TSMC: ASML's Latest Equipment Too Expensive, Postpones Adoption Until After 2029
TSMC announced it expects to delay using ASML's most advanced lithography equipment for chip production until after 2029 to save costs, potentially dealing a blow to the Dutch equipment manufacturer.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 08:55
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 09:01 (6 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 09:32 (30 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency Taipei 23rd composite foreign dispatch) Bloomberg reports that TSMC, to save costs, expects to delay the adoption of ASML's most advanced lithography equipment for chip production until after 2029. This decision may deal a blow to the Dutch manufacturer.
TSMC's Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Deputy Co-COO Kevin Zhang (Zhang Xiaoqiang) stated that the company currently has no plans to adopt ASML's latest High-NA EUV (High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machines, which cost over 350 million euros (about 13.1 billion NTD) per unit. He also announced that the company's most advanced A13 chips will enter production in 2029.
According to Bloomberg supply chain data, TSMC is ASML's largest customer.
Zhang said: "We can still benefit from our existing EUV equipment." He added that the next-generation High-NA EUV equipment is "very, very expensive."
TSMC's decision may not be good news for ASML. Investors are closely watching the market adoption of High-NA EUV equipment. ASML expects the equipment to enter volume production between 2027 and 2028, striving to achieve a revenue target of up to 60 billion euros by 2030.
ASML's High-NA EUV equipment is an upgrade to existing optical systems, helping wafer manufacturers further shrink transistor sizes and produce more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips. TSMC has procured a very small number of these machines, but they are currently used only for research and development, not for large-scale production. Zhang stated that the company is looking for ways to improve chip performance without needing High-NA EUV machines.
TSMC's Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Deputy Co-COO Kevin Zhang (Zhang Xiaoqiang) stated that the company currently has no plans to adopt ASML's latest High-NA EUV (High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machines, which cost over 350 million euros (about 13.1 billion NTD) per unit. He also announced that the company's most advanced A13 chips will enter production in 2029.
According to Bloomberg supply chain data, TSMC is ASML's largest customer.
Zhang said: "We can still benefit from our existing EUV equipment." He added that the next-generation High-NA EUV equipment is "very, very expensive."
TSMC's decision may not be good news for ASML. Investors are closely watching the market adoption of High-NA EUV equipment. ASML expects the equipment to enter volume production between 2027 and 2028, striving to achieve a revenue target of up to 60 billion euros by 2030.
ASML's High-NA EUV equipment is an upgrade to existing optical systems, helping wafer manufacturers further shrink transistor sizes and produce more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips. TSMC has procured a very small number of these machines, but they are currently used only for research and development, not for large-scale production. Zhang stated that the company is looking for ways to improve chip performance without needing High-NA EUV machines.