ASML launches High NA EUV lithography equipment and plans to mass produce it by 2026. ASML announced yesterday (6th) that all EUV customers are placing orders during the research and development phase. The legal representative is optimistic that the new equipment will be shipped in the future, and with the advancement of advanced processes, ASML concept stocks Gudeng Topco Scientific、HOLLEY、 Hongkang and others are expected to benefit.
ASML's major client TSMC has taken the lead in introducing extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) equipment into 7-nanometer mass production. However, TSMC's senior vice president of business development and deputy co operating director, Zhang Xiaoqiang, publicly stated this year that he "likes the ability of High NA EUV, but does not like the price tag". TSMC plans to purchase high numerical aperture EUV this year, but it is mainly for research and development purposes and has not yet been introduced into production. The industry estimates that the price of high numerical aperture EUV will exceed 400 million euros (approximately 14.1 billion New Taiwan dollars), which is a considerable price.
ASML plans to ship at least 5-6 units of high numerical aperture EUV this year. Intel announced in April this year to purchase the first high numerical aperture EUV and assemble it, which is expected to be put into use in 2027 for the 14A process. TSMC has confirmed to purchase at least one unit this year, SK Hynix plans to import it next year, and Samsung originally planned to acquire it next year, hoping that the R&D department can buy it by the end of this year.
Greet Storms, Vice President of Product Management at High NA EUV, cleverly responded to the issue of "high prices" yesterday by saying "I believe customers are good at bargaining". She stated that ASML continues to develop new technologies, and every EUV customer is interested in high numerical aperture EUV during the research and development stage, and has already placed orders. We hope to promote mass production in 2026, but it still depends on overall considerations such as customer process costs.
It is reported that high numerical aperture EUV has been gradually shipped since the end of last year, and it is expected to expose more than 185 wafers per hour, supporting mass production of logic chips below 2 nanometers and storage chips with similar transistor densities.
ASML emphasizes that introducing high numerical aperture EUV products into advanced process chip manufacturing can simplify the manufacturing process, reduce the number of photomasks, improve production capacity and yield, and reduce energy consumption per wafer. It is estimated that the introduction of EUV and high numerical aperture EUV in advanced processes will save 200 kWh of electricity for the entire process by producing 100 kWh of electricity per wafer in 2029. According to ASML's 2023 annual report, EUV exposure has reduced energy consumption per wafer by nearly 40% from 2018 to 2023, with the aim of further reducing energy consumption by 30-35% by 2025.
