Intel orders ASML system for well over $340 million in quest for chipmaking edge

FILE PHOTO: The company logo of Dutch chipmakers ASML is seen on the headquarters in Veldhoven, October 14, 2009. REUTERS/Michael Kooren

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Intel has placed the first order with ASML for a new, advanced chipmaking tool that will cost "significantly" more than $340 million, as semiconductor manufacturers look to get ahead in a booming industry.

Alongside better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, ASML said on Wednesday it had received orders for five of its next- generation lithography machines, plus an order for an even newer model that is still being designed.