Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) have announced plans to adopt ASML's latest high-NA EUV lithography machines, joining Intel in backing a change to chipmaking standards that could boost the new machines' productivity by 40%. The move signals the semiconductor industry's broader shift towards this technology, which can cost up to $400 million per machine and is supplied solely by the Dutch firm ASML, allowing manufacturers to etch smaller, more efficient circuitry into chips destined for AI data centres and consumer devices.

Samsung plans to use the machines for memory chip production by 2028, while TSMC aims to apply the technology to advanced chips for clients including AMD, Apple, Nvidia and Qualcomm from 2030; Intel has already begun high-volume use in its Panther Lake processors since July 2026. The productivity boost hinges on switching the industry's photomask standard from 6-inch to 12-inch stencils, a change Samsung and TSMC are now pursuing alongside Intel and ASML, with SK Hynix reportedly considering joining too. The push comes amid a global memory chip shortage driven by AI data centre construction, and against a backdrop of US-China tensions over access to ASML's technology, from which Chinese firms remain largely restricted.