ASML은 TSMC, 삼성, 인텔로부터 대형 포토마스크 채택을 확보하여 최신 High-NA EUV 장비의 처리량을 40% 향상시켰으며, 화웨이는 리소그래피 장비의 국산화를 추진 중이다.

ASML is the world’s sole manufacturer of EUV lithography machines, which are essential for producing the most advanced AI accelerators. After introducing the simpler Low-NA systems in 2019, the company has partnered with customers to deploy the more complex High-NA platforms.

The agreement hinges on a targeted technological shift: the four companies plan to transition photomasks from the current six-inch standard to twelve inches. Photomasks function as stencils that hold a chip’s circuit pattern. During lithography, light passes through the mask onto a silicon wafer coated with photosensitive material, transferring the design so that transistors and circuit paths can be etched. Larger masks enable greater imaging area per exposure. Previously, the six-inch constraint limited individual chip sizes, forcing manufacturers to stack dies vertically and interconnect them through complex packaging—a process that increased both cost and engineering overhead.

While historically viewed as complex and costly, this coordinated initiative could increase High-NA machine throughput by 40 percent and streamline design workflows, according to ASML Chief Technology Officer Marco Pieters, who described it as a major opportunity. TSMC and ASML intend to establish a twelve-inch mask test line by 2031, targeting full production deployment on High-NA equipment by 2033. TSMC previously maintained a cautious stance, contending that productivity gains did not yet offset the elevated expenses. Its recent pivot is significant for ASML, given that TSMC represents approximately 16 percent of the Dutch firm’s revenue. Alongside Samsung and Intel, these three key customers have now aligned behind the initiative. Samsung, a leading memory manufacturer, plans to adopt High-NA systems for memory chip production beginning in 2028, a segment experiencing sharp price increases driven by surging AI data center demand.

Concurrently, Huawei is spearheading efforts to decouple China’s semiconductor supply chain from foreign dependencies and circumvent Western export controls restricting ASML’s technology, the Financial Times reported. The company is funding investments across the entire lithography value chain and facilitating partnerships with leading foundries such as SMIC. China’s immediate focus remains on deep ultraviolet (DUV) rather than cutting-edge EUV lithography. DUV operates at a 193-nanometer wavelength, compared to EUV’s 13.5 nanometers. While the shorter EUV wavelength enables finer structural patterning for the most advanced nodes, DUV remains the industry’s mature, widely deployed standard. Through multi-patterning techniques—where patterns are layered across multiple exposure steps—DUV can still fabricate advanced semiconductors, albeit with higher complexity and cost relative to EUV.

At the core of Huawei’s initiative is Yuliangsheng, a Shanghai-based equipment manufacturer credited with developing China’s first advanced DUV tool, according to the FT. The FT reports that Yuliangsheng was spun out of SiCarrier, an entity it claims maintains close ties to Huawei—a connection Huawei has denied. The equipment is currently undergoing testing at SMIC and within Huawei’s own fabrication lines, initially deployed for less complex semiconductor nodes. Yuliangsheng targets annual production of twelve DUV systems by year-end but continues to lag significantly behind ASML’s capabilities. Bernstein analyst Lin Qingyuan noted that Huawei serves primarily as a project manager in China’s DUV development, emphasizing that a single prototype is insufficient. “You need thousands of suppliers and customers working together, plus a central orchestrating force,” he stated.

The primary bottlenecks persist in projection lenses and light sources. According to the FT, Yuliangsheng relies on Zeiss optics, despite the German firm’s public assertion that it supplies its lenses exclusively to ASML. Industry insiders suggest alternative channels, including the secondary market, may be facilitating access. Simultaneously, Huawei’s venture capital arm, Habo, is investing in domestic alternatives to reduce reliance on foreign components, backing Zeiss competitors such as Fujian Zhiqi Photonics and light-source developer Beijing RSLaser.