Intel becomes first chipmaker to run High-NA EUV in volume on Panther Lake chips

Intel Foundry has become the first chipmaker to enter high-volume manufacturing of a logic product using ASML’s next-generation High-NA EUV lithography, ASML said July 15.

The machines are producing select layers of Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, code-named Panther Lake, at Intel’s site in Hillsboro, Oregon. Those Intel 18A layers are now dual-qualified on High-NA EUV, and yields on the High-NA-patterned layers match those of ASML’s prior-generation NXE platform, the company said.

High-NA EUV is extreme ultraviolet lithography built around a higher 0.55 numerical aperture, which prints finer features in a single exposure. ASML Chief Executive Christophe Fouquet said its introduction “marks a substantial development in semiconductor lithography” because of the increased resolution and better process control.

The milestone is a rare manufacturing lead for Intel, which has trailed rivals on process technology for years. Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president of Intel Foundry, said the result reflects close technical collaboration between the two companies, which first integrated a commercial High-NA system at Hillsboro in 2024.

The claim comes from ASML’s own release and covers only select layers of Panther Lake, not full-chip manufacturing, so it is a narrow beachhead rather than a wholesale switch. Even so, it puts Intel years ahead on the tool: rival TSMC is not expected to adopt High-NA EUV in volume until around 2029.