ASML and TSMC have launched an industry-wide push to move to 12-inch photomasks, arguing the larger format would cut costs and remove production constraints tied to the firms' new high-NA EUV lithography systems. Intel Foundry and Samsung Electronics have also backed the initiative, which matters because it sets a coordinated roadmap for an industry transition that individual chipmakers would struggle to drive alone, given ASML's position as the sole commercial supplier of EUV equipment.

The scheme targets a 12-inch mask pilot line by 2031, with supporting lithography systems ready for advanced-node production by 2033. High-NA EUV currently uses anamorphic optics to keep working with existing 6-inch masks, but this halves the exposure field, forcing large chip designs to be "stitched" together from two exposures, adding complexity. TSMC plans to adopt high-NA EUV in high-volume manufacturing from 2030, Samsung aims to be first to use it for DRAM by 2028, and Intel Foundry is focused on near-term enablement on 6-inch masks while transitioning to the larger format.