[News] Intel Completes First 2nd-Gen High-NA EUV Acceptance Testing; ASML Eyes 2027–28 Mass Production

Intel is continuing efforts to advance its foundry business and has reached another milestone with equipment supplied by Dutch lithography toolmaker ASML. According to a recent blog post from the company, Intel and ASML have completed “acceptance testing” on the first second-generation High-NA EUV system, the TWINSCAN EXE:5200B.

As noted by Chinese media outlet IThome, compared with the first-generation EXE:5000—primarily used for early-stage process R&D—the EXE:5200B shows a much stronger orientation toward mass production. According to Intel, the system boosts throughput to 175 wafers per hour and improves overlay accuracy to 0.7nm.

In addition, the company notes that the EXE:5200B offers several advantages, including a higher-power EUV light source, which is expected to enable faster wafer exposure at practical doses, and a new wafer stocker architecture designed to improve throughput consistency, particularly for multipass or multiexposure processes.

ASML CEO Reportedly Sees High-NA EUV Mass Production in 2027–28

The path to mass production for High-NA EUV systems remains a key industry focus. According to Bloomberg, ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet expects high-volume manufacturing to begin in 2027 and 2028, with the company working alongside customers through 2026 to ensure the machines can operate with minimal downtime.

As Bloomberg notes, Fouquet says Intel and other customers are currently testing the new systems, which are expected to enable chips capable of supporting more advanced AI applications. Cited by the report, Fouquet adds that customers are gradually moving toward commercial production, noting that the demonstrated lithography improvements and imaging quality are strong, with excellent resolution, and ASML is now working with customers to finalize the system’s maturity.

Looking further ahead, ASML plans to introduce an even more advanced technology known as Hyper NA sometime next decade, with research on the next step already underway, Bloomberg notes, citing Fouquet.

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(Photo credit: ASML)