ASML to acquire Cymer for 2.5 bn

ASML Q3 net 274.7 mln euros,vs forecast of 278 mln euros

ASML,the world8217;s top chip equipment maker,is to buy US group Cymer,a supplier of lithography light sources,for 2.5 billion 1.95 billion euros to speed up the development of a new chip manufacturing technology.

ASML said on Wednesday that Cymer would accelerate the development of extreme ultraviolet EUV semiconductor lithography technology vital to support the semiconductor industry8217;s transition to the next manufacturing technology.

Over the summer,ASML announced a string of deals with its three biggest customers including Intel,Samsung Electronics and TSMC,which will amount to the trio buying a collective 23 percent stake in ASML and bankrolling 1.38 billion euros over five years to speed development of chip-making equipment.

ASML and Cymer,which have collaborated closely for over a year,have fuelled the acquisition as a natural evolution,according to ASML said.

ASML also reported third-quarter net profit of 275 million euros,compared with a forecast for 278 million euros. Sales of 1.23 billion euros were in line with a forecast for 1.2 billion. Fourth-quarter sales should top 1 billion euros,as expected,it said.

It declined to give an outlook for 2013. 1 = 0.7679 euro