TSMC hasn't been shy about saying it doesn't need ASML's bleeding-edge High-NA EUV lithography machines to make its next-generation A16 manufacturing process.
TSMC Senior VP Kevin Zhang spoke at a conference in Amsterdam this week, where he said TSMC's new A16 plants could be designed to accommodate the technology, but it's not certain... remember, TSMC is the world's biggest contract chipmaker, and the largest customer and user of ASML's regular EUV machines.
The future-generation A16 manufacturing process is under development right now, but TSMC wants to hit the market with A16 in the second half of 2026... and the company might not use ASML's new High-NA EUV lithography machines to do it. Zhang said: "I like the technology but I don't like the sticker price. When actually High NA EUV will come in play, I think it depends on where's the optimum economic and the technical balancing we can achieve".
ASML's bleeding-edge Twinscan EXE:5000 High-NA EUV lithography machines cost over 350 million euros (around $378 million USD or so) which is a hefty upgrade in price over the regular EUV machines that ASML makes that start from 200 million euros.
Intel was the first company to assemble ASML's new High-NA EUV lithography machine, and has since placed orders ahead of time for every single High-NA EUV lithography machine that ASML makes this year. Intel has secured them all, leaving the rest of the companies without access to bleeding-edge tools.
