ASML Confirms Intel Uses High NA EUV for Mass Production of Core Ultra 3
nashnova research
Intel has used ASML's latest-generation High NA EUV lithography tool to mass-produce consumer processors — the first confirmed use of the technology in commercial chip production, directly countering TSMC's stance that the machine is too expensive for volume manufacturing.
What is High NA EUV, and why has no one dared use it before?
High NA EUV — high numerical aperture extreme-ultraviolet lithography, essentially a bigger "lens" that prints finer, denser circuit patterns — is ASML's newest lithography platform. A single unit costs hundreds of millions of dollars.
TSMC publicly said the machine was too expensive for mass production and chose to delay adoption.
This means → before Intel, the industry consensus was "technically feasible, economically unviable" — no one wanted to bet first.
What did Intel actually do, and why does it matter?
Intel Foundry used High NA EUV at its Oregon fab to mass-produce a portion of Core Ultra Series 3 processors on the Intel 18A process node.
In plain terms = this is not a lab demo or a handful of samples — it is a real production line shipping sellable consumer chips.
Intel was the first company worldwide to install a High NA tool. Its Hillsboro, Oregon R&D center took delivery of the initial unit, then secured the first of the more production-ready follow-on models.
What does this mean for ASML?
TSMC's "too expensive, not adopting" stance effectively poured cold water on ASML's newest product. Intel's production milestone hands ASML a direct rebuttal.
This means → ASML can now knock on other customers' doors with a live case study — "look, volume production works."
Whether High NA EUV gains wider adoption still depends on whether Intel's endorsement truly eases cost concerns across the industry. That question remains open.
What is Intel after?
Intel has steadily lost market share in recent years as its process technology fell behind. It is now actively opening foundry capacity to outside customers to rebuild its manufacturing lead.
This reflects Intel's strategic logic: bet first on the most expensive new tool, then compete for foundry orders by saying "we can mass-produce on it and you can't."
Intel Foundry EVP and GM Naga Chandrasekaran said in the joint statement that the milestone "demonstrates how High NA EUV can be integrated at scale in advanced semiconductor manufacturing."
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