The move is being seen as an attempt to get ahead of its rivals in a booming industry. Intel is trying to win back its position as maker of the smallest and fastest chips from current leader TSMC, had previously identified itself as the first buyer of a High NA machine, ASML's EXE:5000, which is expected to help manufacturers shrink chip sizes later this decade.

ASML confirmed it had now received orders for five of its next generation of lithography machines, plus an order for the even newer model that is still being designed.

ASML's most advanced commercial machines, known as EUV lithography systems because of the "Extreme Ultraviolet" light waves they use to map out the circuitry of computer chips, are the size of a bus and cost around $150 million each.

A cutting-edge chip plant needs nine to18 of them, making them one of chipmakers' biggest capital expenditure costs.

ASML is the only maker of such machines and its EUV customers include the world's biggest chipmakers, TSMC of Taiwan, Samsung and Intel.

ASML said it had now received orders for five of the next iteration of the system, known as "High NA" EUV machines, which will have a different lens system with a higher numerical aperture, will be even larger and cost around $300 million each.

The first prototypes are to be shipped in 2023. They are not expected to be used in volume manufacturing until 2025.