AMSTERDAM — Elon Musk dialed into ASML’s annual technology gathering this week for a private discussion with the Dutch firm’s executives and staff, a move that underscores the rocket maker’s deepening reliance on advanced chipmaking infrastructure as it barrels toward a historic stock market listing. CNBC first reported the conversation, which ASML subsequently verified.
The timing is deliberate. SpaceX has filed paperwork for an initial public offering that could pull in $80 billion, a figure that would rewrite the record books. Behind that ambition lies a voracious appetite for semiconductors — one that will only swell as the company integrates Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, and leans on a compute agreement with Anthropic, the outfit behind the Claude model, which will route additional processing muscle through its Colossus 1 data center.
ASML sits at the center of that supply chain. The Veldhoven-based company holds a singular position: it is the sole manufacturer of High NA lithography systems, the cutting-edge machines that etch the tiniest circuitry onto silicon wafers. Every major foundry — TSMC, Intel, Samsung — depends on that equipment to produce the processors that power everything from smartphones to supercomputers. For SpaceX, securing access to that output is no longer optional; it is existential.
Musk has not been shy about his regard for the Dutch giant. In recent public remarks, he described ASML as “arguably the greatest company in Europe” and argued it “should be treasured and supported.” That sentiment now appears to be translating into direct diplomatic outreach. The contents of his conference call remain undisclosed — the session was closed to outsiders — but the mere fact that the SpaceX chief carved out time to address ASML’s workforce signals a strategic courtship.
Industry observers say the courtship is mutual. As SpaceX prepares to trade publicly, its procurement roadmap will face intense scrutiny from analysts and shareholders alike. The ability to lock in steady streams of leading-edge chips will determine whether the company can deliver on its launch cadence, its Starlink constellation expansion, and the AI workloads now folded into its portfolio via the xAI merger.
The coming months will test that supply relationship under a microscope. SpaceX must navigate the regulatory gauntlet of a Nasdaq debut while simultaneously proving it can scale hardware production without interruption. ASML, meanwhile, juggles booming demand from its existing foundry customers and geopolitical pressures that have restricted shipments to certain markets.
For investors watching the IPO unfold, the Musk-ASML dynamic has become a subplot worth tracking. A steady flow of High NA-enabled silicon could be the difference between a smooth ascent and a turbulent one. Both sides know the stakes. The conversation this week was likely just the opening move in a partnership that will shape the next chapter of commercial spaceflight — and the semiconductor industry that fuels it.
