Samsung, TSMC adopt ASML's High NA EUV tools and 12-inch photomask technology

Samsung said in a press release that the partnership aims to advance 12-inch photomask technology, replacing the 6-inch photomask format widely used for decades. The larger format is expected to improve fabrication productivity and lower chipmaking costs amid surging demand for AI chips, the company said.

Samsung plans to use High NA EUV for high-volume manufacturing of DRAM by 2028, a first in the industry. High NA EUV, which can print smaller and more intricate circuit patterns, is expected to extend the DRAM scaling roadmap through improved resolution, simplified processes and higher manufacturing efficiency, Samsung said.

"The AI era is transforming the semiconductor industry and increasing the importance of technological innovation across the entire value chain," Samsung Electronics CEO Jun Young-hyun said. "By further strengthening our collaboration with ASML, we are helping lay the foundation for the next generation of AI and semiconductor innovation."

TSMC said it will use ASML's machines for advanced chips and expects its adoption of High NA EUV to rise, "driven primarily by the increasingly complex transistor architectures required for AI applications," according to CNBC. The machines cost around $400 million each.

Samsung and TSMC join Intel as customers for the High NA EUV tools. ASML said in July that Intel was using the technology for advanced chip manufacturing.

Barclays analysts, cited by CNBC, said in a Tuesday note that the announcements "should provide more visibility on adoption which has been a key debate" and are "a positive." The bank said ASML faces a decision on whether to further expand EUV capacity beyond the increased targets it has already given, adding that "demand is clearly strong." Shares of Amsterdam-listed ASML were flat-to-lower in early Tuesday trading, CNBC reported.