TSMC To Receive ASML’s High-NA EUV Equipment By The End Of This Year, Costing a Whopping $350 Million
Taiwan giant TSMC will receive the first batch of high-NA EUV lithography equipment from ASML by the end of 2024, marking the transition to next-gen processes.
TSMC Decides To Switch Towards High-NA Equipment Amid Market Competition, Will Likely Utilize It With A14 & Ahead Processes
The utilization of high-NA equipment is now seen as something "premium" for chipmakers, and it looks like the big "three" players in the semiconductor race, Samsung, Intel, and TSMC, are all looking to get their hands on ASML's high-NA equipment. Interestingly, initially, it was said that TSMC doesn't have plans to acquire ASML's high-NA technology, mainly due to the high costs associated with integrating the equipment and accommodating the machines in TSMC's Taiwan facilities. But, a previous report disclosed that TSMC's high-NA plans are right on track, as it is eager to maintain balance in the industry.
Related Story Samsung To Acquire Its First High-NA EUV Lithography Machinery By Next Quarter, Commercial Implementation Expected In Late 2025
Nikkei Asia reports that TSMC's high-NA equipment is expected to be delivered this year, and the Taiwan giant will probably be one of the first firms to access the equipment. It is said that TSMC will receive ASML's Twinscan EXE:5000 High-NA lithography equipment, which has an 8nm resolution and an EUV light wavelength of 13.5nm. The system will enable chipmakers to produce chips 1.7 times smaller, and transistor densities will see a bump up to 2.9 times. ASML says that the Twins can EXE:5000 has the industry's highest productivity, so for the Taiwan giant, getting hands-on high-NA is an absolute winner.
However, an interesting fact to note is that a single piece of this machinery has cost TSMC up to about $350 million each, which is indeed a gigantic amount. This is why it is said that high-NA is currently the "holy grail" of the semiconductor markets. Considering that Intel is planning to acquire five to six units of high-NA EUV machines, Team
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