The $400 million machine powering the future of chipmaking

# The $400 Million Machine That Could Change Everything About Computers A Dutch company has built an enormous, incredibly precise machine that's crucial for manufacturing the tiny chips inside computers and phones—and it's become so important that countries are competing to get their hands on it. The machine, which costs $400 million and is about the size of a double-decker bus, represents a major bottleneck in global tech supply chains, meaning whoever controls this technology has significant power over the entire semiconductor industry. Understanding this machine matters because it directly affects everything from smartphone availability to national security concerns around tech independence.
Jos Benschop is climbing a ladder to get to the top of his newest machine. It’s a bit of a schlep. The contraption is the size of a double-decker bus—more than 150 tons of gleaming precision-milled aluminum covered in thousands of snaking tubes, colored cables, and pressurized tanks. From the groun
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