- Chipmaker ASML has confirmed that all systems have fully recovered following a global IT system outage.
- During the interruption, some employees were temporarily asked to work remotely until the system was back online.
What happened
ASML Holding NV, a global leader in semiconductor equipment manufacturing, confirmed that all systems were fully restored that afternoon following a global IT system outage. This outage affected ASML’s clean rooms, offices, customer support, and supplier communications. Management temporarily instructed certain employees to work from home during the outage until the systems were restored.
An ASML spokesperson reported that the IT issue started on Friday morning and was resolved later in the afternoon. Although the incident temporarily affected ASML’s daily operations, the company quickly took action. As a result, all systems were successfully restored to normal operation. ASML made it clear in a statement: “All systems have been fully restored.” They also announced that they are currently conducting an in-depth investigation into the cause of the disruption to prevent similar situations in the future.
This IT incident follows another technical failure last month. During that incident, ASML accidentally released its quarterly earnings half a day early, which triggered a market reaction affecting ASML and other chip-related stocks.
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Why it is important
ASML is the world’s leading supplier of high-end lithography equipment and is crucial to the semiconductor chip manufacturing industry. Any disruption in its operations could affect global chip production and supply, impacting various industries reliant on these chips. Many large chip manufacturers, such as Samsung Electronics and TSMC, rely on ASML’s equipment to produce high-end chips. Any production delays at ASML could disrupt these customers’ production schedules and affect their product launch timelines. The global IT failure highlights the importance of data security and business continuity planning.
ASML’s return to normal operations indicates the company’s ability to respond to emergencies and ensure business continuity. This incident may prompt ASML and the entire industry to conduct a more in-depth review of IT systems and network security to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.
