ASML Expands High-NA Ties With Samsung and Intel as AI Demand Builds

ASML Holding NV ASML is expanding customer collaboration around high numerical aperture (High-NA) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as AI-related chip demand raises manufacturing complexity. New work with Samsung and Intel gives the technology a larger role in ASML’s next scaling cycle.

The progress is tangible, but commercialization is not uniform. Intel has moved High-NA into production, while broader insertion across Logic and DRAM customers still depends on individual qualification and manufacturing decisions.

ASML Deepens High-NA Partnerships at a Key Moment

On Tuesday, ASML expanded its long-standing partnership with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. around High-NA EUV and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The companies plan to accelerate technologies aimed at meeting higher performance and efficiency requirements as AI-related demand grows.

That same day, ASML extended its collaboration with Intel Corporation INTC. Intel has been an early High-NA adopter, and the companies are working on future scaling needs, including larger-format masks that could support increasingly complex chip designs.

ASML's Intel Work Shows High-NA Moving Into Production

High-NA has already helped Intel Foundry in Panther Lake production. Intel also qualified the technology on select 18A product layers, giving ASML a concrete high-volume Logic production milestone rather than another development-stage demonstration.

ASML’s second-quarter presentation described the achievement as a new readiness milestone for High-NA. That production use supports the technology’s maturity, although one customer’s deployment does not establish the timing of adoption across ASML’s broader customer base.

ASML's High-NA Metrics Show Technical Progress

Earlier operating data provide another measure of progress. In the first quarter of 2026, the High-NA platform had processed more than 0.5 million wafers and achieved availability above 80%.

Those metrics strengthen the case that the platform is advancing technically. They do not, however, establish a common rollout schedule across Logic and DRAM customers, leaving qualification and manufacturing choices as important variables.

ASML and Samsung Target Next-Generation Scaling

Samsung is joining an industry initiative to develop a 12-inch photomask platform for High-NA EUV. The company also plans to introduce ASML’s High-NA technology into future DRAM high-volume manufacturing by 2028, extending the collaboration beyond research work.

The timing fits a broader increase in lithography intensity. ASML expects advanced foundry Logic revenue to rise about 25% in 2026, Memory revenue to increase 75% and EUV revenue to grow about 45% as customers add capacity and adopt more advanced nodes.

ASML Still Faces an Uneven High-NA Adoption Curve

Management expects discussions with all customers on exactly how and when High-NA will enter high-volume manufacturing. That leaves commercialization customer-specific even as Intel demonstrates production use and Samsung outlines a future DRAM path.

The distinction matters for investors. High-NA can extend ASML’s technology leadership, but the pace of wider insertion depends on customer qualification and manufacturing decisions rather than ASML’s roadmap alone.

ASML's Style Profile Tempers the High-NA Catalyst

The bottom line is that the Samsung and Intel collaborations add evidence that High-NA is moving toward broader manufacturing relevance. Intel’s production milestone and the earlier platform metrics support the technology case, but they do not remove uncertainty around the pace of wider adoption.

ASML currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) with a VGM Score of B, Growth Score of A, Momentum Score of A and Value Score of F. The Zacks Rank reflects a measured near-term setup over the next one to three months. The favorable Growth and Momentum Scores contrast with weaker value characteristics, while the VGM Score combines those styles into a broader profile.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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