According to reports from February 8th by Fast Technology, Intel recently acquired the first new-generation high-NA EUV lithography machine from ASML. However, TSMC has remained unmoved and may only catch up around the 1nm technology era.
Intel plans to employ high-NA EUV lithography machines for nodes beyond Intel 18A, which is beyond 1.8nm, likely around 2026-2027.
According to Intel's previous roadmap, there are three new process nodes scheduled after 18A, but they haven't been specifically named yet.
It's been hinted by Kissinger that one of them is equivalent to 1.5nm technology, expected to be named 15A, and will be mass-produced in Germany.
TSMC has remained tight-lipped about its plans to introduce high-NA EUV lithography machines, with multiple sources suggesting that the company is still evaluating. The current plan is to wait until the 1nm process node, which is expected to be around 2030.
Currently, TSMC is pushing ahead with its 2nm process, with mass production expected between 2025 and 2027. A single chip can integrate over 100 billion transistors, and a single package can exceed 500 billion.
Following that, the company aims for 1.4nm and then 1nm, with the latter scheduled for mass production around 2030. It will integrate over 200 billion transistors on a single chip and over 1 trillion within a single package, doubling the density compared to the N2 process.
Interestingly, Intel also plans to achieve 1 trillion transistors per package by 2030, making for an interesting competition.
