ASML has shown off their new machine that will be used to print a new generation of more powerful chips. Each NA EUV machine is sold at a price of €350 (~RM1.8 billion) with it providing numerical aperture (NA) capability to print circuits on chips that are 1.7x smaller and increase transistor density up to 2.9x.
The earliest customer of this NA EUV machine is Intel with them receiving the first machine at the end of December 2023. Intel reportedly has 10 machines with them and they will start producing chips using it by the end of 2025. The new generation AI chips are definitely among the chips that will be produced using this machine later.
A long period was required before operations could begin because each machine weighed 150,000 kilograms and required 250 engineers 6 months to assemble it. Machines with EUV capability are only manufactured by ASML.
After ASML was barred from exporting machines to China, production of state-of-the-art chips in the country was affected. SMIC for example is believed to be modifying older DUV machines to be able to produce 7nm and 5nm chips for Huawei.