Good news for Intel Corporation (INTC.US): ASML Holding NV ADR (ASML.US) has already started producing advanced lithography machines and the early data looks promising.

Intel Corporation (INTC.US) announced on Monday that the first two advanced lithography machines from ASML Holding NV ADR (ASML.US) have been "put into production" at its factories. Early data indicates that these new lithography machines are more reliable than the older models. Steve Carson, Senior Chief Engineer at Intel Corporation, stated at a meeting held in San Jose, California that Intel Corporation has used ASML Holding NV ADR's high numerical aperture (NA) lithography machines to produce 30,000 wafers in a quarter, with these large silicon wafers capable of producing thousands of computing chips. Last year, Intel Corporation became the first chip manufacturer in the world to receive these machines, with the expectation that these machines will produce smaller and faster computing chips than the older models from ASML Holding NV ADR. This move marks a strategic shift for Intel Corporation, as the company had been lagging behind competitors in adopting the previous generation of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines. Carson stated that in initial tests, the reliability of ASML Holding NV ADR's high numerical aperture lithography machines is approximately double that of the previous generation machines. Carson stated, "We are producing wafers at a steady pace, which is a big deal for the platform." Carson mentioned that early results from Intel Corporation's factories show that the high numerical aperture lithography machines can complete their work with just one exposure and "single-digit" processing steps, compared to the older machines which required three exposures and approximately 40 processing steps. Intel Corporation has expressed plans to use the high numerical aperture lithography machines to help develop the so-called 18A manufacturing technology, which is scheduled to go into mass production later this year alongside the new generation of personal computer chips. The company stated that they plan to fully deploy the high numerical aperture lithography machines with the next generation 14A manufacturing technology, but has not yet revealed the mass production date for this technology.