TSMC’s A16 process to run without ASML's next

TSMC will not utilize ASML’s most advanced High NA EUV (high numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet) lithography machine for its latest A16 (1.6nm) process, a move that contrasts with that of Intel, which recently announced the assembly of the industry’s first commercial High NA EUV machine. Intel has secured all of ASML’s High NA EUV machine capacity for this year, sources said. The Taiwanese chip manufacturer is expected to use its current EUV equipment for several more years, as the price of High NA EUV equipment exceeds 300 million euros, according to TSMC’s vice president of business development Zhang Xiaoqiang. Zhang claimed that TSMC’s existing EUV machines can support its chip production until the end of 2026, at which time the A16 process technology is expected to be mass produced. [Icsmart, in Chinese]