Smoothing the Quantum Path: ASML and Xanadu Target Photon Loss

Smoothing the Quantum Path: ASML and Xanadu Target Photon Loss
by Daniel Nenni on 10-20-2026 at 6:00 am

ASML and Xanadu Target Photon Loss

ASML’s decision to collaborate with Xanadu targets one of photonic quantum computing’s most unforgiving engineering constraints: photon loss. The companies will investigate advanced lithography processes for Xanadu’s photonic quantum hardware, focusing on whether tighter patterning control can suppress loss mechanisms… Read More


Hyper-NA EUV: The Next Frontier in Chipmaking Could Arrive in 2036

Hyper-NA EUV: The Next Frontier in Chipmaking Could Arrive in 2036
by Daniel Nenni on 10-10-2026 at 5:00 am

Hyper NA The Next Frontier in Chipmaking and When It Could Arrive

EUV has long been an interesting story. We have written 200+ articles on EUV and they just keep on coming. Thankfully the premier lithography conference is right here in Silicon Valley. SPIE began in 1955 as the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, bringing together engineers using scientific cameras and high-speed… Read More


Why ASML Is Racing to Build 110 EUV Machines

Why ASML Is Racing to Build 110 EUV Machines
by Daniel Nenni on 09-23-2026 at 6:00 am

Why ASML Is Racing to Build 110 EUV Machines

ASML is exploring how to produce more than 110 extreme ultraviolet lithography machines in 2028, reflecting the extraordinary investment flowing into artificial intelligence infrastructure. The Dutch semiconductor-equipment company expects to manufacture at least 80 EUV systems in 2027 and is considering another production… Read More


ASML Has High-NA and Chipmakers Can’t Say No

ASML Has High-NA and Chipmakers Can’t Say No
by Daniel Nenni on 09-17-2026 at 6:00 am

ASML Has High NA and Some Chipmakers Can’t Say No

ASML’s grip on the most advanced corner of chip manufacturing is tightening. The Dutch company, already the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, is winning broader industry support for High Numerical Aperture EUV, or High NA, its next-generation technology for printing smaller and denser circuitry.… Read More


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