➀ SK hynix and ASML have assembled the industry's first High-NA EUV lithography system (Twinscan NXE:5200B) in South Korea, marking a leap in DRAM production technology;

➁ The 0.55 NA system enables higher resolution (8nm vs. 13nm) and 2.9x transistor density, reducing reliance on multi-patterning for advanced nodes;

➂ Initial R&D use will accelerate prototyping for AI memory, with mass production of High-NA-based DRAM expected post-2030.

➀ ASML accelerates its Brainport Industries Campus expansion in the Netherlands, targeting operational readiness by 2028 instead of 2030.

➁ The new campus spans 357,000 sqm (≈50 football fields) near Eindhoven, with infrastructure upgrades and €1.7B government support.

➂ Expansion aims to meet global demand for EUV machines, though challenges like power grid limits and land acquisition remain.

➀ Ed spreads false rumors to manipulate tech stock prices, including claims about Huawei's low-cost EUV machines, Intel 18A and TSMC A16 yields, and DeepSeek cloning OpenAI products;

➁ He circulates these rumors through brokers and analysts to trigger market volatility, allowing him to profit from stock movements;

➂ Ed considers expanding his manipulation tactics beyond the tech sector, such as spreading rumors about political figures to impact broader markets.

➀ Intel adopts dual strategies for 14A node: High-NA EUV and Low-NA EUV with triple-patterning, both achieving yield parity and design compatibility;

➁ High-NA EUV reduces 40 process steps, lowering costs, but faces challenges in complementary technologies like photomasks and computational lithography;

➂ Intel's backup plan reflects lessons from past 10nm failures, while TSMC remains cautious on High-NA adoption for its A14 node.

➀ The cost model for low-NA and high-NA EUV is analyzed, revealing that high-NA EUV single patterning is more expensive than double-patterning with existing low-NA machines.

➁ Multi-patterning low-NA EUV can achieve finer pitch features than high-NA.

➂ ASML's goal of shipping 20 high-NA EUV tools by 2028 is considered ambitious and challenging due to economic and technological hurdles.

➃ The economic challenges of high-NA are more severe than those of low-NA, despite potentially smaller technical challenges.

➄ The development of high-NA EUV involves compromises, including technical challenges with half-field stitching, depth of focus, and photoresist, as well as cost challenges compared to existing low-NA tools.

➅ Low-NA double patterning is presented as a cost-effective alternative to high-NA EUV.

➀ ASML and imec have signed a new strategic partnership agreement, focusing on research and sustainability.

➁ The agreement aims to deliver valuable solutions in two areas: advancing the semiconductor industry and developing sustainable innovation initiatives.

➂ The collaboration includes ASML's full product portfolio, focusing on high-end nodes and advanced technologies.

➀ ASML's annual revenue reached €28.263 billion in 2024, with China contributing 36.1% of the total.

➁ ASML plans to open a new service center in Beijing, China, to enhance its repair capabilities.

➂ The company expects the semiconductor market to recover, driven by demand for AI-related memory and advanced logic chips.

➀ ASML's EUV lithography technology achieves extremely high precision, requiring massive resources and a total cost of $2.5 billion. The key technology includes emitting a laser to a tin droplet to produce a plasma light source, which is executed 50,000 times per second, with heat reaching 40 times that of the sun's surface. The EUV machine also relies on ultra-smooth mirrors with extremely high precision.

➁ ASML's technological progress supports Moore's Law, making semiconductors more advanced and helping companies like NVIDIA manufacture complex chips. ASML leads in the lithography field with a deep technological moat that is difficult for other companies to surpass.

➂ The precision (EUV) required costs $2.5 billion, involving 40 shipping containers, 20 trucks, and 3 large jet planes to transport one EUV machine.

➃ The EUV machine's light source involves emitting a laser to a tin droplet about the size of a pollen grain. This process must be executed 50,000 times per second, meaning it occurs every 0.00002 seconds.

➄ ASML's mirrors are incredibly smooth, with the largest flaw being less than one millimeter if the mirrors were as large as Germany.

➅ Moore's Law largely depends on ASML, and continued technological advancement will lead to more advanced semiconductors, enabling chips to execute more complex algorithms.

➆ No one is close to ASML in the lithography field, with their moat on another level.

➀ The Trump administration is seeking to tighten export restrictions on advanced AI processors from the U.S. and persuade allies to restrict servicing of tools in China.

➁ The new guidelines, known as the AI Diffusion Rule, limit access to powerful AI processors like Nvidia's H100 GPUs.

➂ The move is met with resistance from the industry, which fears it could harm business interests and accelerate the development of domestic alternatives in China.

➀ Rapidus plans to install 10 EUV lithography tools in its upcoming fabs in Japan.

➁ The tools will be used for mass production of chips on 2nm-class process technology starting in 2027.

➂ The installation is expected to begin at IIM-1 and IIM-2 semiconductor production facilities.