

—

96

81

53

—

—

—

—

36
18

2.1

97

76

53

—

—

—

—

30 Worldwide average for Asia and Europe. US is excluded because the data is not yet available
20

2.4

Represents the degree to which economic value is derived from profitability in relation to human 
capital costs

97

77

49

0 Delayed because of COVID-19, expected to start in 2021

16

5

3

1.  Human Capital Return on Investment is calculated as total net sales minus total operating expenses excluding total employee salaries & benefits, divided by total employee salaries & benefits.  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

207

Our people - Employee engagement

Description

Total training expenses (in million €)

Average spent on training and development per FTE (€)

Number of total training hours per FTE

Female

Male

Total

Number of technical training hours per technical FTE 1

Female
Male

Total

Number of non-product related training hours per FTE

Female
Male

Total

2018

2019

2020 Comments

—

—

—

—

—

44
30

31

12
8

9

19

836

12

494

Out-of-pocket expenses for technical and non-product related classroom trainings as recorded in 
MyLearning (learning management system)

Includes technical and non-product related training hours (including nomination courses)

41

46

45

35
41

40

13
8

9

26

29

28

22
27

26

7
4

5

Excluding nomination courses (leadership development programs)

Nomination courses: Leadership Development Programs

Number of training hours

Number of employees attending (unique)

24,738

33,715

22,896

331

387

216

1.  The number of technical training hours per FTE is calculated as the total technical training hours divided by the total payroll FTEs working in technical departments within Operations and R&D.  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

208

Our people - Diversity & inclusion

Description
Male/female in managerial positions and in Supervisory Board (in 
headcount) 1
Supervisory Board

Board of Management
Senior Management

Middle Management

Junior Management

Other

Total

Gender

Gender ratio

Age group

Female

Male

Total

Female

Male

< 30

30 - 50

>50

Total

3

—

58

310

200

6

6

504

2,315

1,066

9

6

562

2,625

1,266

3,878

17,167

21,045

4,449

21,064

25,513

33%

—%

10%

12%

16%

18%

17%

67%

100%

90%

88%

84%

82%

83%

—

—

2

22

1

250

1,613

1,064

9

5

312

1,010

180

9

6

562

2,625

1,266

4,385

13,657

3,003

21,045

4,409

16,585

4,519

25,513

Gender

Gender ratio

Male/female split by sector (in FTE)

Female

Male

Total

Female

Male

Customer Support

Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

Research & Development

General & Administrative

Sales and Mature Product Services

Strategic Supply Management

Total

1.  Temporary employees are not included in the headcount numbers. 

681

1,295

1,464

856

100

91

5,617

5,325

9,079

1,176

542

255

6,298

6,620

10,543

2,032

642

346

4,487

21,994

26,481

11%

20%

14%

42%

16%

26%

17%

89%

80%

86%

58%

84%

74%

83%

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

209

Our people - Diversity & inclusion
Description

Workforce by gender male / female (in %)
Female

Male

Total

Number of nationalities working for ASML

Asia

Europe

US

Total

Foreign nationals working for ASML (in %) 1

Asia

Europe

US

Total

2018

2019

2020 Comments

16

84

100

34

105

84

123

5

29

29

24

16

84

100

36

103

82

118

6

31

29

25

17

83

100

35

103

86

120

6

32

27

25

1.  Foreign nationals working for ASML (in%) is the percentage of payroll and temporary employees with another nationality than the country in which the employee is working.

Our people - Labor relations

Description

Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements

2018

48%

2019

52%

2020 Comments

53%

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

210

Our people - Fair remuneration

Description

Ratio of base salary of women to men 1,2

Senior Management 3
Middle Management 3
Non-management 3
Ratio of total cash of women to men 1,4
Senior Management 5
Middle Management 5
Non-Management 5

Internal pay ratio (CEO versus employee remuneration)

2018

2019

2020 Comments

107%

99%

100%

103%

99%

98%

—

102%

98%

—

32

98%

98%

41

99% Calculation method has been changed compared to 2019 see footnote 3
98%

98%

99% Total cash is base salary plus short-term incentive
98% Total cash is base salary plus short-term incentive
97%

40 For more information, see Leadership and governance - Remuneration Report 

1.  The base salary and total cash used for the calculation in the reporting year consists of the actual base salaries and total cash paid in the previous reporting year.  
2. 

In 2020 the definition for the ratio of base salary women to men has changed and is calculated as: average weighted salary female/average weighted salary male * 100%. In 2018 and 2019 the ratio of the base salary women to men was calculated as: average 
salary per grade female/ average salary per grade male *100%.

3.  The recalculated ratio of base salary of women to men for 2019 of senior management is 99%. The recalculation does not impact the 2019 PI for middle management and non-management.
4. 

In 2020 the definition for the ratio of total cash women to men has changed and is calculated as: average weighted salary including bonus female/average weighted salary including bonus male * 100%.  In 2018 & 2019 the ratio of the base salary women to men 
was calculated as: average salary per grade including bonus female/ average salary per grade including bonus male *100%.

5.  The recalculated ratio of total cash of women to men for  2019 PI of senior management is 96%. The recalculation does not impact the 2019 PI for middle management and non-management.

Our people - Community engagement

Description

2018

2019

2020 Comments

Number of students reached
Time investment of volunteers (in hours) - Technology promotion and 
Campus promotion
Time investment of volunteers (in hours) - Community Involvement 

Cash commitments - Charity (x €1,000)

Cash commitments - Sponsorship (x €1,000)
Total cost of volunteering (x €1,000)

11,694

8,998

13,378

5,257

5,445

5,434

700

784
—

7,664

705

3,416
772

2,936

1,333

701

3,076
271

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

211

Our people - Employee safety
Description

ASML recordable incident rate
Number of recordable incidents
Number of fatalities

Number of recordable incidents by region:
Asia

Europe

US

Number of first-aid incidents per body part affected:
Head

Eyes

Shoulder

Chest

Back

Arm

Hand

Leg

Foot
Other

Total

Number of first-aid incidents per region:

Asia

Europe
US

Total

Number of near misses by region:

Asia
Europe

US

Total

2018

0.24
49

0

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
—

—

—

—
—

—

—

—

—

—

2019

0.28
66

0

12

26

28

45

4

4

2

17

19

80

29

12
29

2020 Comments

0.18
46

0

12

19

15

37

7

4

3

10

12

70

19

19
1

241

182

44

143
54

241

1,031

1,498

718

47

80
55

182

A near miss is an unplanned event which did not result in injury, illness, or damage, but had the 

3,201 potential to do so
1,221

631

3,247

5,053

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

212

Our supply chain - Responsible supply chain

Description

2018

2019

2020 Comments

RBA Code of Conduct compliance contract clause for LTSA suppliers (in 
%)
Suppliers assessed on sustainability (in #) split by:
Audits

RBA Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)
RBA self-assessment completed (in %) 1
Suppliers identified with overall risk level 'high' on all sustainability 
elements (in #)
High sustainability risks identified (in #) split by sustainability 
elements:
Ethics

Labor

Health and safety

Environment

—

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

59%

67%

12

29

—

59

78%

88%

0

3

3

0

1

0

1

1

0

0

The risk level is determined by means of the RBA SAQ and ASML assessment, applied to major 
product-related suppliers

See comment above.

1.  This indicator measures whether improvement plans are closed before the due date agreed with the supplier. The improvement plans are initiated in prior or current reporting period(s) based on RBA SAQs or Audits.

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

213

Our supply chain - Supply chain

Description

Total number of suppliers

Number of suppliers, split by region:
Asia

EMEA (excl. Netherlands)

Netherlands

North America

Total

Number of suppliers, split by:

Product-related

Non-product related

Total

Number of suppliers, split by:

Critical

Non-critical

Total

Number of critical suppliers, split by:

Product-related

Non-product related

Total 

Number of suppliers in scope for risk management

Total sourcing spend (in million €)

Sourcing spend per supplier group (in %)
Product-related

Non-product related
Proportion of spending on local suppliers (in %) 1
Veldhoven

Linkou
San Diego

Wilton

2018

2019

2020 Comments

5,000

5,003

4,749

1,400

700

1,500

1,400

5,000

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1,356

700

1,620

1,327

5,003

790

4,213

5,003

221

4,782

5,003

198

23

221

212

1,313

684

1,477

1,275

4,749

779

3,970

4,749 Only Tier 1 suppliers

222 Critical suppliers are Tier 1 suppliers of strategic importance

4,527

4,749

188

34

222

235 This includes 13 critical N-Tier suppliers 

6,683

7,645

—

—

44%

51%
93%

64%

66%

34%

46%

46%
89%

66%

68%

32%

47% A relatively large amount of the total supplier spend for Veldhoven relates to Carl Zeiss (non-local)
48%

94%

71%

1.  We define 'local' as the country in which a significant location of operation is located. The significant locations of operations are the main manufacturing sites of ASML, which are located in Veldhoven, the Netherlands; Linkou, Taiwan; San Diego and in 

Wilton, both in the United States.  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

214

Circular economy - Waste management

Description

Total waste generated (in 1,000 kg)

Waste from operations
Construction waste 1

Total

Total hazardous waste (in 1,000 kg) 2

Recycling

Recovery, including energy recovery

Incineration (mass burn)
Landfill

Total

Total non-hazardous waste (in 1,000 kg) 2

Recycling

Recovery, including energy recovery

Incineration (mass burn)
Landfill

Total

Total construction waste (in 1,000 kg) 1, 2

Recycling

Recovery, including energy recovery

Landfill

Total

Total waste disposed (% of total waste from operations)

Incineration without energy recovery 

Landfill

Total

Used lithography systems sold

2018

2019

2020 Comments

—
—

5,292

4,927
608

5,535

5,026
231

5,257

—

—

—
—

347

—

—

—
—

336

9

15
2

362

349

9

13
1

372

3,618

3,911

567

37
343

411

3
329

4,945

4,565

4,654

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

17

578

20

10

608

1%

7%

8%

26

206

20

5

231

—%

7%

7%

22 Lifetime extension of mature systems

1. 

In previous years, construction waste was reported as part of total non-hazardous waste. From 2019, construction waste is reported as a separate category, because this waste does not result from daily operations of ASML. Amounts of construction 
waste tend to fluctuate a lot over the years. Therefore this type of waste is excluded from the waste numbers that are used in the calculation of the other (key) performance indicators for waste reporting. 

2.  The waste disposal methods are determined by information provided by the waste disposal contractor.  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

215

Climate and energy - Energy efficiency of products

Description

2018

2019

2020

Comments

System energy efficiency NXT

System
Throughput 
Measured energy efficiency (kWh / wafer pass) 1

—

—
—

— XT:1460K
—
209
—
0.27

NXT:1470 NXT:2050i

there are no measurements in these years

No new NXT systems were introduced in 2018 or 2019, therefore 

277
0.38

295
0.45

1.  System energy efficiency is measured according to the SEMI S23 standard, and scaled to 100% availability of our systems. 

Climate and energy - Energy 

Description

Energy consumption (in TJ)

Energy savings worldwide through projects (in TJ) 1

Electricity purchased per location (in TJ)
Veldhoven

Wilton

Linkou

San Diego

Total

2018

2019

2020 Comments

1,355

1,367

77

80

1,412

114

712

102

37

177

751

102

36

162

802

114

35

167

1,028

1,051

1,118

Fossil fuels consumed from non-renewable sources (in TJ) 2

Fossil fuels consumed consists of only natural gas 

Veldhoven
Wilton
Linkou

San Diego

Total

Fossil fuels consumed from renewable sources (in TJ)

—

—
—

—

—

—

159

111
0

46

316

0

141

112

0

40

293

0

1. 

In 2016 we started a master-plan period with a target to achieve 111 TJ energy savings by the end of 2020. The savings reported are cumulated compared to base year 2015. The savings are realized by projects resulting in improved technical 
installation or by projects resulting in an improved production process. Types of energy included in savings: fuel and electricity. 

2.  The sources of the conversion factors used are the Dutch Emissions Authority and the US Energy Information Administration.  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

216

Climate and energy - CO2 emissions
Description

Emission intensity 1
Type of Energy Attribute Certificates (in TJ)
Guarantee of Origins (GOs)

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
I-RECs

Total

Type of Energy Attribute Certificates (in kton)

Guarantee of Origins (GOs)

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
I-RECs

Total

Number of significant fines and non-monetary sanctions 

The monetary value of significant fines for non-compliance with 
environmental laws and regulations (in thousand €)

2018

—

—

—
—

—

—

—
—

—

—

—

2019

0.01

751

264
—

2020 Comments

0.61 Per 2020, scope 3 is included in the calculation

802

281
35

1,015

1,118

116

21
—

137

—

—

110

21
9

140

1 There was one fine for HMI Beijing due to fact that they did not have an environmental permit 

70

1. 

In 2020 the definition for emission intensity has changed and is calculated as scope 1,2 and 3 emissions (in kt) divided by total revenue (in millions). The recalculated number for 2019 amounts to 0.56. In 2019 the emission intensity was calculated as 
gross scope 1 and scope 2 emissions (in kt) divided by total revenue (in millions).

Climate and energy - Water management

Description

Water consumption (in 1,000 m3)
Veldhoven
San Diego
Wilton

Linkou

Total

Total Ultrapure water consumption (in 1,000 m3) 1

Total water recycled and reused (in %) 1

Water intensity 2

2018

2019

2020 Comments

—
—
—

—

895

—

—

—

628
90
90

30

838

115

658
80
94

28

860 Municipal water supply

127 Only Veldhoven and Linkou are  in scope for this indicator

2.4%

1.8% Only Veldhoven and Linkou are in scope for this indicator

71

62

1.  Veldhoven and Linkou are in scope for this indicator. San Diego and Wilton are excluded from the scope because the data to report on the indicator is not yet available.  
2.  Water intensity is calculated as total water consumption (in m3) divided by total revenue (in millions).  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

217

Responsible business - Business ethics

Description

Total number of Speak Up messages
Anti-corruption & bribery Speak Up messages 1
Human rights Speak Up messages
% Completion of Code of Conduct online training

2018

266
33

63
—

2019

255
16

58
86%

2020 Comments

229
19

69
88%

1.  None of the Speak Up messages led to any indication of violation of anti-corruption laws.  

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020

218

Materiality: assessing our 
impact

Dialogue and knowledge-sharing are important in an innovation-driven industry. To this end, we 
continually and openly communicate with our main stakeholder groups through various channels 
and at different levels in our organization. Our stakeholders are parties affected by our activities or 
those who have a direct interest in or who can influence our company’s long-term business 
success. 

Our materiality process 
We develop our materiality assessment framework according to the GRI Standards, which includes principles of 
stakeholder engagement and identification, analysis and prioritization. We conduct our materiality assessment through a 
three-step approach.

Step 1:  Identification of relevant 
aspects

Input

We update a shortlist of relevant topics annually. 
These are based on an analysis of stakeholder 
feedback, continuous stakeholder engagement, risks 
and opportunities, and a review of relevant industry 
and global trends. Topics include those important to 
our stakeholders in their decision-making, and, for 
ASML, those that can have an environmental, social 
or economic impact, in the organization, value chain 
or society. 

International standards and legislation: GRI, ISO 26000, TCFD, the EU 
Non-financial Reporting Directive, among others.

Industry and media analysis: RBA, industry development reports, 
benchmarking sustainability performance from our peers in the DJSI, 
among others.

ESG analysts’ questionnaires/assessments: DJSI, Sustainalytics, ISS 
ESG rating, CDP, MSCI ESG Index, FTSE4Good, among others.

Step 2: Analysis and prioritization
We follow GRI Standards guidelines to rate how 
important topics are based on the level of stakeholder 
concern, and the significance of our environmental, 
social and economic impact resulting from our 
business and operations.

Step 3: Confirmation and 
implementation
The results of the materiality assessment are used to 
shape our strategy. The results also define the content 
of this Annual Report, in line with the GRI principles for 
defining report content.  

Stakeholder engagement: feedback from regular and occasional 
stakeholder communication, ESG conferences and networks. Read 
more in: Stakeholder engagement

Output
We narrow the longlist of topics down to a shortlist of those relevant to us. 
The impact of these topics is gauged using available data, feedback from 
continuous stakeholder engagement, discussions with senior management and 
Board of Management members, business owners, and other relevant internal 
stakeholders (such as subject-matter experts). The Board of Management 
validates and approves assessment results. We identified the environmental, 
social, and governance topics that have the greatest impact on our business, 
and are of the greatest concern to stakeholders in our value chain. Read more 
in: How we create value.

Strategy and reporting structure
In our latest assessment, conducted in 2018 for the sustainability strategy 
2019-2025, we identified 10 material themes for sustainability, summarized in 
the materiality table. These are the themes most relevant to our stakeholders in 
their decision-making, and in areas where ASML has or could have the highest 
impact. We also identified other factors we need to address as a company 
committed to conducting our business in an accountable and caring way. 
These include issues our stakeholders expect us to act on or issues we have an 
impact on. We have been categorized these under the ‘Corporate citizenship’ 
themes. Read more in: Our strategy.

We also support the 2030 ambition defined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the 
United Nations. These goals aim to protect the planet and improve the lives of people everywhere. We have mapped out 
how our strategy and current efforts actively support these goals. The materiality table outlines the five most relevant 
SDGs we contribute to. The SDG 9 'Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure' goal is connected to the core of our company, 
as innovation is our lifeblood and the engine that drives our business. We also contribute towards the SDG 4 'Quality 
Education', SDG 8 'Decent Work and Economic Growth', SDG 12 'Responsible Production and Consumption' and SDG 
13 'Climate Action' goals. We highlight our performance against these SDGs throughout this report.      

219

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Core material themes for sustainability reporting
Innovation ecosystem
•  To maintain our fast pace of innovation, collaboration with our partners in 
the value chain, such as suppliers, research institutes and our customer 
is key. 

•  While innovating for our holistic lithography solutions, we need to give 
back to society by nurturing young entrepreneurship in the high tech 
sector.

People
•  Employee engagement is critical to ASML's performance and our long-

term success as a company. 

•  Employee engagement depends on a wide range of factors and activities, 

such as talent attraction and retention, the onboarding experience, 
leadership, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion. 

•  Highly skilled people with a technical background are scarce in the labor 
market and competition is growing. Employer branding is a vital strategy 
to make sure ASML attracts the best talent.

Responsible supply chain
•  We are committed to the responsible sourcing of parts, components, and 

materials in our supply chain.

•  We screen our supplier base on sustainability performance using the RBA 

standard (ethics, labor, health and safety, and environment)

Circular economy
•  We are committed to the responsible use of (natural and other) resources 

and scarce materials.

•  We limit our environmental impact by minimizing waste.
•  We repurpose products, parts and materials across their lifespan by 

recycling and re-use.

Climate and energy
•  We are committed to decreasing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

and reducing our carbon footprint across our operations, as well as in our 
value chain.

•  Scope 1, 2, 3 carbon footprint
•  Energy consumption of our products

Impact on value chain

Upstream

Our operations

Downstream

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

Note: The table above refers to the topics in the field of sustainability. Along these topics, other topics such as technology, customer 
intimacy, operational excellence are key for the execution of our core business strategy. Corporate governance and financial performance 
are part of our annual reporting process.

Corporate citizenship themes

Supply chain

Our operations

Product use

Impact on value chain

Product safety

Fair remuneration

Labor relations

Human rights

Employee safety

Community involvement

Water management

Responsible business

Tax policy

Enterprise Risk Management

Information / cybersecurity

Privacy protection

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

This report focuses, in a comprehensive manner, on the material themes that we disclose. However, as we also want to 
meet our stakeholders’ expectations, we seek to address elements of particular interest to them in our corporate 
citizenship themes. This means we address themes in different levels of detail.

220

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
Managing sustainability 
Our Board of Management approves and signs off our Sustainability Strategy. The most senior member of the organization 
directly responsible for sustainability matters is our Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, who is a member 
of the Board of Management. Each of the material and corporate citizenship themes is assigned to a senior manager, who 
is responsible for monitoring progress against agreed targets, and ensuring there are sufficient resources available to meet 
targets and objectives. In the event of insufficient progress, this is discussed at operational performance review meetings 
and raised with senior management during a review meeting or other relevant committee meetings. Our performance on 
sustainability areas, as outlined in the materiality table, is part of the long-term incentive plans of our Board of 
Management and senior management. We measure our overall sustainability performance by benchmarking our result 
from the annual comprehensive Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) – assessing more than 20 ESG topics – with the 
best of the semiconductor industry. Read more in: Remuneration Report.

221

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Stakeholder engagement

We define stakeholders as those individuals or groups or organizations that can affect or can be affected by our business. 
We regard five stakeholder groups: shareholders, customers, suppliers (including contractors), employees and society 
(e.g. local community, governments and authorities, industry union, labor organizations, other associations, media and 
NGOs).

Continuous stakeholder engagement, in which we embrace open dialogue and knowledge-sharing, are important in an 
innovation-driven industry and helps us to identify the areas of improvement. We communicate with our stakeholders 
through various channels and at a variety of levels. The methods of engagement will vary depending on the stakeholders, 
the issues of concern and the purpose of engagement. The following table is an overview of our main stakeholder groups, 
the way we communicate with them and an overview of the topics most relevant to them. 

Shareholders
Purpose: This group consist of current shareholders, potential active and passive investors, financial and ESG analysts. 
We aim to help them to understand our (long-term) investment opportunities. We communicates with them about our 
financial growth strategies and opportunities, financial performance and outlook, shareholder returns as well as our 
Sustainability Strategy. 

Main communication channel and 
frequency

Main engagement topic

Themes in our materiality

•  Direct interaction with the Investor Relations 

department (e.g. calls, ESG performance surveys, 
email exchange, site visits - at ASML and/or at the 
investor) - [daily]
•  AGM - [annually]
• 
•  Company quarterly results presentation and press 

Investor Day - [bi-annually]

release - [quarterly]

•  Financial results 
•  Capital return
•  Market outlook 
•  Products and end-market
•  Customer adoption
•  Geopolitics
•  Business summary
•  Company roadmap and product 

•  Various investor conferences and roadshows - [on 

portfolio 

occurrence]

•  Various sustainability questionnaires, assessments and 
survey feedback - [on occurrence, the majority of these 
are annual recurring]

•  ESG targets: human capital 

development, carbon 
footprint, waste, recycling, 
energy consumption, social 
responsibility in supply chain

•  Board diversity and 

remuneration

•  Financial performance 
•  Technology and innovation 

ecosystem 

•  Customer intimacy
•  Our people 
•  Our supply chain
•  Circular economy
•  Climate and energy
•  How we manage risk
•  Responsible business
•  Governance

Customers
Purpose: We are a manufacturer of leading edge chipmaking equipment, we enable our customers to create the patterns 
that define the electronic circuits on a chip. Our customers are the world’s leading microchip manufacturers, and our 
success is inextricably linked with theirs.

Main communication channel and 
frequency

•  Customer feedback Survey - [bi-annually]
•  Direct interaction via account teams and zone quality 

managers

•  Voice of the customer sessions - [monthly]
•  Technology Review Meetings (between our CTO, 

product managers, other executives and  our major 
customers) - [bi-annually]

•  Executive Review Meetings (between ASML 

executives and major customers)  - [bi-annually]
•  Different technology symposia and special events  - 

[on occurrence] 

Main engagement topic

Themes in our materiality

•  Products and technology
•  Customer roadmap
• 
•  Customer support, cost of 
ownership and quality 

Innovation

•  ESG targets: carbon footprint, 
energy consumption, social 
responsibility in supply chain 
(RBA)

•  Technology and innovation 

ecosystem 

•  Customer intimacy
•  Operational excellence
•  Responsible supply chain
•  Circular economy
•  Climate and energy

222

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Suppliers
Purpose: We rely heavily on our supplier network to achieve the innovations we strive for. Our goal is to ensure we get the 
products, materials and services we need to meet our short- and long-term needs. To this end we invest in developing our 
supply landscape to help suppliers meet our requirements with regard to quality, logistics, technology, cost and 
sustainability. We are committed to a responsible and sustainable supply chain.

Main communication channel and 
frequency

•  ASML’s supplier day - [annually]
•  Direct interaction via supplier account teams / 

procurement account managers - [daily]

•  Supplier audits - [on occurrence]
•  Site visit - [on occurrence]
•  Newsletter - [monthly]
•  RBA Self-assessment questionnaire - [annually]
•  ASML Speak up service - [on occurrence]

Main engagement topic

Themes in our materiality

•  Technology and innovation 

ecosystem 
•  Our supply chain
•  Responsible supply chain 
•  Responsible business (including 

human rights)
•  Circular economy
•  Climate and energy

•  Products and technology
•  QLTCS
•  Supplier performance and risk 

management
IP / information security

• 
•  Business continuity
•  RBA compliance (ethics, labor 
practice, health and safety, and 
environment)

•  Scare (natural) resources, 3TG, 
hazardous substances, etc.
•  Circularity (re-use, recycling, 

refurb)

•  Scope 3 carbon footprint

Employees
Purpose: We want to provide a unified direction and anchor ASML’s identity deep in the organization. To do this, we aim 
to help people embrace our values and familiarize themselves with our strategy and purpose and uphold our Code of 
Conduct principles. Employee engagement is to the success of our company and employer brand enables us to attract 
talent. We are committed to good labor practice and respect human rights.

Main communication channel and 
frequency

•  Employee engagement survey - [annually]
•  Training and development programs including 

employee evaluation/feedback  - [on occurrence]

•  ASML Speak up service  - [on occurrence]
•  Works Council - [quarterly]
•  Employee networks, such as Young ASML, Women@
ASML, Seniors@ASML, Pink ASML - [on occurrence]
Internal communication and awareness (e.g. intranet, 
ethics program, department employee meeting, lunch 
with board members)  - [daily]

• 

•  Onboarding program new employees  - [on 

occurrence]

•  All-employee meeting and Senior Management 

meetings - [annually]

Main engagement topic

Themes in our materiality

•  Training and development
•  Code of Conduct/Ethics
•  Strategy
•  Diversity and inclusion
•  Labor conditions
•  Vitality
•  Human rights 
•  Sustainability target and 

performance

•  Technology and innovation 

ecosystem 

•  Our people (employee 

development, labor relations, fair 
remuneration)

•  Responsible supply chain
•  Circular economy
•  Climate and energy
•  Responsible business

223

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Society
Purpose: We are committed to conducting our business in an accountable and caring way, for our employees and the 
wider communities we operate in. As a global technology leader and employer, we play an active role in the local 
communities in which we operate. We engage regularly with governments and (local) authorities, industry unions and 
associations, (local) community, universities, media and NGOs. 

Main engagement topic

Themes in our materiality

•  Employee development
•  Charity, sponsoring and 

donations

•  Collaboration in innovation
•  Strengthening innovation in the 
industry, society and where we 
operate

•  Technology and innovation 

ecosystem 

•  Customer intimacy
•  Community engagement
•  Responsible business (human 
rights, ethics, privacy, ABC 
policy, etc.)

•  Social and environmental  

•  Our people (employee 

responsibility

•  Promote STEM education 
•  Local developments

development, labor relations, fair 
remuneration)

•  Climate and energy
•  Circular economy
•  How we manage risk

Main communication channel and 
frequency
Industry unions and associations

•  Member conferences and technical forums (e.g. RBA, 
SEMI, FME, VNO-NCW, SPIE, etc.) - [monthly/on 
occurrence]

•  Member consultation on standards - [on occurrence] 
•  Brainport - [on occurrence]

Governments and authorities

•  Dialogue with tax authority - [monthly/on occurrence]
•  Relevant EU round table discussions (semiconductor 

industry or innovation) - [on occurrence]

•  Compliance reporting - [monthly/on occurrence]
•  Proactive dialogue with government, authorities and 

municipalities - [on occurrence]

Community, universities, media, NGOs, other

•  www.asml.com  - [daily]
•  Community engagement program (STEM promotion 

at secondary schools and universities,  cultural 
institutions, local community, etc)  - [on occurrence]
•  Young high tech community (HighTechXL, Make Next 
platform, Startup Alliance)  - [daily/on occurrence]

•  Company visit - [on occurrence]
•  Press release, interviews, engagement calls/meetings, 

etc. - [on occurrence]

224

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Other
appendices

225

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Selected financial data 

The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial 
Statements.

Five-year financial summary 

Year ended December 31 (€, in millions, except per share data)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Consolidated Statements of Operations data

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Other income

Research and development costs

Selling, general and administrative costs

Income from operations

Interest and other, net

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense

Income after income taxes

6,875.1

8,962.7

10,944.0

11,820.0

13,978.5

(3,729.8)

(4,942.5)

(5,914.8)

(6,540.2)

(7,181.3)

3,145.3

4,020.2

5,029.2

5,279.8

6,797.2

93.8

95.8

—

—

—

(1,105.8)

(1,259.7)

(1,575.9)

(1,968.5)

(2,200.8)

(374.8)

1,758.5

(416.6)

2,439.7

(488.0)

2,965.3

(520.5)

2,790.8

(544.9)

4,051.5

33.7

(50.3)

(28.3)

(25.0)

(34.9)

1,792.2

2,389.4

2,937.0

2,765.8

4,016.6

(234.4)

1,557.8

(306.0)

2,083.4

(351.6)

2,585.4

(191.7)

2,574.1

(551.5)

3,465.1

Profit (loss) related to equity method investments

—

(16.7)

6.2

18.2

88.6

Net income

1,557.8

2,066.7

2,591.6

2,592.3

3,553.7

Earnings per share data:
Basic net income per ordinary share

Diluted net income per ordinary share

3.66

3.64

4.81

4.79

6.10

6.08

6.16

6.15

8.49

8.48

Number of ordinary shares in per share amounts (in millions):
Basic

Diluted

425.6

427.7

429.8

431.6

424.9

426.4

420.8

421.6

418.3

419.1

226

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Five-year financial summary 

As of and for the year ended December 31 (€, in millions)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Consolidated Balance Sheets data

Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments
Working capital 1
Total assets
Long-term debt 2
Shareholders’ equity

Issued and outstanding shares

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows data
Selected Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Depreciation and amortization 3
Impairment

Net cash provided by operating activities

Selected Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

Purchase of intangible assets

Purchase of short-term investments

Maturity of short-term investments

Cash from (used for) derivative financial instruments

Loans issued and other investments

Repayment on loans

Acquisition of equity method investments

Acquisition of subsidiary (net of cash acquired)

Net cash used in investing activities

Selected Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Dividend paid

Purchase of treasury shares

Net proceeds from issuance of shares

Net proceeds from issuance of notes

Repayment of debt

Tax benefit (deficit) from share-based payments

Net cash from (used in) financing activities

2,906.9

1,150.0
5,434.9

2,259.0

1,029.3
5,715.8

3,121.1

913.3
6,739.5

3,532.3

1,185.8
7,437.0

6,049.4

1,302.2
9,326.5

17,155.0

18,188.9

20,136.9

22,629.6

27,267.4

3,319.5

9,972.4

39.4

3,025.3

3,026.5

3,108.3

4,678.2

10,776.4

11,641.0

12,592.2

13,865.4

38.8

38.6

38.2

37.6

356.9

3.5

417.5

9.0

422.7

15.4

448.5

4.7

490.8

2.7

1,665.9

1,818.3

3,072.7

3,276.4

4,627.6

(316.3)

(8.4)

(338.9)

(19.1)

(2,520.0)

(1,129.3)

2,320.0

1,250.0

(15.0)

(7.4)

—

27.0

(0.6)

1.6

— (1,019.7)

—

(574.0)

(35.5)

(918.1)

1,034.1

(2.4)

(1.0)

5.4

—

—

(766.6)

(119.3)

(962.0)

(38.8)

(1,291.5)

(1,475.5)

1,019.0

1,359.1

—

—

0.9

—

—

—

(12.2)

—

—

(222.8)

(2,641.3)

(3,188.4)

(445.9)

(400.0)

582.7

2,230.6

(4.7)

0.9

(1,229.0)

(491.5)

(1,157.5)

(1,352.2)

(516.7)

(500.0)

50.6

—

(243.0)

—

(597.1)

(1,325.7)

(1,066.4)

(1,146.2)

(410.0)

(1,207.5)

21.8

—

(2.8)

—

27.2

—

(3.8)

—

37.9

1,486.3

0.1

—

1,963.6

(1,209.1)

(1,724.3)

(1,712.3)

(753.0)

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

448.2

(647.9)

862.1

411.2

2,517.1

1.  Working capital is calculated as the difference between total current assets and total current liabilities. 
2.  Long-term debt includes the current portion of long-term debt. 
3.  Depreciation and amortization includes depreciation of property, plant and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, amortization of underwriting commissions and 

4. 
5. 

6. 

discount related to the bonds and credit facility.
In 2016, net proceeds from issuance of shares include an amount of €536.6 million which is included in the consideration transferred for the acquisition of HMI.
In 2016, net proceeds from issuance of notes relate to the total cash proceeds of €2,230.6 million (net of incurred transaction costs) from the issuance of our €500 
million 0.625% senior notes due 2022, our €1000 million 1.375% senior notes due 2026 and our €750 million 1.625% senior notes due 2027.
In 2020, net proceeds from issuance of notes relate mainly to the total cash proceeds of €1,486.3 million (net of incurred transaction costs) from the issuance of our €750 
million 0.250% senior notes due 2030 and our €750 million 0.625% senior notes due 2029.

227

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Five-year financial summary 

As of and for the year ended December 31

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Ratios and other data
Gross profit as a percentage of net sales

Income from operations as a percentage of net sales

Net income as a percentage of net sales

Shareholders’ equity as a percentage of total assets

Income taxes as a percentage of income before income taxes

Sales of lithography systems (in units) 1
Value of booked systems (in millions €) 2,3
Net bookings lithography systems (in units) 1,2,3
Number of payroll employees (in FTEs)

Number of temporary employees (in FTEs)

Increase (decrease) net sales in percentage

Number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding (in millions)

Closing ASML share price on Euronext Amsterdam (in €)
Volatility 260 days as percentage of our shares listed on Euronext 
Amsterdam (in €) 4
Closing ASML share price on NASDAQ (in USD)
Volatility 260 days as percentage of our shares listed on NASDAQ (in 
USD) 5
Dividend per ordinary share (in €)6,8

Dividend per ordinary share (in USD)6,7,8

45.7

25.6

22.7

58.1

13.1

154

44.9

27.2

23.1

59.6

12.8

197

46.0

27.1

23.7

57.8

12.0

224

44.7

23.6

21.9

55.6

6.9

229

48.6

29.0

25.4

50.8

13.7

258

5,396.3

9,357.2

8,180.7

11,741.0

11,292.2

160

13,991

2,656

9.3

429.9

106.65

255

241

16,219

20,044

2,997

30.4

427.4

3,203

22.1

421.1

145.15

137.16

236

23,219

1,681

8.0

419.8

263.70

25.47

18.84

29.60

26.15

303

26,614

1,459

18.3

416.5

397.55

40.77

112.20

173.82

155.62

295.94

487.72

26.85

21.80

35.74

28.06

49.33

1.20

1.28

1.40

1.74

2.10

2.34

2.40

2.63

2.75

3.28

1.  Lithography systems do not include metrology and inspection systems. 
2.  Our systems net bookings include all system sales orders for which written authorizations have been accepted (for EUV starting with the NXE:3350B and excluding the High-

NA systems). 

3.  Our systems net bookings values for 2016, and 2017 have been calculated without taking into consideration the adoption of the new Revenue Recognition Standard (ASC 

606) and Lease Standard (ASC 842) which ASML adopted effective January 1, 2018.

4.  Volatility represents the variability in our share price on Euronext Amsterdam as measured over the 260 business days of each year presented (source: Bloomberg Finance LP). 
5.  Volatility represents the variability in our share price on NASDAQ as measured over the 260 business days of each year presented (source: Bloomberg Finance LP). 
6.  Subject to approval of the AGM to be held on April 29, 2021.
7.  The dividend per ordinary share in USD has been adjusted compared to the relevant Annual Report based on US GAAP in order to reflect the actual exchange rate at the time 

of each year's dividend payment. 

8.  The exchange rate used to express the final proposed dividend per ordinary share in USD is the exchange rate of USD/€1.22 as of January 26, 2021.

228

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Principal accountant fees and services

KPMG has served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the years ending December 31, 2020 and 
2019. The following table sets out the aggregate fees for professional audit services and other services rendered by 
KPMG and their member firms and affiliates in 2020 and 2019: 

Year ended December 31

(€, in thousands)

Audit fees

Audit-related fees 
Tax fees

All other fees 

Principal accountant fees

KPMG 
Accountants 
N.V.

2,086

70
—

9

2,165

2019

KPMG 
Network

815

—
—

—

815

KPMG 
Accountants 
N.V.

2,246

88
—

37

Total

2,901

70
—

9

2020

KPMG 
Network

1,090

—
—

—

Total

3,337

88
—

37

2,980

2,371

1,090

3,461

Audit fees and audit-related fees
Audit fees relate to the audit of the Financial Statements as set out in this Annual Report, certain procedures on our 
quarterly results, services related to offering memoranda, as well as our statutory and regulatory filings of our subsidiaries. 
These fees relate to the audit of the respective Financial Statements, regardless of whether the work was performed 
during the financial year. Other audit-related fees are related to assurance services on non-financial information.

Other (non-audit) services relate to certain agreed-upon procedures on the targets achieved in order for the Remuneration 
Committee to assess compliance with the Remuneration Policy and agreed upon procedures for the US Advanced Pricing 
Agreement. 

The Audit Committee pre-approved the external audit plan and audit fees for the years 2020 and 2019.

The Audit Committee monitors compliance with the Dutch, EU regulation and SEC rules on non-audit services provided 
by an independent registered public accounting firm, which outlines strict separation of audit and advisory services for 
Dutch public interest entities. 

229

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Property, plant and equipment

We lease a number of our facilities under operating leases. 
We also own a number of buildings, mainly consisting of 
production facilities in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, in 
Wilton, Connecticut, and San Diego, California, both in the 
US, in Linkou and Tainan, both in Taiwan and in 
Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The book value of land and 
buildings owned amounts to €1,589.6 million as 
of December 31, 2020 compared with  €1,290.2 million as 
of December 31, 2019. See Consolidated Financial 
Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial 
Statements - Note 13 Property, plant and equipment, net.

Our capital expenditures (purchases of property, plant and 
equipment, see the Consolidated Statements of Cash 
Flows as recorded in the Consolidated Financial 
Statements) for 2020, 2019 and 2018 amounted to €962.0 
million, €766.6 million and €574.0 million, respectively. The 
increased capital expenditures in 2020 compared to 2019 
relates to the expansion and upgrades of facilities, 
prototypes, evaluation and training systems.

Subject to market conditions, we expect that our capital 
expenditures (purchases of property, plant and equipment) 
in 2021 will be approximately €1.5 billion. These 
expenditures will mainly consist of further expansion and 
upgrades of facilities. We expect to finance these capital 
expenditures through cash generated by operations and 
existing cash and cash equivalents.

Facilities in Europe 
Our headquarters, main manufacturing and R&D facilities 
are located at a single site in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. 
This state-of-the-art facility includes 66 thousand square 
meters of office space and 50 thousand square meters of 
cleanroom used for manufacturing and R&D activities and 
24 thousand square meters of warehouses. Our facilities in 
Veldhoven, the Netherlands are partly owned and partly 
leased. We also lease several sales and service facilities at 
locations across Europe. 

Facilities in the US 
Our US head office is located in a 5,000 square meter 
office building in Chandler, Arizona. We maintain R&D and 
manufacturing operations in a 28,000 square meter facility 
in Wilton, Connecticut, and three facilities totaling 41,000 
square meters in San Jose, California. Furthermore, our 
facilities in San Diego include 25,000 square meters of 
buildings used for manufacturing and office space, 19,000 
square meters of buildings used for engineering and R&D 
activities and 7,000 square meters of buildings used for 
warehousing. As a result of the HMI acquisition, our 
facilities in San Jose, California expanded by approximately 
34,000 square meters for R&D and local sales and service 
activities. 

Facilities in Asia 
Our Asian headquarters is located in Hong Kong, The 
People’s Republic of China. In addition, our facility in 
Linkou, Taiwan comprises a cleanroom (approximately 
3,000 square meters) and office space (approximately 
6,000 square meters). Our facility in Hwasung, South Korea 
is comprised of a cleanroom (approximately 900 square 
meters) and office space (approximately 7,000 square 
meters). We also lease and own several sales, service and 
training facilities at locations across Asia. As a result of the 
Cymer acquisition, we acquired a manufacturing facility in 
Pyeongtaek, South Korea, mainly used for refurbishment 
activities of light sources. As a result of the HMI acquisition, 
we acquired manufacturing facilities in Tainan, Taiwan 
(approximately 20,000 square meters) and Beijing, China. 
Additionally, both Cymer and HMI lease a few smaller 
locations in South Korea and Japan which are mainly used 
for local sales and service activities.  

230

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Dutch taxation 

The statements below represent a summary of current 
Dutch tax laws, regulations and judicial interpretations 
thereof. The description is limited to the material tax 
implications for a holder of ordinary shares who is not, and 
/ or is not deemed to be, a resident of the Netherlands for 
Dutch tax purposes (‘Non-Resident Holder’). This summary 
does not address special rules that may apply to special 
classes of holders of ordinary shares and should not be 
read as extending by implication to matters not specifically 
referred to herein. As to individual tax consequences, each 
investor in our ordinary shares should consult his or her tax 
counsel. 

General 
The acquisition of ordinary shares by a non-resident of the 
Netherlands should in itself not be treated as a taxable 
event for Dutch tax purposes. The material tax 
consequences in connection with owning and disposing of 
our ordinary shares are discussed below. 

Substantial interest 
A person that, (inter alia) directly or indirectly, and either 
independently or jointly with his partner (as defined in the 
Dutch Personal Income Tax Act 2001), owns 5.0% or more 
of our share capital, owns profit participating rights that 
correspond to at least 5.0% of the annual profits of a Dutch 
company or to at least 5.0% of the liquidation proceeds of 
such company or holds options to purchase 5.0% or more 
of our share capital, is deemed to have a substantial 
interest in our shares, or our options, as applicable. 
Specific rules apply in case certain family members of the 
Non-Resident Holder hold a substantial interest. A deemed 
substantial interest also exists if (part of) a substantial 
interest has been disposed of, or is deemed to be 
disposed of, in a transaction where no taxable gain has 
been recognized. Specific attribution rules exist in 
determining the presence of a substantial interest. 

Income tax consequences for individual 
non-resident holders on owning and 
disposing of the ordinary shares 
An individual who is a Non-Resident Holder will not be 
subject to Dutch income tax on received income in respect 
of our ordinary shares or capital gains derived from the 
sale, exchange or other disposition of our ordinary shares, 
provided that such holder: 

•  Does not carry on and has not carried on a business 
in the Netherlands through a (deemed) permanent 
establishment or a permanent representative to which 
the ordinary shares are attributable; 

•  Does not hold and has not held a (deemed) substantial 

interest in our share capital or, in the event the 
Non-Resident Holder holds or has held a (deemed) 
substantial interest in our share capital, such interest is, 
or was, a business asset in the hands of the holder; 
•  Does not share and has not shared directly (through 
the beneficial ownership of ordinary shares or similar 
securities) in the profits of an enterprise managed and 
controlled in the Netherlands which (is deemed to) 
own(s), or (is deemed to have) has owned, our ordinary 
shares; and 

•  Does not carry out and has not carried out any activities 

which generate taxable profit in the Netherlands or 
taxable income in the Netherlands to which the holding 
of our ordinary shares was connected. 

Corporate income tax consequences for 
corporate non-resident holders 
Income derived from ordinary shares or capital gains 
derived from the sale, exchange or disposition of ordinary 
shares by a corporate Non-Resident Holder is taxable if: 

•  The holder carries on a business in the Netherlands 
through a permanent establishment or a permanent 
representative in the Netherlands (Dutch enterprise) and 
the ordinary shares are attributable to this permanent 
establishment or permanent representative, unless the 
participation exemption (discussed below) applies; or 
•  The holder has a substantial interest in our share capital, 
which is held with the primary aim or one of the primary 
aims to avoid the levy of income tax at the level of 
another person and which is not put into place with valid 
commercial reasons that reflect economic reality; or 
•  The holder is a resident of Aruba, Curacao or Saint 

Martin with a permanent establishment or permanent 
representative in Bonaire, Eustatius or Saba to which 
our ordinary shares are attributable and certain 
conditions are met; or 

•  Certain assets of the holder are deemed to be treated as 
a Dutch enterprise under Dutch tax law and the ordinary 
shares are attributable to this Dutch enterprise. 

To qualify for the Dutch participation exemption, the holder 
must generally hold at least 5.0% of our nominal paid-in 
capital and meet certain other requirements. 

Dividend withholding tax 
In general, a dividend distributed by us in respect of our 
ordinary shares will be subject to a withholding tax 
imposed by the Netherlands at the statutory rate of 15.0%. 

Dividends include: 
•  Dividends in cash and in kind; 
•  Deemed and constructive dividends; 
•  Consideration for the repurchase or redemption of 
ordinary shares (including a purchase by a direct 
or indirect ASML subsidiary) in excess of qualifying 
average paid-in capital unless such repurchase is made 
for temporary investment purposes or is exempt by law; 

•  Stock dividends up to their nominal value (unless 

distributed out of qualifying paid-in capital); 

•  Any (partial) repayment of paid-in capital not qualifying 
as capital for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes; 
and 

•  Liquidation proceeds in excess of qualifying average 
paid-in capital for Dutch dividend withholding tax 
purposes. 

231

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Under certain circumstances, a reduction of Dutch 
dividend withholding tax can be obtained: 
•  An exemption at source is available if the participation 

exemption applies and the ordinary shares are 
attributable to a business carried out in the Netherlands; 

•  An exemption at source is available for dividend 

distributions to certain qualifying EU/EEA resident 
corporate holders, unless such holder holds our ordinary 
shares with the primary aim or one of the primary aims 
to avoid the levy of Dutch dividend withholding tax at 
the level of another person and our ordinary shares 
are not held for valid commercial reasons that reflect 
economic reality; 

•  An exemption at source is available for dividend 

distributions to certain qualifying corporate holders that 
are a resident of a non-EU/EEA jurisdiction with which 
the Netherlands has concluded a tax treaty that includes 
a dividend article, unless such holder holds our ordinary 
shares with the primary aim or one of the primary aims 
to avoid the levy of Dutch dividend withholding tax at 
the level of another person and our ordinary shares 
are not held for valid commercial reasons that reflect 
economic reality; 

•  Certain tax exempt organizations (e.g. pension funds 
and excluding collective investment vehicles) resident 
in EU/EEA member states or in qualifying non-EU/EEA 
states may be eligible for a refund of Dutch dividend 
withholding tax upon their request. Based on domestic 
law not yet entered into force, in those circumstances, 
an exemption at source may also become available 
upon request; 

•  Upon request and under certain conditions, certain 
qualifying Non-Resident Individual and Corporate 
Holders of ordinary shares resident in EU/EEA member 
states or in a qualifying non-EU/EEA state may be 
eligible for a refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax 
insofar the withholding tax levied is higher than the 
personal and corporate income tax which would have 
been due if they were resident of the Netherlands. 

Furthermore, a Non-Resident Holder of ordinary shares can 
be eligible for a partial or complete exemption or refund of 
all or a portion of the above withholding tax under a tax 
treaty that is in effect between the Netherlands and the 
Non-Resident Holder’s country of residence. The 
Netherlands has concluded such treaties with the US, 
Canada, Switzerland, Japan, most EU member states, as 
well as many other countries. Under the treaty between the 
US and the Netherlands for the Avoidance of Double 
Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect 
to Taxes on Income (the ‘US Tax Treaty’), dividends paid by 
us to a Non-Resident Holder that is a resident of the US as 
defined in the US Tax Treaty (other than an exempt 
organization or exempt pension trust, as discussed below) 
are generally liable to 15.0% Dutch withholding tax or, in 
the case of certain US corporate shareholders owning 
directly at least 10.0% of our voting power, a reduction to 
5.0%, provided that the Holder is the beneficial owner of 
the dividends received and does not have an enterprise or 
an interest in an enterprise that is, in whole or in part, 
carried on through a permanent establishment or 
permanent representative in the Netherlands to which the 
dividends are attributable. The US Tax Treaty also provides 
for a dividend withholding tax exemption on dividends, but 
only for a shareholder owning directly at least 80.0% of our 
voting power and meeting all other requirements. The US 
Tax Treaty provides for a complete exemption from tax on 
dividends received by exempt pension trusts and exempt 

organizations, as defined therein. Except in the case of 
exempt organizations, the reduced dividend withholding 
tax rate (or exemption from withholding) can be applied at 
the source upon payment of the dividends, provided that 
the proper forms have been filed in advance of the 
payment. Exempt organizations, in principle, remain 
subject to the statutory withholding rate of 15.0% and are 
required to file for a refund of such withholding, however 
such organizations may become eligible for the exemption 
at source when the domestic law as described above has 
entered into force. 

A Non-Resident Holder may not claim the benefits of the 
US Tax Treaty unless (i) he/she is a resident of the US as 
defined therein, or (ii) he/she is deemed to be a resident on 
the basis of the provisions of article 24(4) of the US Tax 
Treaty, and (iii) his or her entitlement to those benefits is not 
limited by the provisions of article 26 (limitation on benefits) 
of the US Tax Treaty. 

Dividend stripping rules 
Under Dutch tax legislation regarding anti-dividend 
stripping, no exemption from, or refund of, Dutch dividend 
withholding tax is granted if the recipient of dividends paid 
by us is not considered the beneficial owner of such 
dividends. 

Gift or inheritance taxes 
Dutch gift or inheritance taxes will not be levied on the 
transfer of ordinary shares by way of gift or upon the death 
of a Non-Resident Holder, unless the transfer is construed 
as an inheritance or as a gift made by or on behalf of a 
person, who at the time of the gift or death, is deemed to 
be resident of the Netherlands. 

Gift tax and inheritance tax are levied on the beneficiary. 
For purposes of Dutch gift and inheritance tax, an 
individual of Dutch nationality is deemed to be a resident of 
the Netherlands if he/she has been a resident thereof at 
any time during the ten years preceding the time of the gift 
or death. For purposes of Dutch gift tax, a person not 
possessing Dutch nationality is deemed to be a resident of 
the Netherlands if he / she has resided therein at any time 
in the twelve months preceding the gift. 

Value added tax 
No Dutch VAT is imposed on dividends in respect of our 
ordinary shares or on the transfer of our shares. 

Residence 
A Non-Resident Holder will not become resident, or be 
deemed to be resident, in the Netherlands solely as a result 
of holding our ordinary shares or of the execution, 
performance, delivery and / or enforcement of rights in 
respect of our ordinary shares. 

US taxation 
The following is a discussion of the material US federal 
income tax consequences relating to the acquisition, 
ownership and disposition of ordinary shares by a United 
States Holder (as defined below) acting in the capacity of a 
beneficial owner who is not a tax resident of the 
Netherlands. This discussion deals only with ordinary 
shares held as capital assets and does not deal with the 
tax consequences applicable to all categories of investors, 
some of which (such as tax-exempt entities, financial 
institutions, regulated investment companies, dealers in 

232

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020securities/traders in securities that elect a mark-to-market 
method of accounting for securities holdings, insurance 
companies, investors owning directly, indirectly or 
constructively 10.0% or more of our outstanding voting 
shares, investors who hold ordinary shares as part of 
hedging or conversion transactions and investors whose 
functional currency is not the US dollar) may be subject to 
special rules. In addition, the discussion does not address 
any alternative minimum tax or any state, local, Foreign 
Investment in Real Property Tax Act-related US federal 
income tax consequences, or non-US tax consequences. 

This discussion is based on the US-Netherlands Income 
tax treaty, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended 
to the date hereof, final, temporary and proposed Treasury 
Department regulations promulgated, and administrative 
and judicial interpretations thereof, changes to any of 
which subsequent to the date hereof, possibly with 
retroactive effect, may affect the tax consequences 
described herein. In addition, there can be no assurance 
that the IRS will not challenge one or more of the tax 
consequences described herein, and we have not 
obtained, nor do we intend to obtain, a ruling from the IRS 
or an opinion of counsel with respect to the US federal 
income tax consequences of acquiring or holding shares. 
Prospective purchasers of ordinary shares are advised to 
consult their tax advisers with respect to their particular 
circumstances and with respect to the effects of US 
federal, state, local or non-US tax laws to which they may 
be subject. 

As used herein, the term ‘United States Holder’ means a 
beneficial owner of ordinary shares for US federal income 
tax purposes whose holding of such ordinary shares does 
not form part of the business property or assets of a 
permanent establishment or fixed base in the Netherlands; 
who is fully entitled to the benefits of the treaty in respect 
of such ordinary shares; and is: 
•  An individual citizen or tax resident of the US; or 
•  A corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for 
US federal income tax purposes created or organized 
in or under the laws of the US or of any political 
subdivision thereof; or 

•  An estate of which the income is subject to US federal 

income taxation regardless of its source; or 

•  A trust whose administration is subject to the primary 

supervision of a court within the US and which has one 
or more US persons who have the authority to control all 
of its substantial decisions. 

If an entity treated as a partnership for US federal income 
tax purposes owns ordinary shares, the US federal income 
tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will generally 
depend upon the status and tax residency of the partner 
and the activities of the partnership. A partnership that 
owns ordinary shares and the partners in such partnership 
should consult their tax advisors about the US federal 
income tax consequences of holding and disposing of the 
ordinary shares. 

Passive Foreign Investment Company 
considerations 
We believe we were not a passive foreign investment 
company for US federal income tax purposes in 2020 and 
that we will not be a passive foreign investment company 
in 2021. However, as passive foreign investment company 
status is a factual matter that must be determined annually 
at the close of each taxable year, there can be no certainty 

as to our actual passive foreign investment company 
status in any particular year until the close of the taxable 
year in question. We have not conducted a detailed study 
at this time to confirm our non-passive foreign investment 
company status. If we were treated as a passive foreign 
investment company in any year during which a United 
States Holder owned common shares, certain adverse tax 
consequences could apply. Investors should consult their 
tax advisors with respect to any passive foreign investment 
company considerations. 

Taxation of dividends 
United States Holders should generally include in gross 
income, as foreign-source dividend income the gross 
amount of any non-liquidating distribution (before reduction 
for Dutch withholding taxes) we make out of our current or 
accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for US 
federal income tax purposes) when the distribution is 
actually or constructively received by the United States 
Holder. Distributions will not be eligible for the dividends-
received deduction generally allowed to US corporations in 
respect of dividends received from other US corporations. 
The amount of the dividend distribution includible in 
income of a United States Holder should be the US dollar 
value of the foreign currency (e.g. euros) paid, determined 
by the spot rate of exchange on the date of the distribution, 
regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into 
US dollars. Distributions in excess of current and 
accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for US 
federal income tax purposes, will be treated as a non-
taxable return of capital to the extent of the United States 
Holder’s US tax basis in the ordinary shares and thereafter 
as taxable capital gain. We presently do not maintain 
calculations of our earnings and profits under US federal 
income tax principles. If we do not report to a United 
States Holder the portion of a distribution that exceeds 
earnings and profits, the distribution will generally be 
taxable as a dividend even if that distribution would 
otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or 
as capital gain under the rules described above. 

Subject to limitations provided in the US Internal Revenue 
Code, a United States Holder may generally deduct from 
its US federal taxable income, or credit against its US 
federal income tax liability, the amount of qualified Dutch 
withholding taxes. However, Dutch withholding tax may be 
credited only if the United States Holder does not claim a 
deduction for any Dutch or other non-US taxes paid or 
accrued in that year. In addition, Dutch dividend 
withholding taxes will likely not be creditable against the 
United States Holder’s US tax liability to the extent we are 
not required to pay over the amount withheld to the Dutch 
Tax Administration. Currently, a Dutch corporation that 
receives dividends from qualifying non-Dutch subsidiaries 
may credit source country tax withheld from those 
dividends against Dutch withholding tax imposed on a 
dividend paid by a Dutch corporation, up to a maximum of 
3.0% of the dividend paid by the Dutch corporation. The 
credit reduces the amount of dividend withholding that we 
are required to pay to the Dutch Tax Administration but 
does not reduce the amount of tax we are required to 
withhold from dividends. 

For US foreign tax credit purposes, dividends paid by us 
generally will be treated as foreign-source income and as 
‘passive category income’ (or in the case of certain holders, 
as ‘general category income’). Gains or losses realized by a 
United States Holder on the sale or exchange of ordinary 

233

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020shares generally will be treated as US-source gain or loss. 
The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex and 
we suggest that each United States Holder consult his or 
her own tax advisor to determine whether, and to what 
extent, a foreign tax credit will be available. 

Dividends received by a United States Holder will generally 
be taxed at ordinary income tax rates. However, the Jobs 
and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, as 
amended by the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004, 
the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, the American 
Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, and most recently the 2017 
tax reform act (Public Law No. 115-97) reduces to 20.0% 
the maximum tax rate for certain dividends received by 
individuals, so long as certain exclusions do not apply and 
the stock has been held for at least 60 days during the 
121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend 
date. Dividends received from ‘qualified foreign 
corporations’ generally qualify for the reduced rate. A non-
US corporation (other than a passive foreign investment 
company) generally will be considered to be a qualified 
foreign corporation if: (i) the shares of the non-US 
corporation are readily tradable on an established 
securities market in the US or (ii) the non-US corporation is 
eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax 
treaty with the US that has been identified as a qualifying 
treaty and contains an exchange of information program. In 
addition, subject to income limitations, dividends received 
by US individuals and US residents, estates and trusts will 
be subject to a Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) assessed 
at the rate of 3.8%.  Individual United States Holders 
should consult their tax advisors regarding the impact of 
this provision on their particular situations. 

Dividends paid by us generally will constitute ‘portfolio 
income’ for purposes of the limitations on the use of 
passive activity losses (and, therefore, generally may not be 
offset by passive activity losses) and as ‘investment 
income’ for purposes of the limitation on the deduction of 
investment interest expense. 

Taxation on sale or other disposition of 
ordinary shares 
Upon a sale or other disposition of ordinary shares, a 
United States Holder will generally recognize capital gain or 
loss for US federal income tax purposes in an amount 
equal to the difference between the amount realized, if paid 
in US dollars, or the US dollar value of the amount realized 

(determined at the spot rate on the settlement date of the 
sale) if proceeds are paid in currency other than the US 
dollar, as the case may be, and the United States Holder’s 
US tax basis (determined in US dollars) in such ordinary 
shares. Generally, the capital gain or loss will be long-term 
capital gain or loss if the holding period of the United 
States Holder in the ordinary shares exceeds one year at 
the time of the sale or other disposition. The deductibility of 
capital losses is subject to limitations for US federal income 
tax purposes. Gain or loss from the sale or other 
disposition of ordinary shares generally will be treated as 
US source income or loss for US foreign tax credit 
purposes. Generally, any gain or loss resulting from 
currency fluctuations during the period between the date of 
the sale of the ordinary shares and the date the sale 
proceeds are converted into US dollars will be treated as 
ordinary income or loss from sources within the US. Each 
United States Holder should consult his or her tax advisor 
with regard to the translation rules applicable when 
computing its adjusted US tax basis and the amount 
realized upon a sale or other disposition of its ordinary 
shares if purchased in, or sold or disposed of for, a 
currency other than US dollar. 

Information reporting and backup 
withholding 
Information returns may be filed with the IRS in connection 
with payments on the ordinary shares or proceeds from a 
sale, redemption or other disposition of the ordinary 
shares. A ‘backup withholding’ tax may be applied to, and 
withheld from, these payments if the beneficial owner fails 
to provide a correct taxpayer identification number to the 
paying agent and to comply with certain certification 
procedures or otherwise establish an exemption from 
backup withholding. Any amounts withheld under the 
backup withholding rules might be refunded (or credited 
against the beneficial owner’s US federal income tax 
liability, if any) depending on the facts and provided that 
the required information is furnished to the IRS. 

The discussion set out above is included for general 
information only and may not be applicable depending 
upon a holder’s particular situation. Holders should consult 
their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to 
them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares 
including the tax consequences under state, local and 
other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in US 
federal and other tax laws. 

234

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Government regulation

Our business is subject to direct and indirect regulations in 
each of the countries in which our customers or we do 
business, and changes in various types of regulations can 
affect our business adversely. As our business has 
expanded, we have become subject to increasing and 
increasingly complex regulation. The implementation of 
new safety, environmental or legal requirements, including 
export controls and required permits and licenses or 
changes in interpretation, implementation or enforcement 
of such regulations and requirements, could impact our 
products, our manufacturing or distribution processes or 

location of sales, and could affect the timing of product 
introductions, the cost of our production, and products as 
well as their commercial success in each market in which 
we operate. The impact of these regulations could 
adversely affect our business, financial condition and our 
results of operations even where the specific regulations 
do not directly apply to us or to our products. See How we 
manage risk - Risk factors - Legal and compliance - We are 
subject to increasingly complex regulatory and compliance 
obligations.

235

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Offer and listing details

Our ordinary shares are listed for trading in the form of 
registered ASML NASDAQ shares and in the form of 
registered ASML Euronext Amsterdam shares. The 
principal trading market of our ordinary shares is Euronext 
Amsterdam (trading symbol: ASML). Our ordinary shares 
also trade on NASDAQ (trading symbol: ASML).

Our shares listed on NASDAQ are registered with 
JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., our New York Transfer Agent, 
pursuant to the terms of the Transfer Agent Agreement 
between ASML and JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. Our 
shares listed on Euronext Amsterdam are held in 
dematerialized form through the facilities of Euroclear 
Nederland, the Dutch centralized securities custody and 
administration system. The New York Transfer Agent 
charges shareholders a fee of up to USD 5.00 per 100 
shares for the exchange of our shares listed at NASDAQ 
for our shares listed at Euronext Amsterdam and vice 
versa. 

Dividends payable on our shares listed at NASDAQ are 
declared in euro and converted to US dollars at the rate of 
exchange at the close of business on the date determined 

by the Board of Management. The resulting amounts are 
distributed through the New York Transfer Agent and no 
charge is payable by holders of our shares listed at 
NASDAQ in connection with this conversion or distribution. 

Pursuant to the terms of the Transfer Agent Agreement, we 
have agreed to reimburse the New York Transfer Agent for 
certain out of pocket expenses, including in connection 
with any mailing of notices, reports or other 
communications made generally available by ASML to 
holders of ordinary shares. The New York Transfer Agent 
has waived its fees associated with routine services to 
ASML associated with our shares listed at NASDAQ. In 
addition, the New York Transfer Agent in consideration of 
its acting as Transfer Agent has agreed to make a 
contribution towards covering certain expenses incurred by 
ASML in connection with the issuance and transfer of our 
shares listed on NASDAQ. In the year ended December 31, 
2020, the Transfer Agent contributed USD 0.4 
million towards coverage of expenses incurred by ASML 
(which mainly comprised of audit, advisory, legal and listing 
fees incurred due to the existence of our share listing on 
NASDAQ).

236

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Material contracts

Settlement and Cross License Agreement Among ASML, Zeiss and Nikon

In February 2019, ASML entered into a settlement and 
license agreement with Nikon Corporation and Carl Zeiss 
SMT, and for purposes of certain provisions Carl Zeiss AG. 
The agreement settles all pending litigation between ASML 
and Zeiss on the one hand and Nikon on the other hand 
and provides for a patent cross license between ASML, 
Zeiss and Nikon. The key terms of the cross-license are set 
forth below.

Scope of License 
Pursuant to the settlement and license agreement: 

(i) ASML and Zeiss grant Nikon a worldwide, non-exclusive 
license under all patents owned or licensable ("Licensed 
Patents") by ASML and Zeiss to make, use and sell 
lithography equipment and components as well as digital 
cameras, but excluding EUV lithography products and 
laser sources ("Nikon Licensed Products");

(ii) Nikon grants ASML a worldwide, non-exclusive license 
under all Nikon Licensed Patents to make, use and sell 
lithography equipment and components, but excluding 
FPD/large area substrate products ("ASML Licensed 
Products"); and

(iii) Nikon grants Zeiss a worldwide, non-exclusive license 
under all Nikon Licensed Patents to make, use and sell a) 
components for use in lithography equipment and b) 
certain digital cameras developed and marketed by Zeiss, 
but excluding FPD/large area substrate products (“Zeiss 
Licensed Products”).

These license grants cover existing patents, as well as 
additional patents that issue worldwide before the end of 
the term of the cross-license.

Term of License 
The term of the cross-license is 10 years from the date of 
the cross-license agreement, February 18, 2019. ASML 
and Zeiss, jointly on the one hand and Nikon on the other 
hand, each have the right to convert up to 20 Licensed 
Patent families of the other side into permanently Licensed 
Patents.

Post-Term
After the term of the cross-license, remedies for any party's 
infringement of any patents with an effective application 
date before the end of the term of the cross-license are 
limited to damages in the form of a reasonable royalty 
applied against a royalty base that is apportioned to reflect 
the value of such patent features and excluding from the 
base value attributable to unpatented features. Whether a 
Licensed Product infringes a Licensed Patent, all defenses 
to such a claim, and any such reasonable royalty in the 
event liability is found shall be determined by a court 
mutually agreed by the parties.

Certain Releases 
The parties have granted each other releases for claims of 
infringement of Licensed Patents based on acts prior to the 
date of the agreement.

Immunity 
ASML and Nikon have granted each other certain 
immunities from patent suits by the other party in respect 
of covered entities, including customers, subject to certain 
defensive rights.

Payments 
ASML and Zeiss agreed that ASML pays a total of 
€150.0 million to Nikon.

ASML and Zeiss agreed that ASML pays Nikon a royalty of 
0.8% of the net sales price of entire immersion lithography 
systems (on the first sale of each system) that are ASML 
Licensed Products sold during the term of the agreement.

Nikon agreed to pay ASML a royalty of 0.8% of the net 
sales price of entire immersion lithography systems (on the 
first sale of each system) that are Nikon Licensed Products 
sold during the term of the agreement.

237

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Exchange controls

Cash distributions, if any, payable in euros on our shares 
listed at Euronext Amsterdam may be officially transferred 
by a bank from the Netherlands and converted into any 
other currency without being subject to any Dutch legal 
restrictions. However, for statistical purposes, such 
payments and transactions must be reported by ASML to 
the Dutch Central Bank. Furthermore, no payments, 
including dividend payments, may be made to jurisdictions 

subject to certain sanctions, adopted by the government of 
the Netherlands, implementing resolutions of the Security 
Council of the United Nations. Cash distributions, if any, on 
our shares listed at NASDAQ shall be declared in euros but 
paid in US dollars, converted at the rate of exchange at the 
close of business on the date fixed for that purpose by the 
Board of Management in accordance with the Articles of 
Association. 

238

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Documents on display

We are subject to certain reporting requirements of the 
Exchange Act. As a "foreign private issuer", we are exempt 
from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing certain 
disclosure and procedural requirements for proxy 
solicitations, and our officers, directors and principal 
shareholders are exempt from the reporting and "short-
swing" profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 
of the Exchange Act, with respect to their purchases and 
sales of shares. In addition, we are not required to file 
reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently 
or as promptly as companies whose securities are 
registered under the Exchange Act that are not foreign 
private issuers. However, we are required to file with the 
SEC, within 4 months after the end of each fiscal year, an 

Annual Report on Form 20-F containing financial 
statements audited by an independent accounting firm and 
interactive data comprising financial statements in 
extensible business reporting language. We publish 
unaudited interim financial information in accordance with 
U.S. GAAP after the end of each quarter. We furnish this 
quarterly financial information to the SEC under cover of a 
Form 6-K. 

Documents we file with the SEC are publicly available on 
the SEC's website, which contains reports and other 
information regarding registrants that are required to file 
electronically with the SEC. The address of this website is 
http://www.sec.gov. 

239

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Controls and procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures 
As of December 31, 2020, ASML’s senior management 
conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with 
the participation of ASML’s CEO and CFO, of the 
effectiveness of the design and operation of ASML’s 
disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 
13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on such 
evaluation, ASML’s CEO and CFO have concluded that, as 
of December 31, 2020, ASML’s disclosure controls and 
procedures are effective in recording, processing, 
summarizing and reporting, on a timely basis, information 
required to be disclosed by ASML in the reports that it files 
or submits under the Exchange Act and are effective in 
ensuring that information required to be disclosed by 
ASML is accumulated and communicated to ASML’s 
management, including ASML’s CEO and CFO, as 
appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required 
disclosure. 

Management’s report on internal 
control over financial reporting 
ASML’s management is responsible for establishing and 
maintaining adequate internal control over financial 
reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange 
Act. Under the supervision and with the participation of 
ASML’s CEO and CFO, ASML’s management conducted 
an evaluation of the effectiveness of ASML’s internal 
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 
based upon the framework in "Internal Control – Integrated 
Framework" (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring 
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on that 

evaluation, management has concluded that ASML’s 
internal control over financial reporting was effective as of 
December 31, 2020 at providing reasonable assurance 
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the 
preparation of the Financial Statements for external 
purposes in conformity with US GAAP. 

KPMG Accountants N.V., an independent registered public 
accounting firm, have audited the Financial Statements as 
included in this Annual Report and, have also audited and 
issued a report, included herein, on the effectiveness of 
ASML’s internal control over financial reporting. 

Changes in internal control over 
financial reporting 
During the year ended December 31, 2020, there have 
been no changes in our internal control over financial 
reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably 
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial 
reporting. 

Inherent limitations of disclosure 
controls and procedures in internal 
control over financial reporting 
It should be noted that any system of controls, however 
well-designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, 
and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the 
system will be met. In addition, the design of any control 
system is based in part upon certain assumptions about 
the likelihood of future events. 

240

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - Financial calendar and investor relations

Investor Relations 
ASML Investor Relations supplies information regarding the 
company and its business opportunities to investors and 
financial analysts. Our annual reports, quarterly releases 
and other information are also available on our website. 

Financial Calendar
April 21, 2021 
Announcement of First Quarter results for 2021 

April 29, 2021 
Annual General Meeting 

July 21, 2021 
Announcement of Second Quarter results for 2021 

October 20, 2021 
Announcement of Third Quarter results for 2021 

Fiscal Year 
ASML’s fiscal year ends on December 31, 2021

241

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Appendix - ASML worldwide contact information

Corporate Headquarters 
De Run 6501 
5504 DR Veldhoven 
The Netherlands 

Mailing Address 
P.O. Box 324 
5500 AH Veldhoven 
The Netherlands 

United States Main Office 
2650 W Geronimo Place  
Chandler, AZ 85224 
U.S.A. 

Asia Main Office 
Suites 3704-6, 37/F Tower Two, Times Square 
1 Matheson Street 
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 

Investor Relations 
phone: +31 40 268 3938 
email: investor.relations@asml.com 

For additional contact information please visit www.asml.com. 

242

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Form 20-F Caption

Location in this document

Page

Appendix - Reference table 20-F

Item

Part I

1

2

3

Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisors

Not applicable

Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

Not applicable

Key Information

A.  Selected Financial Data

Other appendices - Appendix - Selected financial data

B.  Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable

C.  Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable

D.  Risk Factors

4

Information on the Company

A.  History and Development of the Company

How we manage risk - Risk factors

B.  Business Overview

Who we are and what we do - Our company - Our core values

Who we are and what we do - Our company - Where we come from
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 10 Equity method investments
Other appendices - Appendix - Property, plant and equipment

Other appendices - Appendix - ASML worldwide contact information

Who we are and what we do - Our company

Who we are and what we do - Our products and services

Who we are and what we do - Our markets

What we achieved in 2020 - Technology and innovation ecosystem - How we innovate

What we achieved in 2020 - Technology and innovation ecosystem - Customer intimacy

What we achieved in 2020 - Our supply chain

How we manage risk - Risk factors
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 3 Revenue from contracts with customers
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 4 Segment disclosure
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 17 Commitments and contingencies
Other appendices - Appendix - Government regulation

C.  Organizational Structure

D.  Property, Plant and Equipment

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Corporate Information

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 13 Property, plant and equipment, net
Other appendices - Appendix - Property, plant and equipment

4A

Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable

226

91

10

11

166

230

242

10

14

17

27

36

53

91

156

161

176

235

117

170

230

243

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Item

Form 20-F Caption

Location in this document

5

Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

Executive Summary

Who we are and what we do - Our company - Our purpose

Who we are and what we do - Our strategy

CFO financial review - Long-term growth opportunities - Outlook 2025
CFO financial review - Financial performance - ASML operations update on key 
performance indicators
CFO financial review - Long-term growth opportunities - Trend information

CFO financial review - Financial performance - Operating results of 2020 compared to 
2019
Consolidated Financial Statements - Consolidated Statements of Operations

A.  Operating Results

B.  Liquidity and Capital Resources

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 10 Equity method investments
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 16 Long-term debt and interest and other costs
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 17 Commitments and contingencies

C.  Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.

How we manage risk - Risk factors - Strategy and products - Failure to adequately 
protect the intellectual property rights, trade secrets or other confidential information 
could harm our business 
How we manage risk - Risk factors - Strategy and products - Defending against 
intellectual property claims brought by others could harm our business  
Risk category: Intellectual property rights 
What we achieved in 2020 - Technology and innovation ecosystem
CFO financial review - Financial performance - Operating results of 2020 compared to 
2019

D.  Trend Information

E.  Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

CFO financial review - Long-term growth opportunities - Trend information

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 10 Equity method investments
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 17 Commitments and contingencies

F.  Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 17 Commitments and contingencies

G.  Safe Harbor

Special note regarding forward-looking statements

6

Directors, Senior Management and Employees

A.  Directors and Senior Management

B.  Compensation

C.  Board Practices

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Board of Management

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Supervisory Board

Leadership and governance - Remuneration report

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Board of Management

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Supervisory Board

Leadership and governance - Supervisory Board report

Page

10

24

84

76

84

76
149

166

174

176

92

92
27

76

84

166

176

176

3

105

108

134

105

108

119

244

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Item

Form 20-F Caption

Location in this document

Page

D.  Employees

How we manage risk - Risk factors - Our business and future success depend on our 
ability to manage the growth of our organization and attract and retain a sufficient number 
of adequately educated and skilled employees  
Risk category: Human resource, Knowledge management, Organizational effectiveness 
What we achieved in 2020 - Our people - Labor relations
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 19 Employee benefits
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 18 Personnel expenses and employee information
Non-financial statements - Non-financial indicators - Our people - Employee engagement 
- Number of FTEs (payroll and temporary)

Leadership and governance - Remuneration report

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Corporate Information
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 20 Share-based compensation

E.  Share Ownership

7

Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions

A.  Major Shareholders

B.  Related Party Transactions

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Major Shareholders

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 26 Related party transactions

C.  Interests of Experts & Counsel

Not applicable

8

Financial Information

A.  Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information

Consolidated Financial Statements

B.  Significant Changes

9

The Offer and Listing

A.  Offer and Listing Details

B.  Plan of Distribution

C.  Markets

D.  Selling Shareholders

E.  Dilution

F.  Expenses of the Issue

10

Additional Information

A.  Share Capital

CFO financial review - Long-term growth opportunities
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 27 Subsequent events

Other appendices - Appendix - Offer and listing details

Not applicable

Other appendices - Appendix - Offer and listing details

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

B.  Memorandum and Articles of Association

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance

C.  Material Contracts

D.  Exchange Controls

Other appendices - Appendix - Material contracts

Other appendices - Appendix - Exchange controls

95
44

178

177

204

134

117

179

115

197

146

84

198

236

236

105

237

238

245

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Item

Form 20-F Caption

Location in this document

E.  Taxation

F.  Dividends and Paying Agents

How we manage risk - Tax policy

G.  Statement by Experts

H.  Documents on Display

I.  Subsidiary Information

Not applicable

Not applicable

Other appendices - Appendix - Documents on display

11

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Corporate Information

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 4 Segment disclosure
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 5 Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments
Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 25 Financial risk management - Paragraph on valuation techniques used

12

Description of Securities Other Than Equity Securities

Not applicable

Part II

13

14

15

Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies

None 

Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds

Controls and Procedures

None 

16A

Audit Committee Financial Expert

Leadership and governance - Supervisory Board report

Other appendices - Appendix - Controls and procedures

16B

Code of Ethics

16C

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Other appendices - Appendix - Principal accountant fees and services

How we manage risk - Responsible business - Business ethics and Code of Conduct

16D

Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees

Not applicable

16E

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

Page

82

239

117

161

163

191

240

119

99

229

Consolidated Financial Statements - Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements - 
Note 22 Shareholders’ equity

188

16F

Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant

16G

Corporate Governance

None 

Leadership and governance - Corporate governance - Corporate Information - Our US 
Listing Requirements

117

16H

Mine Safety Disclosure

Part III

17

18

19

Financial Statements

Financial Statements

Exhibits 

Definitions

Not applicable

Not applicable

Consolidated Financial Statements

Exhibit index

Definitions

146

257

249

246

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020This document contains information required for the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 
of ASML Holding N.V. Reference is made to the Form 20-F cross reference table contained herein under ‘Reference Table 
- 20-F’. Only the information in this document that is referenced in the Form 20-F cross reference table and this paragraph 
shall be deemed to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for any purpose. Any additional information in 
this document which is not referenced in the Form 20-F cross reference table, or the Exhibits themselves, shall not be 
deemed to be incorporated by reference, shall not be part of the 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F and is furnished to the 
Securities and Exchange Commission for information only.

247

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Definitions

248

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Name

0-9

3TG

A

ADAS

AFM 

AGM 

AI

AIoT

Description

Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold

Advanced driver-assistance systems

The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten)

Annual general meeting

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence of things

Annual Report 

Annual Report on Form 20-F

ARCNL

ArF 

ArFi 

ASC 

ASML 

ASML Foundation 

ASML Preference 
Shares Foundation 

ATAD

B

BAPA

BEAT 

BEPS 

BoM 

Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography

Argon fluoride

Argon fluoride immersion

Accounting Standards Codification

ASML Holding N.V. and / or any of its subsidiaries and / or any investments in associates

An independent charity with strong ties to ASML that supports educational initiative for disadvantaged 4-18 
year olds in regions where ASML operates.

Stichting Preferente Aandelen ASML

Anti-tax avoidance directives

Bilateral advance pricing agreements

Base erosion anti-abuse tax

Base erosion and profit shifting

Board of Management

BREEAM

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

Brion 

C

CAGR

Canon 

Canon Cross-License 
Agreement

Brion Technologies, Inc.

Compound annual growth rate

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

A global patent cross-license agreement between ASML and Canon related to semiconductor lithography

Carl Zeiss SMT 

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH

CCIP 

CCPA

CDP

CEO 

CFO 

CGU 

CGU ASML 

Cleanroom

CMO 

CO2 

CMOS

Code 

Customer Co-investment Program

California Consumer Privacy Act (US)

The Carbon Disclosure Project

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Cash-generating unit

ASML excluding CGU Cymer Light Sources 

The central part of a wafer fab where wafers are processed, and the environment is minutely controlled to 
eliminate dust and other contaminants.

Chief Marketing Officer

Carbon dioxide

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor

The Dutch Corporate Governance Code

Code of Conduct 

Code of ethics and conduct

Company 

Computational 
lithography

ASML Holding N.V.

The use of powerful algorithms and computer modeling of the manufacturing process to optimize reticle 
patterns by intentionally deforming them to compensate for physical and chemical effects that occur during 
lithography and patterning.

COO 

COVID-19

Chief Operating Officer

Coronavirus disease 2019

249

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Name

CR

CRC

CRMC 

CTO 

Cymer 

D

D&E

DAP 

Deloitte 

D&I

DJSI

DRAM 

DUV 

E

EAISI

EHS 

Description

Corporate responsibility

ASML’s corporate risk committee

Capital Research & Management Company

Chief Technology Officer

Cymer Inc., Cymer LLC and its subsidiaries

Development and engineering

Development Action Plan

Deloitte Accountants B.V.

Diversity and inclusion

Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Dynamic Random Access Memory

Deep ultraviolet

Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute

Environment, health and safety

EHS Competence 
Center

A group within ASML that defines EHS standards, gathers best practices and helps managers implement 
them

EMEA 

EPS 

ERM 

eScan

ESG score

ETR

EU 

EURIBOR 

Eurobond 

Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Earnings per share

Enterprise risk management

ASML’s e-beam wafer inspection system family for targeted in-line defect detection

An integrated scoring system for environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors used in credit rating 
decisions

Effective tax rate

European Union

Euro Interbank Offered Rate

A bond denominated in Euros

Euroclear Nederland

The Dutch Central Securities Depository (Nederlands Centraal Instituut voor Giraal Effectenverkeer B.V.)

Euronext Amsterdam

Euronext Amsterdam N.V.

EUV lithography

A lithography technology that uses extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm. This is currently 
the cutting edge of lithography, enabling technology nodes of 16 nm and beyond. It is used for only the 
most critical layers with the smallest features.

Exchange Act 

US Securities Exchange Act of 1934

ExCom

Executive Committee

F

Fab

FAT 

FDII

Feature

Flash

Foundry 

FTEs 

Semiconductor fabrication plant

Factory acceptance test

Foreign-derived intangible income

The elements that make up the pattern for a given layer of a microchip.

A type of non-volatile memory used for storing and transferring information.

A contract manufacturer of logic chips

Full-time equivalents

FTSE4Good 

Series of ethical investment stock market indices launched in 2001 by the FTSE Group

G

GAAP

GDPR

GeSI

GHG

GILTI 

GPU

GRI

Generally accepted accounting principles

General data protection regulation

Global e-Sustainability Initiative

Greenhouse gas

Global intangible low-tax income

Graphics processing unit

Global Reporting Initiative

GRI standards

GRI sustainability reporting standards

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Name

H

H2 

HDD

High-NA 

HMI 

Description

Hydrogen

Hard disk drive

High numerical aperture – specifically a next-generation EUV lithography platform

The brand name for ASML's range of electron beam (e-beam) wafer inspection and metrology systems

Holistic lithography 

The ability to optimize the entire microchip manufacturing process and enable affordable scaling in chip 
technology by integrating lithography systems with computational modeling and wafer metrology solutions 
(analyzing and controlling the manufacturing process in real time)

HTSC

I

IC

IDM 

IFRS 

IIRC

i-line

ILO

Imaging 

imec 

High Tech Systems Center

Integrated circuit

Integrated device manufacturer

International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union

International Integrated Reporting Council

Light with a wavelength of 365 nm, generated by mercury vapor lamps and used in some lithography 
systems

International Labor Organization

The ability to transfer a pattern to the photoresist on to a wafer using light

Interuniversitair Micro-Elektronica Centrum

Immersion lithography

A lithography technique that uses a pool of ultra-pure water between the lens and the wafer to increase the 
lenses numerical aperture (ability to collect and focus light). This improves both the resolution and depth of 
focus for the lithography system.

Installed Base 
Management

Intel 

Net service and field option sales

Intel Corporation

Internet of Things (IoT)

A network of physical objects embedded with sensors, actuators, electronics and software that allow the 
objects to collect and exchange data

IPR 

ISO

K

Intellectual property rights

International Organization for Standardization

KLA-Tencor 

KLA-Tencor Corporation

KPI

KPMG 

KrF 

kWh

L

LGBTI 

LIBOR 

Logic 

LTI 

M

MBA 

Memory 

mm 

MPS 

MSCI

N

NA 

NAND

NASDAQ 

NGO

Key performance indicator

KPMG Accountants N.V.

Krypton fluoride

Kilowatt-hour

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex

London Interbank Offered Rate

Integrated devices such as microprocessors, microcontrollers and GPUs. Also refers to companies that 
manufacture such devices.

Long-term incentive

Master of Business Administration

Microchips, such as NAND Flash and DRAM, that store information. Also refers to companies that 
manufacture such chips.

Millimeter (one thousandth of a meter)

Mature Products and Services

Morgan Stanley Capital International

Numerical aperture

A binary logical operator that gives an output when it receives one or no input; a composite of ‘NOT AND’ 

NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Non-governmental organization

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Name

Nikon 

NL

nm 

Node 

Description

Nikon Corporation

The Netherlands

Nanometer (one billionth of a meter)

A steppingstone in the chipmaking industry's roadmap for smaller features and more advanced microchips, 
describes and differentiates generations of semiconductor manufacturing technologies and the chips made 
with them. Nodes with “smaller sizes” refer to more advanced technologies. 

Non-GAAP 

A company’s historical or future financial performance, financial position, or cash flows that are not 
calculated or presented in accordance with the most comparable GAAP measure.

NRE 

NXE 

NXT 

O

OCI 

ODM

OECD 

OEM

ONE

Overlay

P

Non-recurring engineering

The original TWINSCAN system platform for EUV lithography

An enhanced version of the original TWINSCAN system platform offering significantly improved overlay and 
productivity

Other comprehensive income

Original design manufacturer

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

Original equipment manufacturer

ASML’s Our New Enterprise program, which aims to improve our business processes and IT enterprise 
management system

The layer-to-layer alignment of chip structures

Pattern fidelity 

A holistic measure of how well the desired pattern is reproduced on the wafer

Pattern fidelity control

A holistic approach to controlling the whole process of manufacturing advanced microchips in high volumes 
that aims to improve overall yields. It draws data from production equipment and computational lithography 
tools, analyzing it with techniques such as machine learning to provide real-time feedback.

Patterning 

The process of creating a pattern in a surface (to build microchips)

PGP

PME 

Preference shares 
foundation

Preference share 
option

Q

QLTCS

R

R&D 

RBA

RC 

REACH

Product generation process

Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Metalektro

Stichting Preferente Aandelen ASML

An option to acquire cumulative preference shares in our capital

Quality, logistics, technology, cost and sustainability

Research and development

Responsible Business Alliance

ASML’s Remuneration Committee

Registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals

Recoverable amount 

The greater out of an asset’s fair value less costs to sell and its value in use

Remuneration policy 

The remuneration policy applicable to the Board of Management of ASML Holding N.V.

Reticle 

ROAIC 

RoHS 

S

Samsung 

SAQ

A plate containing the pattern of features to be transferred to the wafer for each exposure

Return on average invested capital

Restriction of hazardous substances

Samsung Electronics Corporation

Self-assessment questionnaire

Sarbanes-Oxley Act 

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

SAT 

SB 

Scope 1 CO2 
emissions

Site acceptance test

ASML’s Supervisory Board

Direct carbon dioxide emissions from resources an organization owns or controls 

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Name

Scope 2 CO2 
emissions

Scope 3 CO2 
emissions

SDG

SEC 

SEMI

SEMI S2 

SEMI S23 

SG&A 

Shrink 

SoC 

Description

Indirect carbon dioxide emissions due to the energy and organization consumes

All other indirect carbon dioxide emissions that occur in an organization’s value chain

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission

Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International

SEMI S2 – Safety Guideline, Environmental, Health, and Safety Guideline for Semiconductor Manufacturing 
Equipment, a set of performance-based EHS considerations for semiconductor manufacturing equipment

SEMI S23 – Guide for Conservation of Energy, Utilities, and Materials Used by Semiconductor 
Manufacturing Equipment, guidelines for collecting, analyzing, and reporting energy-consuming 
semiconductor manufacturing equipment utility data

Selling, general and administrative

The process of developing smaller transistors for more advanced chips

System on a chip

SPE Shareholders

A syndicate of three banks for the purpose of leasing ASML’s headquarters in Veldhoven

S&SC

SSD

SSPS

SSRA

STEM 

STI 

SWOT

T

TC 

TCFD

TCJA

TDC

Sourcing and supply chain

Solid-state drive

Safety system performance specification

Safety risk assessment

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Short-term incentive

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

ASML’s Technology Committee

Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Total direct compensation

Technical competence

The capabilities and spread of technical expertise among our people, and the extent to which they are 
embedded in our processes and operations

Throughput 

TJ 

Transistor 

TSMC 

TSR 

TWINSCAN

U

UNGP

US 

US GAAP 

US ITC

V

VAT 

VIE 

VLSI 

The number of wafers a system can process per hour

Terajoule (one trillion joules)

A semiconductor device that is the fundamental building block of microchips 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.

Total shareholder return

ASML’s unique lithography system platform, with two complete wafer stages to allow one wafer to be 
mapped while another is being exposed - enabling higher accuracy and throughput.

United Nations guiding principles

United States

Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America

United States International Trade Commission

Value-added tax

Variable interest entity

VLSI Research Inc.

VNO-NCW

The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers

VP

W

WACC 

Vice president

Weighted average cost of capital

Wafer inspection

The process of locating and analyzing individual chip defects on a wafer

Wafer metrology

The process of measuring the quality of patterns on a wafer

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Name

Wavelength 

Description

The distance between two peaks of a wave such as light. The shorter the wavelength of light used in a 
lithography system, the smaller the features the system can resolve.

Website 

www.asml.com

Works Council 

Works Council of ASML Netherlands B.V.

Y

YieldStar 

Z

Zeiss

ASML's diffraction-based wafer metrology platform

Carl Zeiss AG

254

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020ASML Holding N.V. hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused 
and authorized the undersigned to sign this Annual Report on Form 20-F on its behalf.

ASML Holding N.V. (Registrant)

/s/ Peter T.F.M. Wennink

Name: Peter T.F.M. Wennink
Title: President, CEO and member of the Board of Management
Dated: February 10, 2021

/s/ Roger J.M. Dassen
Name: Roger J.M. Dassen
Title: Executive Vice President, CFO and member of the Board of Management
Dated: February 10, 2021

255

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
Exhibit index

256

ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020Exhibit index

Exhibit No. Description

1

2.1

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

4.7

4.8

4.9

4.10

4.11

4.12

8.1

12.1

13.1

15.1

101.INS

101.SCH

101.CAL

101.DEF

101.LAB

101.PRE

Articles of Association of ASML Holding N.V. (English translation) (Incorporated by reference to Amendment No. 13 to 
the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A, filed with the SEC on February 8, 2013)

Description of Securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act 2

Agreement between ASM Lithography B.V. and Carl Zeiss, dated March 17, 2000 (Incorporated by reference to the 
Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000) 1

Agreement between ASML Holding N.V. and Carl Zeiss SMT AG, dated October 24, 2003 (Incorporated by reference to 
the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2003) 1

Form of Indemnity Agreement between ASML Holding N.V. and members of its Board of Management (Incorporated by 
reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2003)
Form of Indemnity Agreement between ASML Holding N.V. and members of its Supervisory Board (Incorporated by 
reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2003)
Form of Employment Agreement for members of the Board of Management (Incorporated by reference to the 
Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003)
Nikon-ASML Patent Cross-License Agreement, dated December 10, 2004, between ASML Holding N.V. and Nikon 
Corporation (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 
December 31, 2014) 1
ASML/Carl Zeiss Sublicense Agreement, 2004, dated December 10, 2004, between Carl Zeiss SMT AG and ASML 
Holding N.V. (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 
December 31, 2004) 1
ASML Performance Stock Plan for Members of the Board of Management (Version 1) (Incorporated by reference to the 
Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the SEC on July 5, 2007 (file No. 333-144356))

ASML Performance Stock Option Plan for Members of the Board of Management (Version 2) (Incorporated by reference 
to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on July 5, 2007 (file No. 333-144356)) 

ASML Board of Management Umbrella Share Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement 
on Form S-8 filed with the SEC on April 13, 2015 (file No. 333-203390))

Partnership and Joint Venture Agreement, among Carl Zeiss AG, ASML Holding N.V. and Carl Zeiss SMT Holding 
Management GmbH, dated 29 June 2017 (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F 
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017)
Settlement and Cross License Agreement, dated February 18, 2019, among Nikon Corporation, ASML Holding N.V. and 
Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH and, with regards to Sections 3(b) 2.2.1, 3.8, 6.3.3, 6.6, 10.6, 10.8, 10.14 and 10.15, Carl Zeiss 
AG  (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 
2019) 3
List of Main Subsidiaries 2
Certification of CEO and CFO Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 2
Certification of CEO and CFO Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 2
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 2
XBRL Instance Document 2
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document 2
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document 2
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document 2
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document 2
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document  2

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) 2

1.  Certain information omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment filed separately with the SEC.
2.  Filed at the SEC herewith.
3.  Portions of this exhibit have been omitted because they are both (i) not material and (ii) would be competitively harmful if publicly disclosed

ASML is party to 6 debt instruments (senior notes) under which the total amount of securities under each individual debt 
instrument does not exceed 10% of the total assets of ASML and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Pursuant to 
paragraph 2(b) (i) of the instructions to the exhibits to Form 20-F, ASML agrees to furnish a copy of such instruments to the 
SEC upon request. Classes of senior notes registered are:

•  0.625% ASML Holding NV Fixed Rate Senior Notes due 2022 (XS1405774990) at Luxembourg Stock Exchange;
•  3.375% ASML Holding NV Fixed Rate Senior Notes due 2023 (XS0972530561) at Luxembourg Stock Exchange;
•  1.375% ASML Holding NV Fixed Rate Senior Notes due 2026 (XS1405780963) at Luxembourg Stock Exchange;
•  1.625% ASML Holding NV Fixed Rate Senior Notes due 2027 (XS1527556192) at Luxembourg Stock Exchange;
•  0.625% ASML Holding NV Fixed Rate Senior Notes due 2029 (XS2166219720) at Luxembourg Stock Exchange;
•  0.25% ASML Holding NV Fixed Rate Senior Notes due 2030 (XS2010032378) at Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

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ASML ANNUAL REPORT 2020