TSMC and Samsung Commit to ASML's $400M High NA EUV Machines to Power Next-Gen AI Chips
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TSMC, Samsung commit to ASML's newest chipmaking tools as AI drives demand
* TSMC and Samsung committed to using ASML's High NA EUV lithography machines as demand for more advanced chips used in AI grows. * Samsung plans to use High NA EUV in 2028 for DRAM memory manufacturing, while TSMC expects to adopt the technology in 2030 for advanced chips. * ASML's High NA EUV
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ASML targets 2033 for High-NA EUV with larger masks, promising a 40% productivity gain
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Forward-looking: ASML is working with customers on a larger mask format for its next-generation High-NA EUV lithography tools, a change that could make the systems more useful for the biggest AI and
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TSMC backs ASML's plan for bigger masks so its newest machines can print AI's biggest chips
ASML's most advanced lithography machines cannot print the largest chips the AI industry currently builds. The company now has a plan to change that, and it has brought TSMC in on it. The initiative was reported by Reuters on Tuesday and confirmed the same day in a joint announcement from the two
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Samsung Electronics and ASML Expand Strategic Collaboration for Next-Generation Semiconductor Manufacturing - Samsung Global Newsroom
Samsung Electronics and ASML today announced an expansion of their long-standing strategic partnership, deepening collaboration on High NA EUV lithography and advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies that will help drive the next generation of innovation in the AI era. Building on years
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TSMC and Samsung commit to ASML High NA EUV machines for AI chips
The two chipmakers also joined ASML in a new industry initiative aimed at moving photomasks -- the patterned stencils that transfer circuit designs onto silicon wafers -- from today's 6-inch standard to a larger 12-inch format. The initiative targets establishing a 12-inch mask pilot line by 2031,
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ASML extends chipmaking dominance as customers embrace High NA
Its existing $200 million EUV machines, essential for making advanced AI chips, are all but sold out through 2027, while customers have made a flurry of commitments to adopt its next generation of $400 million High NA tools. As Dutch computer chip equipment maker ASML broke ground on a new plant
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An AI chip machine so pricey, three rivals had to say yes
In mid-August, process engineers at Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNLF) stood on stage in Seoul and said the industry's most advanced chipmaking machine still was not ready for their factories. In the week of Sept. 7, Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) signed up for it anyway. That
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Samsung, ASML expand partnership to introduce next-gen lithography by 2028 - The Korea Times
Chipmaker leads Series C fundraising round of France's Mistral AI Samsung Electronics and semiconductor equipment giant ASML announced Tuesday that they will expand their strategic partnership on High NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, with Samsung planning to introduce the technology into
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Samsung, ASML team up on next-generation semiconductor manufacturing technology - The Korea Times
Samsung Electronics CEO Jun Young-hyun said the AI era is increasing the importance of technological innovation across the semiconductor value chain. Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that it has joined a consortium led by Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML to develop
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ASML extends chipmaking dominance as customers embrace High NA
AMSTERDAM, Sept 14 (Reuters) - As Dutch computer chip equipment maker ASML broke ground on a new plant in Eindhoven last week, CFO Roger Dassen said the AI boom had transformed the mood among customers. Its existing $200 million EUV machines, essential for making advanced AI chips, are all but
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TSMC and Samsung have committed to deploying ASML's High NA extreme ultraviolet lithography machines for advanced chips and DRAM manufacturing starting 2028-2030. The chipmakers joined a new industry initiative to transition from 6-inch to 12-inch photomask technology by 2033, promising 40% productivity gains and enabling production of AI's largest processors.
TSMC and Samsung Commit to High NA EUV Technology
TSMC and Samsung, the world's two largest chipmakers, have committed to using ASML's High NA extreme ultraviolet lithography machines as demand surges for more advanced chips used in AI applications
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. Samsung plans to deploy High NA EUV in 2028 for DRAM manufacturing, while TSMC expects to adopt the technology in 2030 for advanced chips at cutting-edge nodes1
. TSMC stated that use of High NA machines would rise "driven primarily by the increasingly complex transistor architectures required for AI applications"1
. These commitments mark a significant expansion in the deployment of ASML's newest chipmaking tools, which cost approximately $400 million per unit1
.The Technology Behind High NA EUV Machines
ASML's High NA EUV lithography machines represent the next major platform in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, capable of printing smaller and more intricate circuit patterns onto silicon wafers compared to current EUV tools
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. The semiconductor equipment manufacturer's machines use anamorphic optics to resolve finer features, enabling chipmakers to build denser designs at advanced nodes2
. However, this improved resolution comes with a trade-off: High NA systems expose roughly half the area of older generation tools in one pass2
. Intel is already using High NA EUV technology for advanced chip manufacturing, having purchased the systems early and shipped laptop processors made with the technology1
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Source: TechSpot
Industry Initiative for 12-Inch Photomask Technology
TSMC and Samsung have joined ASML in an industry initiative to advance 12-inch photomask technology, upgrading from the current 6-inch format that the semiconductor industry has relied on for decades
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. Photomasks are the patterned stencils used to transfer circuit designs onto silicon wafers during chip production1
. The larger mask format would allow High NA machines to handle chips as large as the biggest data center devices made with existing EUV equipment, including processors measuring up to 800 square millimeters designed by Nvidia and Google2
. ASML plans to show a pilot line using the larger masks in 2031 and have the technology ready for high-volume production by 20332
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.Productivity Gains and Cost Reduction
The transition to 12-inch photomask technology promises substantial improvements in fab productivity and chipmaking costs. Marco Pieters, ASML's Chief Technology Officer, stated: "If we're going to pull it off as an industry, then you'll actually see that the productivity of those systems will go up by 40%"
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. The larger format is expected to remove stitching constraints that currently add complexity and cost to chip production5
. With current High NA systems, a die measuring 800 square millimeters would require stitching together from two exposures through a single exposure process, a technique that costs throughput and introduces seams where yield problems tend to occur2
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. The bigger mask removes the need for stitching, enabling advanced chip manufacturers to fully leverage High NA EUV advantages4
.Related Stories
Samsung's Memory Manufacturing Strategy
Samsung announced it will introduce High NA EUV into future DRAM high-volume manufacturing for the first time in the industry by 2028
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. The company stated that High NA EUV is expected to extend the DRAM scaling roadmap, with improved resolution enabling process simplification and increased efficiency1
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. Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, emphasized: "The AI era is transforming the semiconductor industry and increasing the importance of technological innovation across the entire value chain"4
. SK Hynix is also considering whether to join the consortium working on 12-inch masks, targeting 2028 for High NA EUV processes in mass production of DRAM chips2
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Source: Korea Times
Market Implications and Future Outlook
Investors view the success of High NA EUV machines as critical to ASML's future growth, particularly as the stock seeks to extend a 120% run over the last year
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. Barclays analysts noted in a report that the announcements "should provide more visibility on adoption which has been a key debate," adding that the news is "a positive"1
. ASML has not provided recent forecasts on machine sales but stated it will add about 30% capacity for EUV in total in 20271
. Barclays analysts suggested that "ASML with a significant decision ahead on whether to further expand EUV capacity than the recently expanded targets it has already given. Demand is clearly strong"1
. The coordinated effort requires collaboration across blank suppliers, pellicle makers, mask writers, inspection and repair tools, and every handling system in a fab—representing a decade of coordinated capital spending across competing companies3
. Christophe Fouquet, ASML's President and CEO, stated: "As the industry enters a new era driven by artificial intelligence, close collaboration with our customers becomes even more important"4
.References
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