Intel has become the first company to ship high-volume logic chips made with ASML's High NA EUV technology [1]. The company is using High NA EUV to pattern selected Intel 18A layers, with products already shipping to customers at yields matched to those achieved on ASML's existing NXE EUV platform [2]. This milestone marks a significant step forward in the development of extreme ultraviolet lithography, enabling the creation of more powerful chips with ever-smaller transistors [3]. The High NA EUV technology is an important next step in EUV lithography, developed by ASML to enable more precise patterning for advanced chip manufacturing [4].
Intel's decision to use High NA EUV for a subset of its Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, code-named Panther Lake, demonstrates the company's commitment to delivering high-performance products [5]. However, the use of High NA EUV also raises questions about the economics of the technology, with some analysts arguing that the cost of the technology may not be justified by the benefits it provides [6]. Despite these concerns, Intel's move to High NA EUV is seen as a significant step forward in the development of EUV lithography, and is expected to have a major impact on the semiconductor industry [7].
Sources
- https://morethanmoore.substack.com/p/intel-starts-shipping-high-na-euv
- https://www.asml.com/en/news/press-releases/2026/high-na-euv-reaches-new-readiness-milestone
- https://newsroom.intel.com/press-kit/intel-high-na-euv
- https://www.asml.com/en/news/press-releases/2026/high-na-euv-reaches-new-readiness-milestone
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/intel-becomes-the-first-company-to-ship-high-volume-logic-chips-made-with-asmls-high-na-euv-select-panther-lake-layers-on-18a-are-now-dual-qualified-for-0-55-na-scanners
- https://newsletter.semianalysis.com/p/spie2025
- https://research.ibm.com/publications/accelerating-high-na-euv-lithography-insertion-for-interconnect-scaling-and-beyond-performance-cost-and-future-prospects
