Intel deploys High-NA EUV lithography in volume production with Core Ultra Series 3 Panther Lake
The Commercial Breakthrough
Intel has entered high-volume manufacturing using ASML's High NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology for a subset of its Intel Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" processors, becoming the first company to ship high-volume logic products manufactured with the technology. ASML announced the milestone in an official press release on Wednesday, July 15, confirming that Intel Foundry is running the qualified High NA layers on its Intel 18A process node in Oregon. This marks the first time High NA EUV has been used to produce and ship a high-volume commercial logic product, moving the technology from R&D into full commercial deployment.
According to ASML, Intel is using High NA EUV to pattern selected Intel 18A layers, with products already shipping to customers at yields matched to those achieved on ASML's existing NXE EUV platform. These layers are dual-qualified, meaning the same layer can be exposed on either an existing 0.33 NA NXE scanner or a 0.55 NA EXE scanner, with the resulting wafers being interchangeable. Intel and ASML have been working toward this milestone for several years. In 2024, Intel completed installation of one of the industry's first commercial High NA EUV lithography systems, the TWINSCAN EXE:5000, at its Hillsboro, Oregon, research and development facility. The company later became the first to qualify ASML's second-generation TWINSCAN EXE:5200B, which increases wafer throughput and overlay accuracy while incorporating an improved EUV light source over its predecessor. The system, which carries a price tag exceeding $350 million per unit, represents a major advancement in lithography since the introduction of EUV in 2019.
How High-NA EUV Works
High NA EUV has long been viewed as the successor to today's EUV lithography, promising to extend semiconductor scaling by enabling manufacturers to print smaller, denser circuit patterns that are becoming difficult to achieve with existing tools. The technology builds on the same 13.5-nanometer extreme ultraviolet light used by today's scanners but increases the optical system's numerical aperture (NA) — how much light a lens system can collect and focus onto a silicon wafer — from 0.33 to 0.55. The higher numerical aperture resolves finer features in a single exposure, allowing chipmakers to print smaller patterns with greater precision and process control. This increased resolution is expected to reduce reliance on complex multi-patterning techniques for some of the industry's most demanding layers, thereby simplifying manufacturing and improving feature fidelity. In the long term, these capabilities are expected to support higher transistor densities and improved performance in future processors, particularly as AI workloads continue driving demand for increasingly advanced semiconductor technologies. The transition from 0.33 NA to 0.55 NA effectively halves the minimum printable feature size, delivering a substantial boost to scaling without requiring a full process node migration.
"With increased resolution and better process control, the introduction of High NA EUV marks a substantial development in semiconductor lithography," said ASML President and CEO Christophe Fouquet. "We are proud to play a role in enabling the smaller, denser patterning that will accelerate advancements in AI and other emerging technologies."
Manufacturing and Market Impact
While the announcement represents High NA EUV's commercial debut, it does not mean Panther Lake is manufactured entirely using the new lithography platform. Instead, Intel has qualified High NA for selected layers, an approach that mirrors how new lithography generations are typically introduced into advanced semiconductor production before broader adoption across future nodes. Intel Foundry Executive Vice President and General Manager Naga Chandrasekaran said that qualifying the High NA process option on selected Intel 18A product layers enables the company's existing tool fleet to deliver higher manufacturing output while providing flexibility for future process technologies.
Panther Lake itself is not a future product. Intel launched Core Ultra Series 3 at CES on January 5, 2026, opened preorders the following day, and put systems on shelves globally from January 27. The Core Ultra X9 378H followed in April alongside the value-tier Core Series 3, code-named Wildcat Lake, and the handheld-focused Arc G3 parts arrived on May 28. The announcement's statement that the product is shipping to customers refers to wafer flow from the fab into the supply chain, rather than to a product launch. ASML says the two companies will continue working on High NA readiness, with the flexibility to incorporate the technology into future nodes based on customer needs — most immediately, Intel 14A, which Intel has designed to use High NA on a set of its tightest-pitch layers. Industry analysts note that Intel's early-mover advantage with High NA EUV could pressure TSMC and Samsung Foundry to accelerate their own High NA adoption timelines, particularly as AI chip demand pushes foundries to squeeze more transistors onto each wafer.
Industry Context and Competitive Overview
The semiconductor industry has awaited High NA EUV since ASML first demonstrated the technology in 2019. Intel's deployment leapfrogs TSMC, which has said it will begin High NA EUV volume production in 2027, and Samsung Foundry, which trails even further behind. Intel's 18A process node, which combines High NA EUV with advanced transistor architectures, positions the company to challenge the foundry dominance that TSMC has maintained for nearly two decades. The 18A process node features both n-type and p-type field-effect transistors built on the same pedestal, a design departure from the separate nanosheet approaches used by competitors. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has staked his reputation on the company's foundry strategy, targeting $10 billion in foundry revenue by 2030 and positioning Intel as a direct competitor to TSMC in advanced logic manufacturing.
Implications for Semiconductor Roadmapping
High NA EUV's introduction comes at a critical inflection point in semiconductor roadmapping. The industry has hit a wall with conventional scaling, as transistor density improvements have slowed without new lithography tools. High NA EUV extends the useful life of the EUV platform by enabling density improvements of up to 2x compared to conventional 0.33 NA EUV. This delay postpones the need for entirely new lithography approaches such as laser-produced plasma at shorter wavelengths or waveguide-based optical systems. Market research firm Omdia estimates that High NA EUV will account for roughly 15% of total EUV system spending by 2028, growing to over 40% by 2030 as more foundries qualify the technology for production use. The technology's ability to reduce multi-patterning requirements also promises lower manufacturing costs per transistor, though the high system price means capital expenditure per fab will increase in the near term.
Future Outlook
Intel says it plans to expand High NA EUV usage across additional layers in future generations, with the technology becoming integral to the company's 14A process node and beyond. The flexibility to select which layers qualify for High NA exposure — rather than requiring a full flow transition — allows Intel to balance performance gains against production risk and cost. As AI workloads continue to grow at double-digit annual rates, the demand for more dense, more efficient chips will only intensify, making High NA EUV a critical enabler of the next generation of semiconductor innovation. Competitors will likely follow Intel's lead, with TSMC expected to qualify High NA for its N2 and N3 nodes in the 2027-2028 timeframe, and Samsung Foundry targeting High NA readiness for its 2nm-class processes shortly thereafter.
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Etiido Uko is a news contributor for Tom's Hardware covering the latest updates in big tech and the PC industry. He is a mechanical engineer and senior technical writer with over nine years of experience in documentation and reporting. He is deeply passionate about all things engineering and technology, and is an expert in gadgets, manufacturing, robotics, automotive, and aerospace.
ASML announces High-NA EUV milestone
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Keywords: semiconductor, High-NA-EUV, Intel, Panther Lake, ASML, lithography, chip manufacturing, 18A process, semiconductor scaling
creator: Tech Desk