Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology confirmed that it will add approximately 25,000 square meters of production and associated space at its Oberkochen facility in southern Germany, with staff moving into the first completed building this month, four years after the 2022 groundbreaking. The remaining buildings will be handed over in subsequent phases.

The expansion targets the manufacture of optical columns for ASML’s extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography scanners, which are produced only at Oberkochen and Wetzlar worldwide. ASML’s output is constrained by Zeiss SMT’s production capacity, according to the company’s 2025 annual report, which states that Zeiss SMT supplies all critical optical components under an exclusive arrangement. ASML has indicated it aims to increase Low‑NA EUV output by about 30% in 2027 and is already near full booking for that year, while compressing its scanner build cycle from roughly 22 weeks to 15 or 16 weeks, CFO Roger Dassen said in July.

Purchases from Zeiss SMT and its subsidiaries reached €4.41 billion in 2025, up from €3.95 billion in 2024 and €3.33 billion in 2023. ASML recorded €1.91 billion in loans receivable from Zeiss SMT at the end of 2025, an increase from €1.44 billion a year earlier, and €1.19 billion in advance payments to secure optical column deliveries. Two €1 billion financing facilities signed in September 2021 and September 2024 remain in place, and ASML extended a €444 million loan in July 2025 and a €212.5 million short‑term loan in November. A May 2025 restatement of the framework agreement made the capex loans interest‑free, with repayment scheduled over seven or fifteen years and quarterly installments tied to Zeiss SMT’s revenue.

Zeiss SMT reported €5.055 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended September 30 2025, a 23% rise and the largest segment of the Zeiss Group. The company is also constructing a multifunction factory at Wetzlar, adding 300 square meters of cleanroom space at Rossdorf in the fall of 2024, and opened an innovation center in Korea this month.