Intel already has 12 EUV lithography machines, worth 1 billion each

Compared with TSMC and Samsung, Intel followed up on EUV lithography machines relatively late, but it is going to catch up this year. Some analysts say that Intel already has 10 to 12 EUV lithography machines, and next year's 14th generation Core will be the first to launch Intel 4 EUV process.

The EUV lithography machine is the most advanced and complex equipment in current semiconductor production, priced at approximately $1 billion per unit. Only the Dutch company ASML can produce it. Although its only customers are Intel, TSMC, and Samsung, it is still in short supply. Last year, 55 units were produced, and the production capacity is expected to increase to 90 units per year in 2025.

Despite its high price, EUV lithography machines can not only manufacture advanced process chips, but also reduce process steps and reduce complexity, which means lower chip costs and greater production capacity. It is extremely important in process production after 5nm.

The current Intel 10 and Intel 7 processes do not use EUV lithography machines. Intel will launch the EUV process on the Intel 4 process. The first processor will be the 14th generation Core Meteor Lake, which will be launched in 2023. It is also Intel's first desktop processor to use 3D packaging.

The progress of the 14th generation Core depends on the progress of Intel's EUV process. It is reported that Intel currently has about 10-12 EUV lithography machines, which are now mainly located in the D1X wafer factory and R&D center in Oregon. This is also Intel's earliest factory to mass-produce Intel 4 EUV process. Later is the wafer factory in Ireland, which will also mass-produce Intel 4 process.

Although 12 EUV lithography machines may not sound like a large number, their actual production capacity is not small. The number of wafers processed by an EUV lithography machine per hour is around 160-220, or an average of 200. If we calculate it as 24 hours a day for a year, that means 1.7 million wafers can be processed, which is enough to produce tens of millions of chips. The total number of more than 10 machines is enough for Intel to produce future processors.