The 2nm lithography machine was handed over to Intel, worth $11.3 million, and ASML was not undertaken by TSMC!
Currently, the only manufacturer in the world capable of producing EUV lithography machines is the Dutch company ASML.
EUV lithography is mandatory for 7nm chips, so in recent years TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and other manufacturers have been looking for ways to get EUV lithography from ASML.
Whoever buys more EUV lithography machines will have a high capacity and the next order will be largely stable.
The first to prevail is, of course, TSMC, with data showing that the total shipment of EUV lithography machines by the end of 2023 is just over 230 units since ASML began producing EUV lithography machines.
Among the more than 230 manufacturers, TSMC undertakes more than 50% of EUV lithography tasks, while the other manufacturers combined have less than 50%, which shows TSMC's strength.
However, the situation may have changed some time ago, and ASML's state-of-the-art EUV lithography machine, Twinscan EXE:5200, for the manufacture of 2nm chips, has been delivered to Intel by ASML instead of TSMC.
The biggest difference between this exe:5200 and the previous exe:5000 is the difference in the numerical aperture, which is from 033na increased to 055na。The numerical aperture represents the amount of light that can be collected and focused by the system, and the larger the numerical aperture, the more light is collected and the higher the resolution. Therefore, the numerical aperture is 0A lithography machine of 55na can be used in 2 nanometers or even 1Lithography of 4-nanometer chips.
The CEO of ASML has previously said that in 0After 55NA or NXE:5200, ASML may not be able to introduce the next generation of EUV lithography technology, which has reached its limits.
This NXE:5200** is about 300 million yuan, about 21 yuan500 million yuan, the wafer processing speed is 220 pieces of 12-inch wafers per hour, and a wafer can cut out about 500 2-nanometer chips.
ASML gave it to Intel, not TSMC. Some people say that TSMC may not need it at the moment, and Intel needs it even more, but I don't think this reason is valid, TSMC definitely needs it.
It is very likely that the United States is putting pressure on Intel behind the scenes, after all, the United States now wants to revive the chip manufacturing industry, and Intel has proposed IDM20 plan, they want to get a piece of the pie in the field of chip foundry, ASML has to listen to the United States, to whom not to give, ASML says not to give, the United States will say no.
Intel had previously boasted that it would achieve the 20a process (i.e., 2nm) in 2024, while TSMC won't achieve 2nm until 2025, so Intel wanted to get ahead of the curve and acquired the first 2nm lithography machine.
Next, TSMC should cheer up, and if Intel's 2nm can really be realized ahead of schedule, then the global chip foundry standard may be rewritten.