Samsung Electronics and ASML have entered into an expanded strategic partnership, which includes the accelerated development of High NA EUV lithography, as well as next-generation wafer fabrication techniques. Both companies are gearing up to meet the exponential compute and energy requirements of the AI era.
The extended partnership, based on decades of successful cooperation in engineering milestones, will focus on the optimization of semiconductor fabrication, production workflows, and the underlying infrastructure for future generations of logic and memory chips.
Pioneer of 12-Inch Photomask for Next-Generation EUV Fab
In accordance with the expanded partnership deal, Samsung will participate in a global semiconductor initiative that aims at developing the 12-inch photomask technology for future chip fabrication. Until recently, the semiconductor industry has been using the standard 6-inch photomask. However, with the emergence of High NA EUV, switching to 12-inch photomasks is expected to bring significant improvements to fab productivity and reduce costs.
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Leveraging its dual leadership in high-volume memory fabrication and advanced foundry services, Samsung is positioned to play a pivotal role in accelerating the global ecosystem shift toward 12-inch photomask infrastructure. The company will work in direct alignment with international equipment and materials suppliers to develop the supporting mask technology ecosystem.
Commercializing High NA EUV in High-Volume DRAM Production
In an industry-first milestone, Samsung plans to deploy ASML’s High NA EUV lithography platforms directly into high-volume manufacturing (HVM) for future DRAM memory generations targeted for 2028. The deployment marks a significant transition, proving the commercial readiness of High NA EUV systems beyond advanced logic nodes to support next-generation memory architectures.
The enhanced resolution provided by High NA EUV enables extreme feature scaling, process step simplification, and improved yield efficiency-extending the physical scaling roadmap for advanced DRAM memory used in AI accelerators and high-performance computing (HPC) platforms.
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.”
Long-Term Value and Industry Outlook
It is a partnership that recognizes a shared dedication to technological superiority, scaling, and co-development. Going forward, Samsung and ASML are expected to continue looking for collaborative research and development opportunities in advanced memory technologies, lithographic methods, and semiconductor manufacturing processes.
