Despite TSMC's Cost Concerns, ASML Expects First Chips from High NA EUV in Months
Christophe Fouquet, CEO of top semiconductor equipment maker ASML, announced on May 19 that the first products made using its new High-NA (Numerical Aperture) EUV lithography machine are expected within months. This follows comments in April from ASML's largest client, TSMC, that the machine is too expensive. Speaking at a conference in Belgium hosted by imec, Fouquet argued that the new equipment will reduce patterning costs for the most advanced logic and memory chips.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 22:27
- 🔍 Collected: May 19, 2026 at 22:31 (4 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 19, 2026 at 22:56 (24 min after Collected)
(CNA, Antwerp, May 19, Comprehensive Foreign Report) The CEO of the world's top semiconductor production equipment manufacturer, ASML, Christophe Fouquet, said today that he expects the first products manufactured using its new generation High-NA (Numerical Aperture) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine to be released within a few months. Reuters reported that ASML's largest customer, TSMC, had just stated in April that the High-NA EUV exposure tool is too expensive. The machine can cost up to $400 million (approximately NT$12.66 billion) each. However, Fouquet said today at a conference hosted by the microelectronics research center (imec) in Belgium that the High-NA EUV exposure tool will reduce the patterning costs of the most advanced chips, for both logic and memory. He added, "In the next few months, we will see the first few products being exposed (manufactured) on a High-NA system, whether for memory or logic applications."