Leading chipmakers are adopting high numerical aperture (high NA) EUV lithography technology, which is supplied only by ASML and can cost $400 million per machine. The technology could enable the production of more powerful and efficient chips with smaller circuit features for AI data centers and smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
ASML’s EUV machines etch circuit patterns layer by layer onto silicon wafers using laser light. In the system, which uses shorter-wavelength and more powerful light than older deep ultraviolet technology, molten tin is converted into plasma at a temperature of approximately 200,000°C; mirrors collect the light and direct it into the bus-sized machine. The new high NA EUV machines use larger mirrors and an improved optical system.
Samsung plans to begin producing memory chips with high NA EUV in 2028. TSMC aims to manufacture the most advanced chips for customers such as AMD, Apple, Nvidia, and Qualcomm starting in 2030. Intel began using the technology in July 2026 for high-volume production of its Panther Lake processors.
Samsung and TSMC are working with Intel and ASML to increase the photomask standard from 6 inches to 12 inches. ASML CTO Marco Pieters said the change could increase productivity by 40%. SK Hynix is also considering joining the consortium and is targeting 2028.
As AI data center investments trigger memory chip shortages and price increases, the technology is also important in the US-China rivalry. Exports of most machines to China are restricted; Zeiss Group projected that China’s development of EUV could take 15 years.
Why it matters
The inclusion of High NA EUV on the production agenda shows that progress in chips depends not only on design expertise but also on an extremely costly and complex manufacturing infrastructure. This brings manufacturers’ efforts to increase capacity and improve efficiency together under the same technology standard, as memory demand and price pressures in AI data centers persist. The 12-inch photomask initiative points to a change that requires not only the machine but also auxiliary components in the manufacturing process to be reconfigured; the 40% efficiency claim provides the economic rationale for this transformation. However, as the timelines for transitioning to production differ among companies, export restrictions and the time required for China to develop its own EUV capacity leave the technology’s global accessibility and the boundaries of chip competition open.