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ASML has "signed an agreement with one of its major US customers to deliver a minimum of 15 ASML EUV lithography systems to support increased development activity and pilot production of future-generation manufacturing processes."
- The first two systems (NXE:3350B units) will be delivered by year's end, complementing existing systems owned by the customer. The customer "intends to use EUV lithography for multiple processing steps in future process technology nodes." Financial terms are undisclosed.
- The client is most likely Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), which invested $4.1B in ASML in 2012 to bolster its EUV efforts but has been non-committal on when it will begin using EUV for commercial production. Intel stated last year it won't use EUV for 10nm chip production - its 10nm Cannonlake platform launches in 2016.
- Today's announcement suggests Intel might use EUV for 7nm production; Intel has previously suggested it could even get to 7nm without EUV. TSMC has said it will use EUV at 7nm.
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ING thinks the order will "put pressure on other chip manufacturers, especially logic clients, to also consider bulking up orders for EUV." It comes shortly after ASML struck a cautious tone about 10nm EUV adoption, but added R&D advances are making the technology more viable for 10nm pilot production.
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Yesterday: ASML, others rally following Lam's results/guidance