ASML Ships First Parts of New High-End Machine to Intel US Plant

(Bloomberg) -- ASML Holding said it started shipping major parts of the first of its newest chipmaking machine to Intel.

The state-of-the-art system, called high-NA extreme ultraviolet, was shipped to Intel’s D1X factory in Oregon, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Intel and ASML spokespeople didn’t comment on the destination of the system.

The technology has huge significance for both companies, which are among the most important in the semiconductor business. Intel Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger promised his company would get the first of this new type of machine, showing his commitment to returning to the forefront of manufacturing technology. ASML, for its part, is rolling out the new technique with the goal of keeping the chip industry dependent on its gear.  

Intel plans to begin production with the system in 2025, ASML said in a statement last year. D1X is a facility where Intel develops and perfects its future production techniques. 

ASML is the world’s top maker of lithography systems, machines that perform a crucial step in the process of creating semiconductors. It is the only producer of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines used by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics, and Intel for the most advanced fabrication.

“We’re excited and proud to ship our first high NA EUV system to Intel,” ASML said Thursday in a post on the social media outlet X.

The first model of ASML’s high-NA extreme ultraviolet lithography machine, which is called Twinscan EXE:5200, is set to be priced at around €250 million ($275 million), Oddo BHF analysts said in a note earlier this month. 

The second generation of the high-NA EUV machine, dubbed EXE:5200B, will have higher productivity and a price tag of more than €350 million, the analysts said after a meeting with the company.

ASML charges about $180 million for its current top-end machines.