High-NA EUV Moves From Experiment to Manufacturing

High-NA EUV Moves From Experiment to Manufacturing
by Daniel Nenni on 09-07-2026 at 11:00 pm

HNA EUV Moves into Manufacturing

Intel Foundry and ASML say high-numerical-aperture extreme-ultraviolet lithography has crossed an important boundary: it is no longer only a development tool, but a production technology. At the SPIE Photomask Technology and Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography conference, the companies reported that Intel has processed … Read More


ASML and TSMC’s 12-Inch Photomask Initiative: Technical Significance

ASML and TSMC’s 12-Inch Photomask Initiative: Technical Significance
by Daniel Nenni on 09-07-2026 at 11:00 pm

ASML and TSMC’s 12 Inch Photomask Initiative

ASML and TSMC’s proposed shift from 6-inch to 12-inch photomasks is an attempt to redesign a critical but often overlooked part of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Photomasks are precision plates carrying the circuit patterns projected by a lithography scanner onto a silicon wafer. In extreme-ultraviolet lithography,… Read More


Huawei Can’t Shrink Its Chips, So It’s Folding Them

Huawei Can’t Shrink Its Chips, So It’s Folding Them
by Daniel Nenni on 08-27-2026 at 8:00 am

Huawei Can’t Shrink Its Chips, So It’s Folding Them

On May 25, Huawei semiconductor chief He Tingbo unveiled LogicFolding, an architecture intended to advance chip performance without relying on ever-smaller transistors. Presented alongside Huawei’s “Tau Scaling Law,” the approach prioritizes signal speed over transistor dimensions. It is a genuine engineering response… Read More


Podcast EP360: IDA Ireland’s Role to Expand Ireland’s Footprint Across the Semiconductor Ecosystem with Anne-Marie Tierney

Podcast EP360: IDA Ireland’s Role to Expand Ireland’s Footprint Across the Semiconductor Ecosystem with Anne-Marie Tierney
by Daniel Nenni on 08-14-2026 at 2:00 pm

Daniel is joined by Anne-Marie Tierney, Divisional Manager at IDA Ireland. Anne-Marie has 24 years’ experience in the global investment environment with IDA Ireland, working across several key roles in Ireland and abroad, positioning Ireland for high impact investments, with a specific interest in semiconductors. Prior … Read More


ASML’s Path to Lithography Dominance—and the Coming Maskless Revolution

ASML’s Path to Lithography Dominance—and the Coming Maskless Revolution
by Daniel Nenni on 08-14-2026 at 6:00 am

ASML’s Path to Lithography Dominance—and the Coming Maskless Revolution

ASML’s dominance was not born from a single invention. It emerged from four decades of systems engineering, supplier orchestration, and repeated bets on lithographic transitions that competitors judged too expensive. Founded in 1984 as a Philips–ASM joint venture, the Dutch company first differentiated itself with modular… Read More


ASML High-NA EUV is Not Ready for High-Volume Production

ASML High-NA EUV is Not Ready for High-Volume Production
by Daniel Nenni on 05-22-2026 at 8:00 am

ASML Elephant High NA EUV

Contrary to the popular press, ASML High-NA EUV is not ready for logic production yet—and it may never be, at least not in the form originally envisioned. If you remember how long it took conventional EUV to become production-worthy—arguably 5–10 years—this should not come as a surprise. More importantly, this is no longer just… Read More


Beyond Moore’s Law: High NA EUV Lithography Redefines Advanced Chip Manufacturing

Beyond Moore’s Law: High NA EUV Lithography Redefines Advanced Chip Manufacturing
by Daniel Nenni on 03-23-2026 at 8:00 am

DSC00975

The imec installation of the ASML EXE:5200 High Numerical Aperture (High NA) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system at imec represents a pivotal advancement in semiconductor manufacturing and research. This system, installed in imec’s 300 mm cleanroom in Leuven, Belgium, introduces unprecedented lithographic resolution… Read More


CEO Interview with Jerome Paye of TAU Systems

CEO Interview with Jerome Paye of TAU Systems
by Daniel Nenni on 03-08-2026 at 2:00 pm

Jerome Paye CEO TAU Systems LR (1)

Jerome Paye has served as CEO of TAU Systems since late 2025, having joined the company shortly after its founding in 2022 as Chief Operating Officer. In that time, he has helped build TAU Systems into a high-performing team now focused on delivering the ultimate light source for semiconductor lithography.

Paye brings more than… Read More


Selling the Forges of the Future: U.S. Report Exposes China’s Reliance on Western Chip Tools

Selling the Forges of the Future: U.S. Report Exposes China’s Reliance on Western Chip Tools
by Daniel Nenni on 10-12-2025 at 10:00 am

Employees are seen working on the final assembly of ASML's TWINSCAN NXE:3400B semiconductor lithography tool with its panels removed, in Veldhoven

The U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a bombshell report titled “Selling the Forges of the Future” on October 7, 2025, detailing how the People’s Republic of China is stockpiling semiconductor manufacturing equipment… Read More


SEMICON West AZ- Congress & China- Memory Madness- AI Semiconductor Tsunami

SEMICON West AZ- Congress & China- Memory Madness- AI Semiconductor Tsunami
by Robert Maire on 10-12-2025 at 8:00 am

Semicon West Phoenix 2025

– First SEMICON in Arizona was great- should make it permanent
– Congress finally wakes up to China issues long after cows are gone
– Memory cycle in support of AI could be huge but scary at same time
– AI demand seems bottomless- but may distort chip industry dynamics

Phoenix SEMICON was wonderful!

The crowds… Read More