Intel Moves ASML High NA EUV Tools into Production

Intel has transitioned ASML's High Numerical Aperture (High NA) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology from prototype testing to commercial production. The company is utilizing these machines on the Intel 18A process node to manufacture a subset of its Core Ultra Series 3 processors, code-named Panther Lake.

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet confirmed during an earnings call that some Intel products currently available for purchase were created using these tools. The transition follows research and development experiments that began in 2024 at Intel's site in Hillsboro, Oregon. Intel is currently applying the High NA tools to specific chip layers to optimize manufacturing implementation and collect system data.

Each High NA system costs approximately $400 million, double the price of standard EUV machines. The integration is a central part of Intel's strategy to reclaim process leadership and a manufacturing edge from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. to better support AI-driven demand. ASML reports that this milestone demonstrates the readiness of High NA EUV in a production environment, enabling the denser patterning required for emerging technologies.