TSMC and Samsung commit to ASML's $400 million AI chipmaking machines

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TSMC and Samsung both committed to adopting ASML's High NA extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, joining Intel as the technology's only customers, as demand grows for the more advanced chips AI workloads require. Samsung plans to use the machines for DRAM memory production starting in 2028, while TSMC expects to deploy the technology for high-volume advanced chip manufacturing beginning in 2030, with each machine priced at roughly 400 million dollars

High NA EUV machines can print smaller, more intricate circuit patterns onto silicon wafers than previous generation tools, a capability TSMC attributed directly to the increasingly complex transistor architectures that AI chips now demand. Samsung said the technology would extend its DRAM scaling roadmap and make the manufacturing process more efficient. Alongside the lithography commitment, all three companies, plus ASML, also agreed to jointly transition the industry from 6-inch to 12-inch photomasks, the stencils used to print circuit patterns, a shift expected to boost scanner productivity and cut chipmaking costs by 2033

ASML remains the world's only manufacturer of EUV lithography machines, and investors see broader adoption of the High NA generation specifically as central to the company's continued growth. Curious what people think this level of coordinated commitment from the industry's biggest chipmakers signals, is AI demand genuinely justifying investment at this scale, or does it reflect a degree of competitive pressure where no major player can afford to fall behind regardless of near-term returns

TSMC, Samsung commit to ASML's newest chipmaking tools as AI drives demandwww.cnbc.com