The 2nm lithography machine was successfully delivered! ASML broke the news, and foreign media said that Zhang Zhongmou was heartbroken.
And TSMC, I think everyone should have heard of it, it is the world's top chip foundry company. In the field of advanced chip foundry, TSMC is already the world's largest foundry. The United States revised chip regulations to prohibit TSMC from continuing to supply Huawei, and the status of the international giant has also changed.
Not long ago, after ASML successfully delivered the lithography machine required for the 2 nm process, it suddenly announced that Zhang Zhongmou was heartbroken!
There are reports that many of the world's chip factories will slow down their expansion in 2023 due to overcapacity. In addition, TSMC also announced that it will cut capital expenditures to improve the capacity utilization rate of chip fabs. However, around the world, two companies have defied the trend and started to expand their production capacity. One is SMIC, and the other is Intel, a chip company in the United States.
Among them, SMIC not only did not slow down the pace of expansion, but also stepped up the construction of chip foundries, and purchased a batch of chip equipment from the Netherlands to meet ASML's debugging needs for the new factory. Intel, on the other hand, directly exposes their trump card to the competition of advanced chip foundries like TSMC and Samsung.
Some time ago, the Dutch company ASML successfully delivered the first high-NA EUV lithography machine to Intel in the United States for manufacturing chip products with advanced process technologies such as 2 nm and 1 nm. After ASML offered 2 nm lithography equipment to Intel, there were rumors that TSMC would not be able to get ASML's next-generation lithography equipment.
TSMC is able to dominate the chip foundry without advanced technology. In terms of chip foundry, high-end lithography equipment can effectively fill the gap in chip foundry technology. It is also possible that Intel will bypass TSMC's 7 nm and 5 nm processes and directly manufacture Samsung's most advanced process.
The latest news from ASML.
Some time ago, a Dutch company ASML suddenly released a new report, saying that it will deliver 10 high-NA EUV lithography equipment in 2024, of which 6 will be provided by the American chip manufacturer Intel (Intel), and the remaining 4 will be publicly purchased by TSMC (TSMC) and Samsung (Samsung).
Therefore, even if TSMC purchases 4 sets of high-NA EUV lithography equipment, its production capacity will not exceed Intel's. This, combined with the fact that device lead times are likely to be longer than Intel's, is a disadvantage for TSMC, which is a leader in advanced wafer fabrication technology. This also means that Intel is the first to acquire ASML's next-generation lithography equipment, which will shake TSMC's position in the foundry market.
When Zhang Zhongmou heard the news from Intel, he suddenly sighed in his heart.
Intel CEO Henry Kissinger said that Intel's 18 A process (i.e. 18 nm) will surpass TSMC's (TSMC) 2 nm process. This means that, for the first time, Intel will have the ability to surpass TSMC's high-end chips. On the other hand, TSMC is also facing a technological gap because it did not get the world's first NA EUV lithography machine.
In addition, TSMC has invested in chip manufacturing plants in the United States and shipped equipment and personnel from Taiwan Province to factories in the United States. All of this is to get orders from American companies, but now, the orders have not been obtained, and TSMC's position in the market is also in jeopardy.
To put it simply, TSMC's establishment of a foundry in the United States is actually a trap designed by the Americans. No matter what TSMC does, it is the local chip companies in the United States that will benefit in the end.
No wonder foreign ** said that Zhang Zhongmou was heartbroken. TSMC went to the United States to build a factory, but not only failed to get more chip orders, but also failed to get more advanced semiconductor equipment, and even Intel was in danger of catching up. In this case, TSMC can only take advantage of the opportunities in the mainland market and turn losses into profits. What do you think? Everyone is welcome to participate in the discussion and comment!