This film wasn’t filmed: ASML harnesses generative Artificial Intelligence to make its latest brand film

‘Standing on the shoulders of giants’ was made possible by the very computing power that ASML’s lithography systems help enable

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Announcement - Veldhoven, The Netherlands, January 30, 2024

ASML has produced its latest brand film ‘Standing on the shoulders of giants’ with cutting-edge generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), a technology made possible by the very computing power that ASML’s advanced lithography systems help enable. The film comes at a time when this wave of AI innovation is unlocking potential across a wide range of applications, including healthcare, mobility and manufacturing. This film serves as a proof point of AI’s creative application, bringing ASML’s purpose – “unlocking the potential of people and society by pushing technology to new limits” – to life. The company created the film by using a combination of leading generative AIs throughout the production process, such as Midjourney, Runway and Stable Diffusion.

The film celebrates the global spirit of innovation and the transformative power of computing, made possible by the chip industry. Together with its partners, ASML provides leading patterning solutions that drive the advancement of chips. These advances have spawned new products and transformed entire industries. Generative AI is the latest wave of innovation, changing how we work, live and play.

Thomas Marzano, Head of Brand and Digital at ASML, said: “As an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry, ASML honors the dreams, visions and discoveries of the countless giants of science and technology that came before. We are humbled to stand on their shoulders, feeling the responsibility to look out further. With our employees around the world, and with our partners, suppliers and customers across the chip industry, we are committed to keep powering technology forward with you.”

The film was made with 1,963 natural language prompts that yielded 7,852 images, which were edited and then rendered by more than 900 computers. These renders were then processed with various generative AI techniques with the total film covering 25,957 frames at 1,000 MB per frame. The trickiest scene was Isaac Newton and his apple among the planets. It took the team more than 20 attempts to get Newton’s scene right, producing more than 9,800 frames.

About ASML

ASML is a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry. The company provides chipmakers with hardware, software and services to mass produce the patterns of integrated circuits (microchips). Together with its partners, ASML drives the advancement of more affordable, more powerful, more energy-efficient microchips. ASML enables groundbreaking technology to solve some of humanity's toughest challenges, such as in healthcare, energy use and conservation, mobility and agriculture. ASML is a multinational company headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, with offices across EMEA, the US and Asia. Every day, ASML’s more than 42,400 employees (FTE) challenge the status quo and push technology to new limits. ASML is traded on Euronext Amsterdam and NASDAQ under the symbol ASML. Discover ASML – our products, technology and career opportunities – at www.asml.com.