At present, the only manufacturer in the world that can manufacture EUV lithography machines is ASML in the Netherlands.
After the chip enters 7nm, it needs to use EUV lithography machine, so in the past few years, TSMC, Samsung, Intel and other manufacturers are trying to buy EUV lithography machines from ASML.
Whoever grabs more EUV lithography machines will have a higher production capacity, so the production capacity of the next orders will be basically stable.
The previous one was of course TSMC, which showed that since ASML produced EUV lithography machines, by the end of 2023, a total of more than 230 EUV lithography machines have been shipped.
Among the more than 230 EUV lithography machines, TSMC alone accounts for more than 50%, and all other manufacturers together are less than 50%, which shows how powerful TSMC is.
However, the situation may have changed in recent days, because ASML's most advanced EUV lithography machine, the Twinscan EXE:5200 for 2nm chip manufacturing, was delivered by ASML to Intel, not TSMC.
The biggest difference between this exe:5200 and the previous exe:5000 is that the numerical aperture is different, from 033NA increased to 055NA, the numerical aperture represents how much light the system can collect and focus, the larger the numerical aperture, the more light is collected, and the higher the resolution. So 055Na numerical aperture lithography machine can be used for 2nm or even 14nm chip lithography.
Previously, the CEO of ASML said that in 0After 55NA, that is, after NXE:5200, ASML may not be able to launch a new generation of EUV lithography machines, and this piece of technology has reached its limit.
This NXE: 5200's ** is about 300 million US dollars, about 21 yuan500 million yuan, the wafer processing speed is 220 pieces of 12-inch wafers per hour, a wafer can be cut, followed by about 500 2nm chips, theoretically a such lithography machine, a year can process hundreds of millions of chips.
ASML handed it over to Intel, not TSMC, some people say that it is likely that TSMC does not need it at present, and Intel needs it more, but I think this reason should not be established, TSMC definitely needs it.
It is very likely that the United States behind Intel is pressuring, after all, the United States now wants to revive the chip manufacturing industry, and Intel is proposing IDM20 plan, if you want to get a piece of the chip foundry, ASML must listen to the United States, who to give and who not to give to, ASML does not count, the United States has the final say.
Intel previously bragged that it would get the 20A process in 2024, that is, 2nm, and TSMC wouldn't get 2nm until 2025, so Intel wanted to take the lead, so it grabbed the first 2nm lithography machine.
Next, TSMC is going to refuel, if it is really preempted by Intel at 2nm, then the global chip foundry pattern may be rewritten.