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ASML gives all 45,000 staff a €20,000 bonus
ASML will grant every employee a €20,000 share award vesting in 2030 as AI demand lifts sales and stretches chipmaking capacity.
Image: TNW
ASML will give all 45,000 employees worldwide a one-time €20,000 ($22,862) share award, the company confirmed on Friday, as demand tied to the AI boom pushes the chip equipment giant to record sales.
The award vests on January 1, 2030, and only employees who remain at the company for the full period will receive it. At about €900 million in total, the payout ranks among the largest single employee awards in European tech history.
The move puts ASML alongside other semiconductor companies sharing windfall profits with staff. Samsung offered average bonuses of $340,000 to chip workers after record profits, while SK Hynix made similar payouts. TSMC has also said it will raise profit-sharing by more than 30% on average this year.
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ASML raised its annual sales forecast for the second time this year on Wednesday to between €43 billion and €45 billion. The company also said it plans to expand production capacity by 30% for 2027, cut EUV machine build time by a third, and noted that it is nearly sold out through 2028.
Why ASML is paying now
The bonus is not just a reward. It is also a retention tool at a time when ASML is restructuring to reduce management layers while still needing to hire and keep the engineers who build some of the semiconductor industry’s most complex machines.
As the only manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, ASML sits at the center of advanced chip production. TSMC, Samsung, and Intel all depend on its equipment.
The wider pressure to share AI profits with workers is growing. In May, South Korea’s deputy PM warned that labor conflicts driven by AI would keep surfacing as “super-large companies” emerge.
For ASML, the 2030 vesting date ties employees to the company through the most aggressive phase of its expansion plans.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via TNW
