Breakthrough in chip manufacturing? ASML Holding NV ADR (ASML.US) has achieved a major breakthrough in next-generation EUV technology, now suitable for mass production, with costs doubled!

According to reports, a senior executive of the global leader in photolithography machines, ASML, has recently stated that their next generation of chip manufacturing equipment is ready for mass production, which is a major advancement for the chip industry. This Dutch company produces the only commercial extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment in the world, a key component for chip manufacturers. ASML's data shows that this new equipment will help chip manufacturers like TSMC and Intel produce more powerful and efficient chips by eliminating some expensive and complex steps in the chip manufacturing process. ASML's Chief Technology Officer, Marco Pieters, stated on Wednesday that the company plans to announce this data at a technical meeting in San Jose on Thursday, marking a significant milestone. It is reported that ASML spent several years developing these expensive next-generation devices, while chip manufacturers have been trying to determine when it is economically feasible to use these devices for mass production. However, given that the current generation of EUV equipment is nearing technological limits in manufacturing complex AI chips, the next generation of devices (referred to as High Numerical Aperture EUV tools) is crucial for the AI industry. They can improve technologies such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and assist chip manufacturers in meeting the demands of their AI chip development roadmap. It is worth noting that the cost of the new tools is around $400 million, twice the cost of the original EUV machine. According to Pieters, ASML's data shows that the downtime of High Numerical Aperture EUV has been significantly reduced, producing 500,000 silicon wafers the size of dinner plates and being able to create precise patterns that make up chip circuits. Taken together, these three pieces of data indicate that these devices are ready for manufacturers to use. "I believe we are at a critical moment now where the number of learning cycles that have been completed needs to be scrutinized," Pieters said, referring to the number of tests customers have conducted on these machines. Even though these machines are technically mature, companies still need two to three years of testing and development to integrate these technologies into manufacturing. "(Chip manufacturers) have all the necessary knowledge to validate these tools," he added. Pieters also stated that the current uptime of these devices is around 80%, with plans to reach 90% by the end of the year. He pointed out that the imaging data ASML plans to release is convincing enough for customers to use single-step High-NA processes to replace the multiple-step processing of the older generation devices. These devices have processed 500,000 wafers, allowing the company to solve many technical challenges. This article is republished from Cailianshe, GMTEight editor: Chen Wenfang.