ASML's $400 Million Machine: EUV Lithography Explainer

The brief: A long-form explainer for What Actually Is on why a single Dutch company, ASML, is the only supplier of the EUV lithography machines that every advanced chip depends on, and why even TSMC calls them too expensive.

What I did:

• Chose the angle and built the research brief: EUV physics, the supplier network behind each machine, export controls and the cost curve
• Researched and fact-checked every claim against primary and industry sources
• Directed the script structure for retention (hook, open loops, re-hooks)
• Produced the full video: AI voiceover, 274 custom scene visuals, editing and YouTube packaging

The result: A 13.5-minute explainer where the average viewer watches around 43% of the runtime, strong retention for long-form technical content.