ASML arbitrarily modifies Intel's process roadmap

On December 11, multiple foreign media reported that ASML released a process roadmap for Intel for the next 10 years at the recent IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), which shows that Intel will launch 7nm, 5nm, 3nm, 2nm and 1.4nm processes in the future. An ASML spokesperson said that this map was presented by Intel at a lithography conference in September, but Intel said that this map was modified by ASML.

In the pictures released by ASML, it can be clearly seen that Intel will launch a new generation of process every two years in the future, and will launch the 1.4nm process in 2029. However, in the original PPT provided by Intel, the process node numbers for each year were not announced.

Intel clarified that the PPT recently used by ASML changed the slides of Intel at a meeting in September this year, causing misunderstanding.

As a partner of Intel, ASML should have known some of Intel's process route plans. However, ASML arbitrarily changed its partner's PPT and publicly displayed it without permission. How did such an oolong incident come about? It is still unknown.

According to a previous report by Jiwei.com, Intel is not only a customer of ASML, but also a shareholder of ASML. However, after several share reductions, the number of ASML shares currently held by Intel has dropped to less than 3%.

From the two versions of the process roadmaps released by Intel and ASML, it is consistent that Intel will indeed launch a new generation of process every two years, so it can still be seen that Intel is full of confidence in future process research and development.

It is worth mentioning that Intel’s current process node is only 10nm, and both roadmaps show that Intel will not use EUV equipment until 2021. As the only manufacturer of EUV equipment, ASML modified Intel’s process roadmap and displayed it to the outside world. Is it urging Intel to place an order?