What if we told you that the shortage of chips could continue in the future because it depends on a single element? A few weeks ago we told you about the future plans of the creators of the x86 ISA, but the truth is that the dependence on Intel and ASML is total and the latter has just poured a bucket of ice water on his partner and his plans for the future. What happened?
The future of semiconductor devices is uncertain and there is enormous uncertainty regarding the development and subsequent use of new manufacturing processes. Above all, not only because of its costs, but also because of the need for specialized tools. And it’s that if we see that the chair game is increasing and with each new node a manufacturer is falling, but things are worse in terms of EUV equipment where ASML has a de facto monopoly.
Therefore, the Dutch are one of the most reliable sources to talk about the future of the industry, since their customers are the big foundries and this allows them to have a complete vision of the future of the industry. . The reason? The machines they sell now will be used to bring you the latest processors and memory in a few years, so Intel, TSMC, and Samsung rely entirely on ASML right now.
Production of ASML’s EUV machines for Intel will be limited
We don’t say it, but it comes from the hand of ASML itself who said that the shortage of chipz will last longer than expected. We refer specifically to those that will be crafted with the new crafting nodes. And let’s not forget that the war in Ukraine has seriously affected the supply of noble gases essential for the manufacture of chips. What led to the production of machines for future nodes was affected.
On the other hand, Intel and ASML have reached a key agreement in which the Dutch would provide the machines necessary for the expansion plans that Pat Gelsinger is carrying out to transform the company co-founded by Gordon Moore into the largest chip factory in the world. . This includes not only new factories in the United States, but also recently announced factories in Europe.
Intel is interested in new EUV lithography machines based on its 0.55 NA technology. Which have a production capacity of up to 200 wafers per hour, which are used to create the chips under their 20A or 2 nanometer node, which will enter production, at the earliest in 2024. That is why, faced with the problems of the production ASML, Pat Gelsinger’s decision was to send engineers who allow him to break out of the production bottleneck in which his technology partner finds himself and thus gain advantages over TSMC.
