Intel Spills The Beans On High Tech Plans To Retake Global Chip Making Crown

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Eager to establish itself as the world's leading chip manufacturer, Intel is making rapid progress in introducing advanced chip-making machines in its process flow. The firm revealed earlier today that it had completed the assembly of the "industry's first" high numeric aperture chip-making machine at an R&D center in Oregon. Intel's announcement follows a press talk given by the firm earlier this week that explained the benefits of using High NA technology to make chips and how the firm aims to use the unique benefits offered by these machines to speed up its fabrication process.

Intel Aims To Put High NA Chipmaking Tools Into Production Next Year

Chip manufacturing machines, particularly the advanced equipment used by Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), are made by just one firm - the Dutch ASML. Naturally, this means that as the demand for silicon products grows, chip makers rush to get their hands on this equipment.

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Intel took the lead with the most advanced chip manufacturing machines, namely the high numeric aperture extreme ultraviolet tools, by bringing the first machine to its facilities last year. This was also the first High NA machine that ASML had shipped to a customer, and Intel's announcement earlier today revealed that it had successfully assembled the machine as part of a 'first light' process. The firm plans to start working with long lead time items initially as it gets developmental access for the machines and starts working with the machine in Oregon.

At its press talk, Intel's director of lithography, Mark Phillips, shared the benefits that his firm expects from this equipment. According to him, since high NA allows chip makers to use less light per