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Samsung Electronics and ASML announced an expansion of their long-standing strategic partnership, deepening collaboration on High NA EUV lithography and advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies that will help drive the next generation of innovation in the AI era.
Building on years of successful cooperation, the companies will work together to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that support the increasing performance and efficiency requirements of advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Samsung will join the industry initiative to advance next-generation 12-inch photomask technology for future manufacturing. The semiconductor industry has relied on the 6-inch photomask format for decades. With High NA EUV, the transition to larger, 12-inch masks is expected to further increase fab productivity, lower chipmaking costs and remove stitching constraints. It will enable advanced chip manufacturers to fully leverage the advantages of High NA EUV, making future generations of leading-edge chips more cost-effective.
Drawing on its leadership in both memory and foundry manufacturing, as well as its extensive experience with advanced EUV lithography, Samsung is positioned to play a critical role in the 12-inch photomask transition. The company will work closely with industry partners to develop the required mask technologies and supporting infrastructure.
Samsung also plans to introduce ASML’s High NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography into future DRAM high-volume manufacturing for the first time in the industry by 2028, further demonstrating the readiness of High NA technology to support advanced memory and logic applications. High NA EUV is expected to extend the DRAM scaling roadmap, with improved resolution enabling process simplification and increased efficiency.
The announcement reflects a shared commitment to innovation, technology leadership and long-term partnership. Samsung and ASML expect to continue exploring opportunities for collaboration in areas including advanced memory and innovative manufacturing approaches.
Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman & CEO, Samsung Electronics said: "The AI era is transforming the semiconductor industry and increasing the importance of technological innovation across the entire value chain. Samsung is committed to maintaining leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, including memory and foundry, through breakthrough technologies and strong partnerships. By further strengthening our collaboration with ASML, we are helping lay the foundation for the next generation of AI and semiconductor innovation."
Christophe Fouquet, President and Chief Executive Officer, ASML said: "Samsung has been one of ASML's most important innovation partners for many years. Together, we have helped advance the technologies that underpin modern semiconductor manufacturing. As the industry enters a new era driven by artificial intelligence, close collaboration with our customers becomes even more important. We look forward to working with Samsung to enable the next wave of semiconductor innovation."
