Musk to speak at chip tool giant ASML event ahead of SpaceX IPO

By Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM, June 11 (Reuters) - Elon Musk is expected to appear virtually at an event by computer chip equipment giant ASML on Thursday to discuss Terafab, his plan for a massive chipmaking plant to supply Tesla and IPO-bound SpaceX.

The pricing of the initial public offering of Musk's SpaceX, potentially the largest ever, is expected later on Thursday.

"Musk will share his vision on AI, robotics, space, and semiconductor manufacturing," an ASML spokesperson said in a statement.

ASML describes its annual one-day technology conference as an "internal event for employees only" and would not specify when Musk will speak. The conference ends around 5 p.m. (1500 GMT).

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet last month confirmed he has had discussions with Musk over Terafab, potentially a large new customer for ASML, Europe's biggest company by market valuation. ASML dominates the market for lithography tools, machines that help "print" the tiny circuitry of chips.

Musk has said SpaceX will cooperate with Intel on the Terafab project, and it will eventually supply chips for SpaceX and for Tesla's Optimus robots.

In March, Musk laid out plans for an initial phase in which a development plant in Texas will make lithography masks - which contain the pattern for chips "printed" by ASML tools - to quickly prototype both logic and memory chips under the same roof.

"Musk and his team are becoming part of the broader semiconductor ecosystem, and many companies, including ASML, will collaborate on this initiative," ASML said.

In a June 6 statement on X, Musk said ASML is "arguably the greatest company in Europe" and it should be "treasured and supported."

(Reporting by Toby SterlingEditing by Tomasz Janowski)