ASML was able to deliver the first unit of its brand new high-NA EUV scanner shortly before the end of 2023. The lucky one is Intel.

CEO Peter Wennink had promised that his company, ASML, would bring the first example of its latest flagship Twinscan EXE:5000 to market this year, and is fulfilling that promise at the last minute. A photo of ASML employees posing in front of a huge container with a red bow at the factory in Veldhuizen is shared via X. Getting the entire installation to an Intel location in Oregon requires thirteen containers and 250 boxes.

Twinscan EXE:5000 is the first “high-NA” EUV machine to roll off the assembly line at ASML. The description High NA refers to the higher numerical capability of the lens in the scanner, which is 0.55, while most devices have an aperture of 0.33. This should make it possible in the future to develop even smaller chips with a higher density than is possible with current technology.

We may not see concrete results until 2026 or 2027, when ASML wants to produce the machine in large quantities. After that, ASML also wants to build “Hyper-NA” EUV machines.

From pursuer to leader

Intel placed its order in 2018 and therefore had to wait five years for delivery. All major competitors are still waiting patiently. The cost of a Twinscan EXE:5000 is between three hundred and four hundred million dollars.

That’s just paltry compared to what the machine can potentially deliver to Intel. The fact that Intel already has the machine gives the company a significant lead in developing new generation chips. The chip giant plans to release the 18A (1.8 nm) process for mass production in the second half of 2024, and Intel may already start exploring the next steps. While Intel has struggled to meet its own deadlines in recent years, it can finally once again establish itself as a leader in the development of new chip technologies.