US funds $1bn centre to take on ASML in EUV lithography

The US government is funding a billion dollar research centre for next generation EUV process technology, taking on Dutch technology leader ASML.

The $825m EUV Accelerator will be hosted at the Albany NanoTech Complex as the first CHIPS for America R&D flagship facility with additional funding from users. A key player is expected to be US company Applied Materials which competes directly with ASML, which in June opened a similar lab with imec in Belgium

The EUV Accelerator will focus on developing state of the art high numerical aperture EUV technology and the R&D that relies on it. The US says EUV lithography has emerged as a critical technology to enable the high-volume production of transistors beyond 7nm, although major chip manufacturers such as TSMC are less convinced.

The US government says access to EUV lithography R&D is essential to extend U.S. technology leadership, reduce the time and cost to prototype, and build and sustain a semiconductor workforce ecosystem.

The will provide access to standard NA EUV next year and High NA EUV in 2026 to members of the US National Semiconductor Technology Center (NTSC) and its parent organisation, Natcast. ASML has already supplied high NA EUV machines to Intel and another chip maker.

“With this first proposed flagship facility, CHIPS for America is providing access to cutting-edge research and tools to the NSTC and its launch represents a key milestone in ensuring the United States remains a global leader in innovation and semiconductor research and development,” said Gina Raimondo, US secretary of commerce.

The Albany centre, now part of the NY Creates non-profit spin off of IBM’s process R&D, will have initial operations available in 2025, and will allow Natcast, NY Creates, and NSTC members to work collaboratively to conduct research and development activities

“With two decades of proven experience fostering effective public-private partnerships and more than $25bn invested in semiconductor R&D, manufacturing, and workforce development since its founding, NY Creates is uniquely positioned to support the NSTC’s mission to provide an open environment to accelerate research, reduce time to commercialization, and grow a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem in the U.S.,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and National Institute of Standards and Technology Director Laurie Locascio.

“The CHIPS for America EUV Accelerator underscores our commitment to developing and advancing next-generation semiconductor technologies here in the U.S.,” said Deirdre Hanford, Natcast CEO and former Sysnopsys executive. “Through this collaboration with NY Creates, Natcast and NSTC members will have access to essential EUV lithography tools and processes to facilitate a wider range of research and accelerate commercialization of the technologies of tomorrow.”