First commercial EUV tool is being installed on European soil

Intel has started installing an ASML EUV system in Fab 34, located in Leixlip, Ireland. This will be the first European facility to utilize the next-gen lithography technology for mass production. The only other European outfit to ever receive an EUV tool from ASML is Imec, which used it for R&D and process development and development of future IC technology.

Once the tool has been installed, Fab 34 will probably start producing Intel 4 chips. Formerly referred to as 7nm, this is Intel’s first node in which EUV is fully embraced. According a roadmap presented last year, Intel 4 production is scheduled to commence in Q3 of this year.

In a Youtube-video posted by Intel a spokesperson says the site will install more EUV systems in the years ahead. The recently announced megafab in Germany, expected to come online in 2027, will likely not only host EUV but also High-NA scanners.