Intel said its Core Ultra Series 3 processors, code-named Panther Lake, entered mass production on the company's 18A node, and ASML confirmed in a July 15 press release that specific 18A process layers for a subset of these chips are now dual-qualified on its EXE High-NA EUV lithography systems at Intel's Oregon campus.
It is the first time a High-NA EUV tool has been used in a high-volume logic manufacturing product, according to ASML, a milestone the Dutch lithography maker has been building toward since it began shipping early High-NA systems to customers.
Why it matters
18A is the process Intel has staked its foundry turnaround on, built around RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery. Getting Panther Lake out the door on schedule, and doing so with at least some layers on High-NA tooling, gives Intel evidence to show prospective foundry customers that the node is not just a paper roadmap.
For ASML, proof that High-NA EUV can run in volume production, rather than only in pilot lines, is critical to justifying the machines' roughly $350 million-plus price tags to the small number of customers who can afford them.
How it works
High-NA EUV increases the numerical aperture of the lithography system's optics, allowing finer feature printing in a single exposure pass compared with older EUV tools, which often need multiple exposures to hit similarly small dimensions. Intel has used the tool for select critical layers on 18A rather than the entire process flow, a common early-adoption pattern.
Separately, Intel's June 2026 disclosure at the VLSI Symposium described 18A-P, a follow-on process now in risk production, which the company says offers roughly 9% better performance at the same power and a 40% cut in thermal resistance compared with base 18A, while remaining design-rule compatible so customers can port existing 18A designs.
The competing read
Trade press framed the Panther Lake launch as a genuine turnaround signal for Intel Foundry after years of delayed nodes, but some coverage also noted that only a subset of chips and process layers are actually using High-NA tooling at this stage, with the rest of 18A production relying on established EUV systems. That distinction matters for judging how far along the technology really is.
ASML and Intel's narrative emphasizes technical readiness, while broader industry commentary, including TrendForce's September reporting on High-NA rollout across four customers total, frames adoption as still economics-driven and gradual, since the tools remain expensive relative to the yield and throughput gains they currently deliver.
What happens next
Intel is expected to expand 18A and 18A-P output through 2026 and into 2027 as it tries to win external foundry customers beyond its own product lines, a key test of whether Intel Foundry can become a viable alternative to TSMC and Samsung.
ASML's broader High-NA rollout is also moving forward: the company said in September that ten systems were operational across four customers, with several more in shipment or installation, suggesting other chipmakers besides Intel will report their own High-NA production milestones over the coming year.